NHS pay calculator
Agenda for Change pay for England from 1 April 2026. Choose a band and pay point, set your hours and any London supplement, and see basic pay, the tiered pension contribution, tax, National Insurance and monthly take-home.
Breakdown
| Basic pay | £32,073 |
| High cost area supplement | £0 |
| Gross pay | £32,073 |
| NHS pension contribution (8.3%) | £2,662 |
| Income tax | £3,368 |
| National Insurance | £1,560 |
| Student loan | £0 |
| Take-home pay | £24,483 |
Agenda for Change pay points, 2026/27
| Band | Entry | Intermediate | Top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £25,272 | ||
| Band 3 | £25,760 | £27,476 | |
| Band 4 | £28,392 | £31,157 | |
| 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 |
How the calculation works
Basic pay comes from the Agenda for Change point you select, scaled to your contracted hours against the 37.5 hour week. A high cost area supplement, where it applies, adds a percentage of full-time basic pay within a floor and a ceiling, and is scaled to hours in the same way. The NHS Pension Scheme contribution is then set by the tier your actual pay falls into and deducted before tax, which is why the tax line is lower than a salary-only calculation would give.
Income tax uses the 2026/27 personal allowance of £12,570 and the 20%, 40% and 45% bands on pay after the pension contribution. Employee National Insurance is charged on the full gross pay at 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above, and student loan deductions, if selected, are 9% of gross pay above the plan threshold. The figures assume the standard tax code and England; Scottish staff pay Scottish income tax on the Scottish pay circular.
| Basic pay | pay point × contracted hours ÷ 37.5 |
| Pension | tiered rate on actual pay, deducted before tax |
| Tax | on gross pay less pension, standard 1257L code |
| National Insurance | 8% and 2% on gross pay |
Worked example
A full-time Band 5 on the entry point earns £32,073. The pension contribution at 8.3% is £2,662, leaving £29,411 taxable; income tax is £3,368 and National Insurance £1,560, so take-home pay is £24,483 a year, £2,040 a month, and deductions take 23.7% of gross pay. At the top of Band 6 (£48,117) the pension tier rises to 9.8% and take-home is £2,866 a month. The same Band 5 post in inner London adds a £6,415 supplement and takes home £2,351 a month.
How to read the result
- Enhancements are often a large share of NHS pay. Nights, weekends and bank holidays attract percentage uplifts under Section 2 of the handbook, and many clinical staff earn thousands a year from them. None of that is modelled here.
- The pension tier follows actual pay. A part-time member on a high band can sit in a lower tier than a full-time colleague on the same point.
- Pay progression is not automatic. Moving up a point depends on the pay progression framework, including appraisal and, in some cases, no formal capability process.
- Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their own pay circulars. The bands and dates differ; this calculator uses the England scales.
Common questions
How much does a Band 5 nurse take home?
A newly qualified Band 5 on the £32,073 entry point takes home about £24,483 a year, or £2,040 a month, after 8.3% pension contributions, income tax and National Insurance in 2026/27. At the top of Band 5 (£39,043) take-home is about £2,381 a month. Unsocial hours enhancements are extra.
What are the NHS pay bands for 2026/27?
Agenda for Change pay from 1 April 2026 runs from £25,272 at Band 2 to £129,783 at the top of Band 9, after a 3.3% award. Bands 5 to 9 have three pay points (entry, intermediate and top). Progression is time-based under the pay progression framework, normally after two years at the entry point, with the wait for the top point differing by band.
How much NHS pension do I pay?
Member contributions are tiered by pensionable pay: 5.2% up to £13,259, 6.5% to £28,854, 8.3% to £35,155, 9.8% to £52,778, 10.7% to £67,668, 12.5% above £67,668. The contribution is taken before tax, so a Band 5 paying 8.3% gives up less than that in take-home. The thresholds are unchanged for 2026/27 because the pay award was below the September 2025 inflation figure.
How much is the London supplement?
High cost area supplements are a percentage of basic pay within a floor and a ceiling: inner London 20% (£5,794 to £8,746), outer London 15% (£4,870 to £6,137) and fringe 5%. A Band 5 entry point in inner London receives £6,415 on top, taking gross pay to £38,488.
Is NHS pay pro rata for part-time staff?
Yes. Basic pay and the supplement scale with contracted hours against the 37.5 hour full-time week, while the pension tier is set by the actual pay you receive. Tax and National Insurance are charged on the actual pay, with the full personal allowance, so part-time staff keep a larger share of gross pay.
Does this include unsocial hours, overtime or on-call?
No. Enhancements for nights, weekends and bank holidays under Section 2 of the handbook, overtime and on-call payments vary by rota and are paid on top of the basic pay shown here. Bank and agency pay is also outside the scope of this calculator.