NHS England Pay Scales 2026/27
NHS staff in England got a 3.3% pay award for 2026/27, paid from April. Basic pay runs from £25,272 on Band 2 to £129,783 at the top of Band 9, on a 37.5-hour week. England is the only UK country with London weighting.
Working Week
37.5 hours
Tax System
UK Rates
Band 2 to Band 9
£25,272 to £129,783
England Pay and Take Home by Band
| Band | Pay points | Take home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £25,272 | £1,700.11 |
| Band 3 | £25,760 / £27,476 | £1,727.27 / £1,822.80 |
| Band 4 | £28,392 / £31,157 | £1,873.79 / £1,990.32 |
| Band 5 | £32,073 / £34,592 / £39,043 | £2,040.21 / £2,177.41 / £2,380.80 |
| Band 6 | £39,959 / £42,170 / £48,117 | £2,429.77 / £2,547.99 / £2,865.96 |
| Band 7 | £49,387 / £51,932 / £56,515 | £2,933.86 / £3,078.24 / £3,308.99 |
| Band 8a | £57,528 / £60,417 / £64,750 | £3,352.53 / £3,476.71 / £3,662.95 |
| Band 8b | £66,582 / £70,896 / £77,368 | £3,741.70 / £3,863.32 / £4,135.69 |
| Band 8c | £79,504 / £84,346 / £91,609 | £4,225.58 / £4,429.34 / £4,735.00 |
| Band 8d | £94,356 / £100,140 / £108,814 | £4,850.60 / £5,094.01 / £5,459.04 |
| Band 9 | £112,782 / £119,583 / £129,783 | £5,626.03 / £5,835.00 / £6,115.48 |
Calculate Your Pay in England
Pay advice
England · 2026/27 · monthlyPayments
Deductions
£470.82 a week · £24,482.51 a year
Rates
What's different about NHS pay in England
England's scales are the baseline the other countries are usually compared with, but a few things apply only here.
London weighting (High Cost Area Supplement). Staff working in the zones in and around London get 20% of basic pay in Inner London (£5,794 to £8,746 a year), 15% in Outer London (£4,870 to £6,137) and 5% in the Fringe (£1,346 to £2,270). It's pensionable, but it isn't counted when working out overtime or unsocial hours pay. The London weighting guide lists the zones.
The Band 5 nursing review. Every Band 5 nursing role employed directly by an NHS trust in England is being reviewed against the updated national profiles, with all roles to be done by October 2028. Nurses whose work matches the Band 6 profiles should be re-banded through job evaluation. See the Band 5 page for what it means.
Pay progression rules. In England you move to your next pay point on your pay step date if your appraisal was done in the last 12 months, you're not in a formal capability process, you have no live disciplinary sanction and your mandatory training is complete.
Band 1 is closed. It's a closed spot salary, so Band 2 (£25,272) is the lowest band new staff start on. That's £12.92 an hour, close enough to the minimum wage that in February 2026, before this year's award was settled, the government advised NHS employers to give Bands 1 and 2 a temporary uplift to keep them above it.
Pensions. The NHS Pension Scheme for England and Wales charges 5.2% to 12.5% of pensionable pay depending on your tier, and employers add 23.7%.
Unsocial hours. Band 2 gets 41% for Saturdays and weekday nights and 83% for Sundays and public holidays; Band 3 35% and 69%; Bands 4 to 9 30% and 60%. Overtime is paid to Bands 1 to 7.
England FAQs
From £25,272 (Band 2) to £129,783 (top of Band 9), after a 3.3% award. The table above has every pay point and the take home at each.
Sources (checked 18 October 2026)
- Pay scales for 2026/27 (NHS Employers)
- NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook (version 63) (NHS Employers)
- Nursing Band 5 job evaluation (PRN02508) (NHS England)
- National Living Wage 2026/27 update (NHS Employers)
- NHS Pension Scheme member contributions (NHS Employers)
- NHS Pay Northern Ireland (UNISON)
