NHS Band 8c entry point: pay and deductions
| Yearly | Monthly | Weekly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic pay | £79,504 | £6,625 | £1,529 |
| Pension at 12.5% | £9,938 | £828 | £191 |
| Income tax | £15,258 | £1,272 | £293 |
| National Insurance | £3,601 | £300 | £69 |
| Take-home pay | £50,707 | £4,226 | £975 |
Deductions take 36.2% of basic pay at this point. Pension contributions come off before income tax is worked out, so the £9,938 paid into the scheme reduces taxable pay to £69,566 and costs less than its face value. National Insurance is charged on the full £79,504.
Which pension tier applies at £79,504?
The NHS Pension Scheme charges a tiered member contribution on actual annual pensionable pay, not on the full-time equivalent. At £79,504 the rate is 12.5%, in the band above £67,668 and up to no upper limit. The tiers are set by NHS Employers and were unchanged for 2026/27.
| Pensionable pay | Member contribution | Applies here |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £13,259 | 5.2% | No |
| £13,259 to £28,854 | 6.5% | No |
| £28,854 to £35,155 | 8.3% | No |
| £35,155 to £52,778 | 9.8% | No |
| £52,778 to £67,668 | 10.7% | No |
| Above £67,668 | 12.5% | Yes |
The full tier table and the effect of a pay rise that crosses a tier boundary are set out on the NHS pension calculator. Source: NHS Employers, NHS Pension Scheme member contributions.
NHS Band 8c entry point with a London supplement
A high cost area supplement is a percentage of basic pay with a cash floor and ceiling, paid on top of the band. It is pensionable, so it also decides the pension tier.
| Area | Supplement | Total pay | Pension tier | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of England | None | £79,504 | 12.5% | £4,226 |
| Fringe (5%) | £2,270 | £81,774 | 12.5% | £4,321 |
| Outer London (15%) | £6,137 | £85,641 | 12.5% | £4,484 |
| Inner London (20%) | £8,746 | £88,250 | 12.5% | £4,594 |
NHS Band 8c entry point part time
Part-time pay is the full-time figure scaled by contracted hours over 37.5. The pension tier follows actual pay rather than the full-time equivalent, which is why a part-time contract can sit in a lower tier: at 22.5 hours the rate falls from 12.5% to 9.8%.
| Hours a week | Basic pay | Pension rate | Take-home a year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | £31,802 | 8.3% | £24,305 | £2,025 |
| 22.5 | £47,702 | 9.8% | £34,125 | £2,844 |
| 30 | £63,603 | 10.7% | £43,364 | £3,614 |
| 37.5 | £79,504 | 12.5% | £50,707 | £4,226 |
NHS Band 8c entry point with a student loan
Repayments are 9% of pay above the plan threshold, taken through payroll after income tax and National Insurance. Pension contributions do not reduce the pay a student loan is charged on.
| Plan | Threshold | Repayment a year | A month | Take-home after loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £26,900 | £4,734 | £395 | £45,973 |
| Plan 2 | £29,385 | £4,511 | £376 | £46,196 |
| Plan 4 (Scotland) | £33,795 | £4,114 | £343 | £46,593 |
| Plan 5 | £25,000 | £4,905 | £409 | £45,802 |
The student loan repayment calculator covers every plan, including the postgraduate loan at 6%.
What is different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Agenda for Change is a United Kingdom framework, but each country negotiates its own pay scale, so the cash figures above apply to England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their own circulars, and their band values and the number of spine points can differ from the England scale in the same year. Check the figure for your country against your own health service before relying on it.
Income tax also differs. If £79,504 were paid in Scotland, Scottish rates would take £17,200 in income tax against £15,258 in England, so take-home would be about £48,766, £1,941 a year less. National Insurance and the pension tier are the same across the United Kingdom. The Scottish income tax calculator shows the band-by-band working.
Moving up from this point
Movement through the points inside a band happens after a set period in the role, subject to the appraisal requirements in the pay progression framework. Moving to a higher band requires a different post.
| Step | Basic pay | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Band 8b, top point | £77,368 | £4,136 |
| Band 8c, entry point | £79,504 | £4,226 |
| Band 8c, intermediate point | £84,346 | £4,429 |
Work out your own figure
The tables above assume full-time hours, the standard tax code, no student loan and no unsocial hours payment. Open the NHS pay calculator to set your own band, point, hours, London area and student loan plan, or read the guide to the 2026/27 NHS pay bands for how the scale is structured.