About NHS Pay Check
An independent guide to what NHS staff actually take home, built from the official pay scales, tax rules and pension tables for all four UK countries.
What this site is for
Agenda for Change pay looks simple on a pay scale and isn't on a payslip. Pension tiers, unsocial hours, London weighting, Scottish tax, student loans and the differences between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all change what you take home. NHS Pay Check works all of that out, and the guides explain the rules behind it in plain English: what a promotion is really worth, why a back pay month looks overtaxed, what opting out of the pension costs you.
The site covers the 2026/27 tax year. It isn't part of the NHS and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by NHS Employers, NHS England, any health board or trust, or any union.
How we check what we publish
Every pay point, tax threshold, pension rate and allowance comes from the organisation that sets it: NHS Employers and the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, the Scottish and Welsh Governments, the Northern Ireland Department of Health, HMRC, GOV.UK, NHS Pensions, the Scottish Public Pensions Agency and the HSC Pension Service. We read each one at the source, and the site currently cites 117 official documents.
Each figure is held in one place in the site's data, so when a rate changes it changes on every page at once. Each page lists its sources and the date we last checked it. Where something isn't confirmed yet, such as Northern Ireland's 2026/27 award, we say so rather than guess.
The full process is in our editorial policy.
What the numbers are, and aren't
Our figures are estimates for a typical case: your own payslip can differ because of your tax code, your employer's payroll timing, salary sacrifice, or local arrangements. Nothing here is financial advice. For decisions about your pension in particular, use your NHS Pensions statement and, if you need it, an independent financial adviser.
How the site is funded
NHS Pay Check is free to use and is paid for by advertising. Advertisers have no say over what we write, and we don't take payment to recommend products or services.
Spotted a mistake?
Tell us. Pay rules change and we'd rather fix an error the day it's reported. Use the contact page, tell us the page and what you think is wrong, and include the source if you have one.