NHS Pay Calculator
This NHS pay calculator uses the official 2025/26 Agenda for Change pay scales for England. Pick your band and pay step to see your annual, monthly, weekly and hourly pay — and an estimated take-home after your NHS pension contribution, Income Tax and National Insurance.
Newly qualified nurses, midwives, paramedics and AHPs.
You move up a step after the years shown, subject to the pay progression rules.
Full time is 37.5 hours. Fewer hours pro-rata the salary — the hourly rate stays the same.
Set automatically from the 2025/26 contribution tiers for your pay — change it if yours differs.
Your result
£31,049.00
Gross pay a year — Band 5, entry step, 37.5 hours a week (full-time rate £31,049.00, £15.88 an hour)
| Pay | Gross | Take-home (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| Per year | £31,049.00 | £23,813.23 |
| Per month | £2,587.42 | £1,984.44 |
| Per week | £597.10 | £457.95 |
- Pension:
- £2,577.07 a year (£214.76 a month) at 8.3% of pensionable pay.
- Income Tax:
- £3,180.39 a year, worked out on pay after pension contributions.
- National Insurance:
- £1,478.32 a year.
This is an estimate: it uses basic England pay without the London High Cost Area Supplement, unsocial-hours enhancements or overtime, and the standard tax code with no student loan. Your payslip can differ.
Opens your browser's print view with a clean summary of this calculation — choose “Save as PDF” there to keep a copy.
How does NHS pay work?
Almost all NHS staff are paid under Agenda for Change (AfC), which puts every job into one of nine pay bands. Band 2 covers support roles such as healthcare assistants and porters; Band 5 is where newly qualified nurses, midwives, paramedics and allied health professionals start; Band 9 covers directors and chief officers. Doctors, dentists and very senior managers are on separate arrangements.
Within each band you progress up step points as your experience grows. Bands 3 and 4 have an entry and a top step; Bands 5 to 9 add an intermediate step in between; Band 2 is a single flat rate. The full-time rates below are for a 37.5-hour week — if you work fewer hours, your pay is pro-rata: the annual salary shrinks in proportion to your hours, but the hourly rate stays the same.
Agenda for Change pay scales 2025/26 (England)
| Band | Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | Entry (0+ years) | £24,465.00 | £12.51 | £2,038.75 |
| Band 3 | Entry (0–2 years) | £24,937.00 | £12.75 | £2,078.08 |
| Top (2+ years) | £26,598.00 | £13.60 | £2,216.50 | |
| Band 4 | Entry (0–3 years) | £27,485.00 | £14.06 | £2,290.42 |
| Top (3+ years) | £30,162.00 | £15.43 | £2,513.50 | |
| Band 5 | Entry (0–2 years) | £31,049.00 | £15.88 | £2,587.42 |
| Intermediate (2–4 years) | £33,487.00 | £17.13 | £2,790.58 | |
| Top (4+ years) | £37,796.00 | £19.33 | £3,149.67 | |
| Band 6 | Entry (0–2 years) | £38,682.00 | £19.78 | £3,223.50 |
| Intermediate (2–5 years) | £40,823.00 | £20.88 | £3,401.92 | |
| Top (5+ years) | £46,580.00 | £23.82 | £3,881.67 | |
| Band 7 | Entry (0–2 years) | £47,810.00 | £24.45 | £3,984.17 |
| Intermediate (2–5 years) | £50,273.00 | £25.71 | £4,189.42 | |
| Top (5+ years) | £54,710.00 | £27.98 | £4,559.17 | |
| Band 8a | Entry (0–2 years) | £55,690.00 | £28.48 | £4,640.83 |
| Intermediate (2–5 years) | £58,487.00 | £29.91 | £4,873.92 | |
| Top (5+ years) | £62,682.00 | £32.06 | £5,223.50 | |
| Band 8b | Entry (0–2 years) | £64,455.00 | £32.96 | £5,371.25 |
| Intermediate (2–5 years) | £68,631.00 | £35.10 | £5,719.25 | |
| Top (5+ years) | £74,896.00 | £38.30 | £6,241.33 | |
| Band 8c | Entry (0–2 years) | £76,965.00 | £39.36 | £6,413.75 |
| Intermediate (2–5 years) | £81,652.00 | £41.76 | £6,804.33 | |
| Top (5+ years) | £88,682.00 | £45.35 | £7,390.17 | |
| Band 8d | Entry (0–2 years) | £91,342.00 | £46.71 | £7,611.83 |
| Intermediate (2–5 years) | £96,941.00 | £49.58 | £8,078.42 | |
| Top (5+ years) | £105,337.00 | £53.87 | £8,778.08 | |
| Band 9 | Entry (0–2 years) | £109,179.00 | £55.84 | £9,098.25 |
| Intermediate (2–5 years) | £115,763.00 | £59.20 | £9,646.92 | |
| Top (5+ years) | £125,637.00 | £64.25 | £10,469.75 |
Source: Agenda for Change pay scales 2025/26 (England) — NHS Employers — nhsemployers.org. Last verified: 14 November 2026. England basic rates only: the London High Cost Area Supplement is not included, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own scales.
