How much is NHS take-home pay?
NHS staff in England are paid on the Agenda for Change scale, where your band (2 to 9) and years in the role set your gross salary. From that, Income Tax, National Insurance and your NHS Pension contribution (a tiered rate from 5.2% to 12.5% of pensionable pay) are deducted to give take-home pay.
High Cost Area Supplements add a percentage of basic pay in and around London — 20% for inner London, 15% for outer London and 5% for the fringe, each with a cash floor and cap. Pick your band, experience and region above to see the gross and take-home figures for the current year.
How NHS pay is worked out
Most NHS staff (excluding doctors, dentists and some senior managers) are paid under Agenda for Change, organised into pay bands 2 to 9. Each band has several pay points staff progress through over time as they gain experience. Your gross pay is your band and pay point's full-time equivalent salary, pro-rated for your contracted hours if you work part-time.
Each UK nation sets its own Agenda for Change settlement. This calculator keeps separate 2026/27 tables for England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland is not included until a final official point-by-point table can be verified.
| Band | Point 1 | Point 2 | Point 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £25,272 | Not used | Not used |
| Band 3 | £25,760 | £27,476 | Not used |
| Band 4 | £28,392 | £31,157 | Not used |
| Band 5 | £32,073 | £34,592 | £39,043 |
| Band 6 | £39,959 | £42,170 | £48,117 |
| Band 7 | £49,387 | £51,932 | £56,515 |
| Band 8a | £57,528 | £60,417 | £64,750 |
| Band 8b | £66,582 | £70,896 | £77,368 |
| Band 8c | £79,504 | £84,346 | £91,609 |
| Band 8d | £94,356 | £100,140 | £108,814 |
| Band 9 | £112,782 | £119,583 | £129,783 |
England full-time equivalent annual salaries, effective 1 April 2026. Band 1 is closed to new entrants and isn't shown. Select Wales or Scotland in the calculator for that nation's separate official table.
High Cost Area Supplement (London weighting)
NHS staff working in and around London get an extra payment to reflect the higher cost of living, split into three zones. HCAS is calculated as a percentage of basic salary, then lifted to the minimum or capped at the maximum shown below if the percentage amount falls outside that range. It only applies in England, and it counts as pensionable pay when working out your NHS Pension contribution tier.
| Zone | % of basic pay | Minimum / year | Maximum / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 20% | £5,794 | £8,746 |
| Outer London | 15% | £4,870 | £6,137 |
| Fringe | 5% | £1,346 | £2,270 |
NHS Pension Scheme contributions
Most NHS staff are automatically enrolled in the NHS Pension Scheme, with contributions tiered by pensionable pay, including basic salary plus High Cost Area Supplement where it applies. Unlike Income Tax, the tier rate applies to your whole pensionable pay, not just the portion above the threshold. It's a “net pay” scheme, so contributions reduce taxable pay before Income Tax. National Insurance and student loan deductions are calculated from gross Class 1 earnings before the ordinary pension deduction.
| Pensionable pay | Contribution rate |
|---|---|
| £0 to £13,259 | 5.2% |
| £13,260 to £28,854 | 6.5% |
| £28,855 to £35,155 | 8.3% |
| £35,156 to £52,778 | 9.8% |
| £52,779 to £67,668 | 10.7% |
| £67,669 and above | 12.5% |
Example NHS pay calculations
These examples compare Agenda for Change bands, pension tiers and regional weighting to show how each factor changes NHS take-home pay.
