NHS Pay Calculator 2026/27

A full-time Band 5 nurse on the entry point (£32,073) takes home a different amount depending on pension enrolment, student loan plan, and HCAS zone. Use the calculator above with Band 5 selected to see the exact figure for your point and circumstances — take-home pay is not a fixed proportion of gross because of the progressive tax bands and the cliff-edge NHS Pension tiers.

Band 6 runs from £39,959 (entry) to £48,117 (top) for 2026/27. Select Band 6 and your pay point in the calculator above to see income tax, National Insurance, NHS Pension contribution, and take-home pay for your exact salary.

Yes. The High Cost Area Supplement counts as pensionable pay alongside basic pay, so it increases both your NHS Pension contribution (which is tiered on total pensionable pay) and the pension itself once you draw it. It is also subject to income tax and National Insurance in the normal way.

The NHS Pension Scheme uses tiered, cliff-edge contribution rates based on your whole annual pensionable pay (basic pay plus HCAS) — not marginal bands. For 2026/27 (effective 1 April 2026, unchanged for the rest of the year) the tiers run from 5.2% up to £13,259 to 12.5% above £67,668. Crossing a tier boundary — for example after the 3.3% pay award — moves your ENTIRE pensionable pay onto the higher rate, not just the amount above the threshold.

The 3.3% Agenda for Change pay award for 2026/27 follows the NHS Pay Review Body's recommendation, accepted by the government on 12 February 2026, and takes effect from 1 April 2026 — the start of the 2026/27 NHS pay year.

Yes. Scotland negotiates its own NHS pay deal separately from the England Agenda for Change agreement covered by this calculator (which applies to England, and generally Wales and Northern Ireland use their own adopted versions). This page and calculator use England's 2026/27 scales only — do not assume Scottish NHS pay matches the figures here.

Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4 (Scotland), Plan 5, and Postgraduate Loan, plus a 'no student loan' option. Repayments are calculated on your full gross pensionable pay (basic pay plus HCAS) — the NHS Pension net-pay deduction reduces your taxable income but not your student loan repayment earnings.

Part-time (pro-rata) basic pay is your full-time-equivalent scale point multiplied by your contracted hours divided by the NHS standard full-time week of 37.5 hours. HCAS, where applicable, is also pro-rated. Your hourly rate stays the same as the full-time equivalent — only the annual total scales down.