NHS pension contributions 2025/26
Your pension contribution is not a fixed amount: it is a flat percentage of all your pensionable pay, and the percentage depends on how much you earn. The calculator sets the rate from this table automatically — you can change it if yours differs.
| Actual annual pensionable pay | You pay |
|---|---|
| Up to £13,259.00 | 5.2% |
| £13,260.00 – £27,797.00 | 6.5% |
| £27,798.00 – £33,868.00 | 8.3% |
| £33,869.00 – £50,845.00 | 9.8% |
| £50,846.00 – £65,190.00 | 10.7% |
| £65,191.00 and above | 12.5% |
Member contribution tiers: NHS Pension Scheme (England and Wales), 2025/26 — NHSBSA. Your employer pays a further 23.7% of pensionable pay into the scheme.
How the take-home estimate works
The NHS Pension Scheme is a net pay arrangement, so your pension contribution comes off your pay before Income Tax is worked out — but National Insurance is still charged on your full gross pay. The estimate uses the 2026/27 rates — verified against gov.uk with the standard personal allowance and tax code, and no student loan. For a salary outside the NHS, the take-home pay calculator shows the same working for any UK salary.
Worked example: a full-time Band 5 nurse on the entry step earns £31,049.00 a year (£2,587.42 a month). After £2,577.07 of pension contributions, £3,180.39 of Income Tax and £1,478.32 of National Insurance, the estimated take-home is £1,984.44 a month. Try your own band and hours in the calculator above.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NHS Band 5 salary in 2025/26?
Band 5 in England pays £31,049 a year at the entry step, £33,487 at the intermediate step and £37,796 at the top of the band, for a full-time 37.5-hour week. Band 5 is the starting band for newly qualified nurses, midwives, paramedics and allied health professionals.
How much does a Band 5 nurse take home?
On the entry step of Band 5 (£31,049 a year, full time), this calculator estimates take-home pay of about £1,984.44 a month after the 8.3% NHS pension contribution, Income Tax and National Insurance. Your own figure depends on your tax code, pension tier and any extra payments such as unsocial-hours enhancements.
How do NHS pay steps work?
Each Agenda for Change band has step points. Bands 3 and 4 have two steps (entry and top); Bands 5 to 9 have three (entry, intermediate and top); Band 2 is a single rate. You move up a step after the set number of years in the band — two years to the intermediate step and two or three more to the top — subject to the pay progression rules in the NHS terms and conditions.
How much pension do NHS staff pay?
Your NHS pension contribution is a flat percentage of all your pensionable pay, set by how much you earn: 5.2% up to £13,259, 6.5% to £27,797, 8.3% to £33,868, 9.8% to £50,845, 10.7% to £65,190 and 12.5% above that (2025/26 tiers). Most Band 5 staff pay 8.3% or 9.8%. Your employer pays a further 23.7% on top.
Does this calculator include London weighting?
No. The figures use the basic England Agenda for Change rates. Staff working in and around London also receive the High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) on top of basic pay, and unsocial hours, overtime and on-call payments are extra — so a London payslip will be higher than the estimate here.
Related calculators
Take-Home Pay Calculator
What any UK salary leaves after Income Tax and National Insurance — the same tax working used in the estimate above.
Open the calculator →NHS Maternity Pay Calculator
Maternity pay under Agenda for Change: full pay, half pay plus SMP, then SMP, stage by stage from your salary.
Open the calculator →Pro-Rata Salary Calculator
Part-time pay from any full-time salary, by hours or days — the same pro-rata maths the NHS calculator uses.
Open the calculator →Hourly Rate Converter
Convert between an annual salary and an hourly rate for any hours pattern, in either direction.
Open the calculator →