NHS Scotland Pay Scales 2026/27

The 36-hour week

Scotland has been cutting the Agenda for Change working week in two steps, as agreed in the 2023/24 pay deal: from 37.5 to 37 hours on 1 April 2024, then to 36 hours on 1 April 2026. Basic salaries didn't change, so the cut shows up as a 2.78% rise in hourly rates. That's why Scotland's hourly rates look so much higher than England's: Band 5 starts at £18.40 an hour against £16.40.

Part-time hours were cut pro rata: your new contracted hours are your old hours divided by 37 and multiplied by 36, for the same pay. If you kept your old part-time hours instead, you're now paid slightly more. How each person takes the shorter week is agreed locally with your manager.

The pay award, and the inflation guarantee

Scotland's two-year deal promised at least one percentage point above average inflation each year. Because 2025 inflation came in at 3.4%, the 2025/26 rise was topped up from 4.25% to 4.4%, paid with arrears from February 2026, and the 3.75% for 2026/27 was applied to the higher baseline. The on-call availability allowance is £27.51 a session from April 2026.

Different pay structure

Scotland still lists Band 1 (£26,557), and Bands 2 to 4 and 8a to 9 have two pay points rather than England's one or three. Band 1 works out at £14.15 an hour, above the new Real Living Wage of £14.10 announced on 15 October 2026.

Pensions: SPPA's nine tiers

The NHS Pension Scheme (Scotland) is run by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency and has nine contribution tiers, from 5.7% to 12.7%. If you were in the scheme across the year end, your rate is set by what you actually earned last year, not your current salary; if you started a job or changed pay this year, it's set by your annualised pay now. The pension page has both tables.

Scottish income tax

Scottish tax rates depend on where you live, not where you work: if NHS Scotland employs you but you live in England, you pay the rest-of-UK rates. Scotland's higher rate (42%) starts at £43,663 of income, so it bites from the top of Band 6 on basic pay.

Unsocial hours

Scotland has its own enhancement table: Band 2 gets 44% for Saturdays and weekday nights and 88% for Sundays and public holidays, Band 3 37% and 74%, and Bands 4 to 9 30% and 60%.