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.

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.

BandEntryTopTake-home (entry)Take-home (top)
Band 2£24,169£24,169£19,664£19,664
Band 3£24,938£25,725£20,178£20,704
Band 4£26,530£29,114£21,242£22,549
Band 5£29,970£36,483£23,108£26,927
Band 6£37,338£44,962£27,476£32,367
Band 7£46,148£52,809£33,128£37,174
Band 8a£53,755£60,504£37,831£41,765
Band 8b£62,215£72,293£42,648£47,065
Band 8c£74,290£85,601£48,074£53,786
Band 8d£88,168£101,677£55,082£61,904
Band 9£105,385£121,271£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.

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 roughly £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.
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.

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