NHS Agenda for Change pay · 2026/27 tax year

NHS pay after tax 2026/27

NHS Agenda for Change pay in England runs from £25,272 to £129,783 a year in 2026/27 after a 3.3% award from 1 April 2026. After the NHS pension, Income Tax and National Insurance, band 5 starts at £2,040.21 a month, band 6 at £2,429.78 and band 7 at £2,933.86. Pick a band for every pay point, London HCAS figures and student loan effects.

Pay scales and pension tiers checked against NHS Employers and NHSBSA on 25 September 2026.

Band 5 take-home

£2,040

a month at entry

Band 6 take-home

£2,430

a month at entry

Band 7 take-home

£2,934

a month at entry

Pay award

3.3%

from 1 April 2026

NHS take-home pay by band, 2026/27

Full-time pay in England. Take-home is after the NHS pension, Income Tax and National Insurance, with no student loan.

Band	Entry salary	Entry take-home a month	Top salary	Top take-home a month	NHS pension rate
Band 1 (closed)	£25,272	£1,700.11	£25,272	£1,700.11	6.5%
Band 2	£25,272	£1,700.11	£25,272	£1,700.11	6.5%
Band 3	£25,760	£1,727.27	£27,476	£1,822.80	6.5%
Band 4	£28,392	£1,873.79	£31,157	£1,990.32	6.5% to 8.3%
Band 5	£32,073	£2,040.21	£39,043	£2,380.80	8.3% to 9.8%
Band 6	£39,959	£2,429.78	£48,117	£2,865.96	9.8%
Band 7	£49,387	£2,933.86	£56,515	£3,308.99	9.8% to 10.7%
Band 8a	£57,528	£3,352.53	£64,750	£3,662.95	10.7%
Band 8b	£66,582	£3,741.70	£77,368	£4,135.69	10.7% to 12.5%
Band 8c	£79,504	£4,225.58	£91,609	£4,735	12.5%
Band 8d	£94,356	£4,850.60	£108,814	£5,459.04	12.5%
Band 9	£112,782	£5,626.03	£129,783	£6,115.48	12.5%

NHS pension contribution tiers 2026/27

Member contribution rates from 1 April 2026 (NHSBSA). Your rate is set by your actual annual pensionable pay and applies to all of it.

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%

How the NHS pension changes take-home

NHS pension contributions come off before Income Tax but not National Insurance. At the band 5 entry point, the £2,662 contribution saves £532 in Income Tax, so it really costs £2,130 a year.

London and fringe pay

Staff in inner London get a high cost area supplement of 20% of basic pay (between £5,794 and £8,746), outer London 15% (£4,870 to £6,137) and the fringe 5% (£1,346 to £2,270). It is pensionable. Each band page shows take-home with it included.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

These are England pay scales. The other UK nations have their own pay sections in the NHS terms and conditions handbook, and NHS Scotland staff also pay Scottish Income Tax.

Guides and definitions

High Income Child Benefit Charge: how it is worked out and cut (Guide)
How to read your payslip: every line explained, with an example (Guide)
National Insurance rates 2026/27: what you pay and how it works (Guide)
Emergency tax code (An emergency tax code, marked W1, M1 or X, taxes each payday on its own, as if you were paid that amount every period of the year.)
Marginal tax rate (Your marginal tax rate is the share of your next pound or dollar of income that goes in tax and deductions.)
P60 (A P60 is the yearly summary of your pay and tax from one employer, due by 31 May if you work there on 5 April.)
Personal Allowance (The Personal Allowance is the income you can earn each UK tax year before Income Tax starts: £12,570 for 2026/27.)
Tax code (A UK tax code tells your employer or pension provider how much tax-free pay to give you; 1257L, meaning £12,570, is the most common.)

Work out your own NHS take-home pay

Every NHS band

NHS Band 1 (£1,700 a month at entry)
NHS Band 2 (£1,700 a month at entry)
NHS Band 3 (£1,727 a month at entry)
NHS Band 4 (£1,874 a month at entry)
NHS Band 5 (£2,040 a month at entry)
NHS Band 6 (£2,430 a month at entry)
NHS Band 7 (£2,934 a month at entry)
NHS Band 8a (£3,353 a month at entry)
NHS Band 8b (£3,742 a month at entry)
NHS Band 8c (£4,226 a month at entry)
NHS Band 8d (£4,851 a month at entry)
NHS Band 9 (£5,626 a month at entry)

UK take-home pay calculator · Work out your own NHS take-home pay

Common questions

How much is band 5 after tax?

£24,483 a year at the 2026/27 entry point of £32,073, or £2,040.21 a month. That is after a £2,662 NHS pension contribution, £3,368 Income Tax and £1,560 National Insurance.

When did the 2026/27 NHS pay rise start?

The 3.3% Agenda for Change award for England applies from 1 April 2026. NHS Employers published the updated pay scales on 12 February 2026, ahead of the new financial year.

What NHS pension rate will I pay?

It depends on your actual pensionable pay. From 1 April 2026 the tiers run from 5.2% up to £13,259 to 12.5% at £67,669 and above. Band 5 staff pay 8.3% at the entry point, and bands 6 and 7 both start on 9.8%.

Do NHS pension contributions reduce National Insurance?

No. The NHS scheme takes contributions before Income Tax, which gives you tax relief at your top rate of tax, but National Insurance is still worked out on your full salary. The scheme cannot be paid through salary sacrifice.

Are these figures for Scotland?

No. They use the England Agenda for Change scales and Income Tax for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. NHS Scotland has its own pay scales and Scottish Income Tax bands, so take-home pay there is different.

Sources and assumptions

Full-time Agenda for Change pay in England for 2026/27 (37.5 hours a week), effective from 1 April 2026.
NHS Pension Scheme member contributions use the tier for your actual annual pensionable pay from 1 April 2026, charged on all of that pay, and come off before Income Tax but not National Insurance.
Income Tax and National Insurance use 2026/27 rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the standard 1257L tax code. Student loans are left out unless a figure says otherwise.
Unsocial hours, overtime, on-call and recruitment premia are not included. Payroll works these out each month, so your payslip can differ by a few pounds.

These are estimates, not financial advice. Your payslip depends on your hours, tax code, pension tier and any enhancements.