Select your pay band and experience point to estimate your gross salary and take-home pay for 2025/26.
All bands under the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) framework, effective April 2025. These rates apply to England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate pay scales.
| Band | Minimum | Maximum | Common Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £23,615 | £24,157 | Healthcare Support Worker, Porter, Receptionist |
| Band 3 | £24,625 | £25,674 | Senior Healthcare Support Worker, Admin Officer |
| Band 4 | £26,530 | £29,114 | Associate Practitioner, Pharmacy Technician, Senior Admin |
| Band 5 | £29,970 | £36,483 | Newly Qualified Nurse, Midwife, Physiotherapist, Radiographer, OT |
| Band 6 | £37,338 | £44,962 | Senior Nurse, Clinical Specialist, Specialist AHP, Senior Radiographer |
| Band 7 | £46,148 | £52,809 | Advanced Practitioner, Ward Manager, Advanced AHP, Senior Pharmacist |
| Band 8a | £53,755 | £60,504 | Matron, Consultant Nurse, Principal Pharmacist, Modern Matron |
| Band 8b | £62,215 | £72,293 | Head of Nursing, Divisional Manager, Deputy Director |
| Band 8c | £74,290 | £85,601 | Director of Nursing (smaller trust), Head of Department |
| Band 8d | £88,168 | £101,677 | Chief Nurse (smaller trust), Senior Executive Manager |
| Band 9 | £105,385 | £121,271 | Chief Executive (smaller trust), Executive Director |
The NHS Pension Scheme operates a tiered contribution structure based on your pensionable pay. Contributions are taken before tax, reducing your taxable income.
| Pensionable Pay (2025/26) | Employee Contribution |
|---|---|
| Up to £13,259 | 5.1% |
| £13,260 – £26,831 | 6.5% |
| £26,832 – £32,691 | 8.3% |
| £32,692 – £49,078 | 9.8% |
| £49,079 – £62,924 | 10.7% |
| £62,925 – £111,376 | 11.9% |
| Over £111,377 | 12.5% |
Employer contributions are currently 23.7% of pensionable pay, making the NHS Pension Scheme one of the most valuable employment benefits available in the UK.
For a detailed breakdown of your NHS pension, visit our NHS Pension Calculator.
NHS staff in bands 1–7 receive enhanced pay for working unsocial hours. These enhancements are calculated on top of your basic hourly rate.
| Time Period | Enhancement |
|---|---|
| Saturday (all day) | +28% of basic pay |
| Sunday and Bank Holidays | +58% of basic pay |
| Weekday evening/nights (8pm–6am) | +30% of basic pay |
| Overnight shift (partly or wholly 11pm–6am) | +47% of basic pay |
NHS Agenda for Change annual leave increases with service length, rewarding long-term NHS employees:
NHS service is counted cumulatively, even if you have worked for different NHS organisations, provided there has been no break of more than 12 months in your employment.
Agenda for Change (AfC) is the pay system covering over 1 million NHS staff in England, excluding doctors, dentists and very senior managers. Introduced in 2004, it replaced numerous local and professional pay scales with a single, nationally negotiated structure of nine pay bands. Each band has a minimum and maximum salary, with staff progressing through their band annually until they reach the top of their band.
Band 5 pays between £29,970 and £36,483 per year in 2025/26. This is the entry band for most registered professional staff, including newly qualified nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, diagnostic radiographers, speech and language therapists and many other allied health professionals. New entrants typically start at the bottom of the band and progress to the top over around four to five years.
NHS pension contributions are tiered based on your pensionable pay. Band 5 staff at entry salary pay around 9.8%, rising to 10.7% as they near the top of the band. Band 7 staff typically pay 10.7%–11.9%. The contributions are deducted before income tax is calculated, making them tax-efficient. The NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefit (final salary / career average) scheme, widely regarded as one of the best public sector pension arrangements in the UK.
Bands 1–7 receive enhanced pay for working at evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays. Saturday working attracts 28% on top of basic pay; Sunday and bank holiday working attracts 58%. Weekday nights (8pm–6am) attract 30% and overnight shifts attract 47%. These enhancements can significantly boost the actual income of staff working shifts, making a Band 5 nurse working full shifts considerably better paid than the basic salary figures suggest.
NHS AfC staff start on 27 days plus 8 bank holidays (35 days total). After 5 years of NHS service this rises to 29 days plus 8 bank holidays, and after 10 years of NHS service to 33 days plus 8 bank holidays. Previous NHS service at any NHS organisation counts, provided there is no break of more than 12 months between posts.
NHS Agenda for Change pay awards are negotiated annually by NHS Employers and NHS trade unions (principally Unite, RCN, UNISON, GMB, BDA and others). Awards are typically effective from 1 April each year. When an award is announced after April, backdated payments are made. The 2025/26 pay award was part of the government's settlement with health unions following the 2023–24 industrial disputes.
Yes. Staff working in London receive a High Cost Area Supplement on top of their AfC salary. Inner London staff receive 20% of basic pay (with a minimum of £4,551 and maximum of £6,469 per year). Outer London staff receive 15% (minimum £3,830, maximum £4,876). Fringe area staff receive 5% (minimum £1,192, maximum £2,011). These figures are subject to change each pay year.
Your take-home pay starts with your gross AfC salary. From this, HMRC deducts income tax (at 20% on earnings between £12,570–£50,270, 40% on £50,271–£125,140 and 45% above). National Insurance contributions are also deducted at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above. NHS pension contributions are taken before tax is calculated. Our interactive calculator above provides a good estimate; for precise figures use an NHS salary calculator.
NHS payslips can be confusing, especially for new starters. Here is what the main deductions mean:
For a full take-home pay calculation, visit our NHS Salary Calculator or Take-Home Pay Calculator.
The 2023–24 and 2024–25 NHS pay disputes resulted in significant above-inflation settlements for many AfC bands. The nursing profession in particular saw years of real-terms pay cuts from 2010–2021, leading to recruitment and retention difficulties that drove the industrial action. The 2025/26 settlement aims to restore purchasing power for lower-banded staff while managing NHS budget pressures.
Within each band, staff typically progress through pay points annually until they reach the maximum for their band. Progression is linked to the appraisal process: staff must demonstrate they are meeting the requirements of their role. In practice, the vast majority of staff progress on schedule. At the top of a band, further pay increases only come from promotion to a higher band.
AfC was designed partly to address gender pay inequality in the NHS by removing historical arrangements where roles traditionally performed by women (nursing, AHP) were paid less than roles traditionally performed by men (portering, estates) of equivalent skill. While AfC has improved pay equality significantly, the NHS still has a gender pay gap, largely driven by more men in senior management roles.