NHS Nurse Salary 2026/27: From Newly Qualified to Chief Nurse

Nurse pay at each level (England, 2026/27)

Take home is for a full-time nurse with the NHS pension and no student loan, before shifts or London weighting. Every job is banded by job evaluation, so titles vary between trusts: the examples are the ones Health Careers and the national nursing profiles give.

What each band means for nurses

The national nursing profiles were updated in 2025. Band 6 nursing roles are either specialist roles or team leader roles; school nurses, district nurses and health visitors typically start at Band 6. Band 7 has an advanced role, with knowledge to master's level, and a team manager role that covers running a ward or team. Modern matron posts are advertised at Band 8a, and Health Careers lists chief nurse at Band 8d.

Nurse pay in each country

Scotland pays the most at Band 5 and has a 36-hour week rather than 37.5. Northern Ireland is still on last year's rates until its award is confirmed.

Shifts and London add the most

If you work shifts, your pay is more than the table shows. One weekend a month (15 Saturday hours and 7.5 Sunday hours) adds about £96.49 a month to a new Band 5's take home. In inner London, the High Cost Area Supplement adds £6,415 a year to the bottom of Band 5 before deductions. Use the take home calculator to add your own shifts, or see overtime and unsocial hours.

Student loan

Nurses who trained in England are on Plan 2 or Plan 5. At the bottom of Band 5, Plan 2 takes £20 a month and Plan 5 takes £53. If your English course started on or after 1 August 2023, you're on Plan 5. See the student loan calculator.

Getting from Band 5 to Band 6

Nurses move to Band 6 by applying for a Band 6 post. In February 2026 the government committed to a review of every Band 5 nursing role in NHS trusts in England, to make sure nurses are paid for the work they actually do; all Band 5 roles have to be reviewed by October 2028. If you regularly lead shifts, your role may fit the Band 6 team leader profile. The RCN wants nurses to move to Band 6 automatically after preceptorship, but that isn't the rule. In April 2025 the government also ruled out a separate pay structure for nursing in England.

Nurses trained abroad

Employers have discretion to start you above the bottom of the band for relevant experience, including experience gained outside the UK. The RCN says internationally educated nurses are in practice put on the bottom of Band 5 whatever their experience, so ask about your starting point and get it in writing before you accept.