Worked example: Band 6, top pay point, Outer London, England
- Basic salary (Band 6, point 3): £48,117.00
- High Cost Area Supplement (Outer London, 15% of basic pay, capped between £4,870 and £6,137): £6,137.00
- Gross pay (basic pay + HCAS): £54,254.00
- NHS Pension contribution tier: gross pensionable pay of £54,254.00 falls in the 10.7% tier, an employee contribution of £5,805.18
- Taxable pay (gross pay minus pension contribution): £48,448.82
- Income Tax: £7,175.76
- Employee National Insurance (charged on gross pay, before the pension deduction): £3,095.68
- Take-home pay: £38,177.38/year (£3,181.45/month, £734.18/week)
Band 5, England, full-time
£32,073 gross
- Take-home / month
- £2,040
- Take-home / year
- £24,483
Band 6, Inner London, Plan 2 loan
£50,604 gross
- Take-home / month
- £2,841
- Take-home / year
- £34,097
Band 5, Scotland, full-time
£34,544 gross
- Take-home / month
- £2,167
- Take-home / year
- £26,007
Band 6, part-time (22.5 hrs)
£23,975 gross
- Take-home / month
- £1,628
- Take-home / year
- £19,535
Frequently asked questions
01What is Agenda for Change?
It's the pay and conditions framework covering most NHS staff, excluding doctors, dentists and some senior managers. It is organised into pay bands 2 to 9. Each UK nation sets its own award, so the exact salary for the same band can differ.
02Why are England, Wales and Scotland shown separately?
Each nation publishes its own settlement and point table. Wales differs from England in 2026/27, and Scotland also has a different structure and a 36-hour full-time week. Northern Ireland is excluded until a final official 2026/27 point table can be verified.
03What is the High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS)?
It's an extra payment (also called London weighting) for NHS staff working in and around London, to reflect the higher cost of living there. It only applies in England, split into three zones - Inner London (20% of basic salary), Outer London (15%), and Fringe (5%) - each with its own minimum and maximum annual payment.
04How does the NHS Pension Scheme affect my take-home pay?
Most NHS staff are automatically enrolled. The applicable tier rate is charged on whole pensionable pay, not only the portion above a threshold. A net pay contribution reduces taxable pay for Income Tax, but it does not normally reduce Class 1 earnings for National Insurance or student loan deductions.
05Are NHS Pension Scheme contribution tiers the same in each nation?
No. England and Wales use one published tier table, while Scotland has separate SPPA tiers. The calculator uses Scotland Table 2 based on current pay and warns that continuing staff with unchanged pay can be assigned using prior-year earnings under Table 1.
06How is part-time NHS pay calculated?
Your basic pay is the full-time equivalent salary for your band and point, multiplied by contracted hours divided by full-time hours. Full time is 37.5 hours in England and Wales and 36 hours in Scotland from April 2026. England HCAS is also pro-rated.
Pay, pension and tax assumptions
This page is written and reviewed by Eman Munir, ACCA.
This NHS pay calculator assumes:
- A single Agenda for Change role, with no additional payments not modelled here, such as unsocial hours enhancements, on-call allowances, or overtime.
- England and Wales use their published member contribution tiers. Scotland uses SPPA Table 2 based on current pensionable pay; continuing staff with unchanged pay can be assigned using prior-year earnings under SPPA Table 1.
- Your tax region for Income Tax purposes follows your nation: Scotland uses Scottish Income Tax bands, and England and Wales use the rest-of-UK bands (Wales doesn't currently set its own different Income Tax rates).
- All figures are rounded to the nearest penny.
For a general salary that isn't NHS-specific, see the Take-Home Pay Calculator. For NHS annual leave entitlement, see the NHS Annual Leave Calculator.
Sources
Pay, HCAS and pension figures are taken directly from:
- England Agenda for Change pay scales 2026/27 (NHS Employers PDF)(checked 24 August 2026)
- Wales pay circular AfC(W) 02/2026 (NHS Wales PDF)(checked 24 August 2026)
- NHS Pension Scheme member contributions (NHS Employers)(checked 24 August 2026)
- Scotland NHS staff pay 2026/27 (Scottish Government)(checked 24 August 2026)
- Scotland NHS pension member tiers from April 2026 (SPPA PDF)(checked 24 August 2026)