NHS Agenda for Change pay · 2026/27 tax year

NHS band 8a salary after tax 2026/27

NHS band 8a starts on £57,528 a year in England for 2026/27. After an NHS pension contribution of £6,156 (10.7%), Income Tax of £7,981 and National Insurance of £3,161, you take home £40,230 a year, which is £3,352.53 a month. At the top of the band (5 years or more, £64,750) take-home rises to £3,662.95 a month.

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

Entry salary

£57,528

a year before tax

Take-home per month

£3,353

entry point, after pension

Top of band per month

£3,663

5 years or more

NHS pension rate

10.7%

of pensionable pay

NHS band 8a take-home pay by pay point, 2026/27

Full-time pay in England from 1 April 2026. Take-home is after the NHS pension, Income Tax and National Insurance, with no student loan.

Experience	Gross a year	NHS pension	Income Tax	National Insurance	Take-home a year	Take-home a month
Under 2 years	£57,528	£6,156 (10.7%)	£7,981	£3,161	£40,230	£3,352.53
2 to 5 years	£60,417	£6,465 (10.7%)	£9,013	£3,219	£41,720	£3,476.71
5 years or more	£64,750	£6,928 (10.7%)	£10,561	£3,306	£43,955	£3,662.95

NHS band 8a pay in London and the fringe, 2026/27

Gross pay including the high cost area supplement (HCAS), which is pensionable. Inner London adds 20% of basic pay (minimum £5,794, maximum £8,746), outer London 15% (£4,870 to £6,137) and the fringe 5% (£1,346 to £2,270).

Experience	Inner London gross	Inner take-home a month	Outer London gross	Outer take-home a month	Fringe gross	Fringe take-home a month
Under 2 years	£66,274	£3,728.46	£63,665	£3,616.32	£59,798	£3,450.10
2 to 5 years	£69,163	£3,790.39	£66,554	£3,740.50	£62,687	£3,574.28
5 years or more	£73,496	£3,972.74	£70,887	£3,862.94	£67,020	£3,760.53

NHS band 8a take-home pay with a Plan 2 student loan

Plan 2 takes 9% of pay over £29,385 a year, worked out on gross pay, so the NHS pension does not reduce it.

Experience	Plan 2 repayment a year	Plan 2 a month	Take-home a month with Plan 2
Under 2 years	£2,533	£211.07	£3,141.46
2 to 5 years	£2,793	£232.74	£3,243.97
5 years or more	£3,183	£265.24	£3,397.72

Roles on band 8a

NHS Health Careers gives these as examples of band 8a jobs: consultant prosthetist/orthotist, dental laboratory manager, project and programme management, modern matron (nursing) and nurse consultant (mental health nursing). Your band depends on how your own job is evaluated, not only its title.

Your NHS pension tier

On band 8a your pensionable pay of £57,528 to £64,750 falls in the 10.7% tier (£52,779 to £67,668), so you pay £6,156 to £6,928 a year. Tiers are set by NHSBSA from 1 April 2026 and use your actual pay, so part-time staff are placed on what they earn.

Why the pension saves tax but not NI

NHS pension contributions come off your pay before Income Tax but not before National Insurance. At the band 8a entry point the £6,156 contribution cuts your Income Tax by £2,462, so it really costs you £3,693 a year. NI is still charged on the full £57,528.

Pay progression on band 8a

You move up on your pay step date if you meet the standards in annex 23 of the NHS terms and conditions handbook. On band 8a that means £60,417 after 2 years and £64,750 after 5 years, a rise of £7,222 before tax or £310.42 a month after it.

Unsocial hours on band 8a

Hours on Saturdays and weekdays between 8pm and 6am are paid at time plus 30% on band 8a, and Sundays and public holidays at time plus 60%. On the entry hourly rate of £29.42 that is £38.25 and £47.07 an hour before tax. These payments are pensionable, so they can move you into a higher pension tier.

No paid overtime on band 8a

Staff on bands 8 and 9 are not entitled to overtime payments under the NHS terms and conditions handbook. Extra hours are usually handled through time off or local arrangements.

Higher-rate tax on band 8a

At the top point your taxable pay after the pension is £57,822, so £7,552 is taxed at 40%. Pension contributions on that slice get 40% tax relief.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

These are England rates. NHS Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own pay sections in the NHS handbook and can pay differently. As a tax example only: a Scottish taxpayer on the England band 8a entry salary would take home £1,578 less a year (£3,221.07 a month), because Scotland has its own Income Tax bands.

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.)

Add your own hours, tax code and student loan

Other NHS bands

NHS Band 6 (£2,430 a month at entry)
NHS Band 7 (£2,934 a month at entry)
NHS Band 8b (£3,742 a month at entry)
NHS Band 8c (£4,226 a month at entry)

Every NHS band compared · £58,000 after tax · Add your own hours, tax code and student loan

Common questions

How much is band 8a after tax?

£40,230 a year at the entry point in 2026/27, rising to £43,955 at the top. That is after the NHS pension, Income Tax and National Insurance on salaries of £57,528 and £64,750.

What is band 8a per month?

£4,794 before tax and £3,352.53 after (under 2 years), £5,034.75 before tax and £3,476.71 after (2 to 5 years) and £5,395.83 before tax and £3,662.95 after (5 years or more). Monthly take-home is after the NHS pension, tax and NI, with no student loan.

How much NHS pension do I pay on band 8a?

10.7% of pensionable pay from 1 April 2026, which is £6,156 to £6,928 a year. Because it comes off before Income Tax, the entry-point contribution really costs £3,693 after tax relief.

How long does it take to reach the top of band 8a?

The top point is for staff with 5 years or more on the band, provided you meet the pay progression standards at each pay step date. It is worth £7,222 a year more than the entry point before tax.

How much is band 8a in London?

In inner London the entry point is £66,274 including the high cost area supplement, which leaves £3,728.46 a month after pension, tax and NI. Outer London pays £63,665 and the fringe £59,798.

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.