NHS Take Home Pay Calculator 2026/27
Choose your band, pay point, and hours to see what actually lands in your account each month after income tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.
Full time is 37.5 hours.
Take-home pay
£1,925.67a month
£23,108 a year · £444.38 a week
- Gross salary
- £29,970
- Pension contribution
- −£2,4888%
- Income tax
- −£2,98210%
- National Insurance
- −£1,3925%
- Net pay
- £23,108
NHS pay bands 2026/27: gross and take-home
Full-time, outside London, in the NHS pension scheme.
| Band | Entry | Top | Per hour | Take-home (entry) | Take-home (top) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £24,169 | £24,169 | £12.39 – £12.39 | £19,664 | £19,664 |
| Band 3 | £24,938 | £25,725 | £12.79 – £13.19 | £20,178 | £20,704 |
| Band 4 | £26,530 | £29,114 | £13.61 – £14.93 | £21,242 | £22,549 |
| Band 5 | £29,970 | £36,483 | £15.37 – £18.71 | £23,108 | £26,927 |
| Band 6 | £37,338 | £44,962 | £19.15 – £23.06 | £27,476 | £32,367 |
| Band 7 | £46,148 | £52,809 | £23.67 – £27.08 | £33,128 | £37,174 |
| Band 8a | £53,755 | £60,504 | £27.57 – £31.03 | £37,831 | £41,765 |
| Band 8b | £62,215 | £72,293 | £31.91 – £37.07 | £42,648 | £47,065 |
| Band 8c | £74,290 | £85,601 | £38.10 – £43.90 | £48,074 | £53,786 |
| Band 8d | £88,168 | £101,677 | £45.21 – £52.14 | £55,082 | £61,904 |
| Band 9 | £105,385 | £121,271 | £54.04 – £62.19 | £63,777 | £71,188 |
Figures are a guide based on NHS Employers Agenda for Change scales for England and HMRC rates for 2026/27. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland operate separate scales, and Scottish income tax rates differ. Check your payslip or ESR for the definitive figure.
Part-time NHS take-home pay, per month
Entry point of each band, outside London, in the pension scheme. Pro rata on 37.5 hours — and because less of a part-time salary sits above the personal allowance, 30 hours pays more than 80% of the full-time take-home.
| Band (entry) | 37.5 hrs | 30 hrs | 22.5 hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 3 | £1,682 | £1,404 | £1,126 |
| Band 4 | £1,770 | £1,475 | £1,179 |
| Band 5 | £1,926 | £1,628 | £1,294 |
| Band 6 | £2,290 | £1,920 | £1,540 |
| Band 7 | £2,761 | £2,267 | £1,801 |
Common questions
- How much does a Band 5 nurse take home a month?
- A Band 5 at the entry point earns £29,970 a year. After income tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions that is about £1,930 a month outside London — the calculator above gives the exact figure for your pay point and hours.
- Is the NHS pension worth staying in?
- Contributions are tiered from 5.2% to 12.5% of pensionable pay, and because they come out before income tax, the real cost is lower than the headline rate. The 2015 scheme accrues 1/54th of pay each year with inflation protection, which is difficult to match privately.
- Does this include London weighting?
- Yes. Choose Inner London, Outer London, or Fringe and the High Cost Area Supplement is applied to basic pay, subject to the published minimum and maximum for each zone.
- How much does a Band 6 take home a month?
- Band 6 starts at £37,338 — about £2,290 a month after tax, National Insurance and pension outside London, rising to about £2,700 at the top of the band after five years. Pick Band 6 in the calculator and set your pay point for the exact figure.
- How do I work out part-time NHS pay?
- Agenda for Change pay is pro rata on 37.5 hours. A Band 5 on 30 hours a week earns 80% of the full-time salary, and because less of it falls above the personal allowance, take-home is more than 80% of the full-time figure. Enter your contracted hours in the calculator — the part-time table below shows the common patterns for Bands 3 to 7.
- Does this use the ${TAX_YEAR} pay rates?
- Yes. The bands are the Agenda for Change scales for England for 2026/27 and the deductions use HMRC's 2026/27 thresholds. When a pay award is announced part-way through the year it is usually backdated to 1 April, so the arrears arrive as a lump sum and are taxed in the month they are paid.
- What is the NHS hourly rate for my band?
- Divide the annual salary by 1,950 — 37.5 hours across 52 weeks. Band 5 entry is £15.37 an hour, Band 6 entry £19.15, Band 7 entry £23.67. The table below shows the hourly rate for every band's entry and top point.
- Is it different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
- Yes, on both sides of the sum. Each nation sets its own Agenda for Change scales, and Scottish income tax has different bands and rates from the rest of the UK. This calculator uses the England scales and UK-wide HMRC rates, so treat it as a guide only outside England.
- What about overtime, unsocial hours, and bank shifts?
- This calculates basic contracted pay only. Section 2 unsocial hours enhancements, overtime, and bank work are paid on top and taxed at your marginal rate, so they will not scale in the same proportion.