What is the take-home pay for an NHS Band 5 nurse in 2026?

An NHS Band 5 nurse at the entry step (£32,073 gross) takes home approximately £24,800 per year or £2,067 per month after income tax (20% basic rate), National Insurance (8% on earnings above £12,570), and NHS pension contributions at the applicable tier. At the top step (£39,043 gross) take-home is approximately £29,100 per year or £2,425 per month. In Inner London, add the HCAS supplement (20% of basic, min £4,715 max £8,349) which increases take-home significantly. Use the calculator above for your exact figure.

How much NHS pension do I pay in 2026?

NHS pension contribution rates from 1 April 2023 under the 2015 NHS Pension Scheme: Tier 1: 5.2% on pensionable pay up to £13,259; Tier 2: 6.5% on £13,260–£26,831; Tier 3: 8.3% on £26,832–£32,691; Tier 4: 9.8% on £32,692–£49,078; Tier 5: 10.7% on £49,079–£62,924; Tier 6: 12.5% on pay above £62,924. NHS pension contributions are made on your full pensionable pay including HCAS — unlike police pension, London supplements ARE pensionable for NHS staff.

What is the NHS AfC pay for Band 5 in 2026/27?

NHS Agenda for Change Band 5 pay from 1 April 2026: Entry (0–2 years in band) £32,073; Mid (2–4 years) £34,592; Top (4+ years) £39,043. These are England rates. Wales AfC rates differ slightly. London HCAS is added on top for staff working in London regions.

How does part-time working affect NHS take-home pay?

Part-time NHS staff receive a pro-rated salary based on contracted hours versus the full-time 37.5 hours per week standard. Your hourly rate remains the same as full-time. For example, a Band 5 nurse working 22.5 hours per week (60% of full time) would earn 60% of the Band 5 annual salary. The HCAS supplement is also pro-rated. The calculator above handles this automatically — enter your contracted hours and all figures update accordingly.

NHS Take Home Pay Calculator UK

Enter your Agenda for Change band, step and location — see your exact monthly net pay after income tax, National Insurance, NHS pension, HCAS London weighting, student loans and more. England & Wales · AfC 2026/27 rates · April 2026 pension tiers.

✓ Free · No Sign-Up AfC 2026/27 Rates HCAS Inner/Outer/Fringe London NHS Pension · Tax · NI · Student Loans

Step 1 — Your Pay Band

Agenda for Change Band

Experience step

Location / HCAS supplement

Contracted hours/week (full-time = 37.5)

Pay periods per year

12 monthly

13 four-weekly

Step 2 — Deductions & Extras

🏛 NHS 2015 Pension Scheme

Tiered contributions — calculated automatically

NHS pension contributions are tiered on your full pensionable pay including HCAS (unlike police). The default uses the NHS 2015 Scheme rates. Override below if you are on the 1995/2008 legacy scheme or have opted out.

Scheme variant

🎓 Student Loan Repayments

Select one or more plans — they stack correctly

Plan 1 — 9% above £24,990 Plan 2 — 9% above £27,295 Plan 4 (Scotland) — 9% above £31,395 Plan 5 — 9% above £25,000 Postgrad — 6% above £21,000

🌙 Unsocial Hours & Overtime

AfC Section 2 enhancements for nights, Saturdays, Sundays & bank holidays

Shift types worked this period (tap to toggle)

Weekday OT

Nights (Mon–Fri)

Saturdays

Sun / BH

All AfC unsocial rates apply to your basic hourly rate only — HCAS is excluded from enhancement calculations.

💼 Professional Body / Union Subscription

RCN, RCM, Unison, BMA etc. — editable

Monthly subscription (£)

YOUR ESTIMATED TAKE-HOME

£0

per month

Basic salary (annual)

£0

Gross incl. HCAS & extras

£0

Annual take-home

£0

NHS pension (annual)

-£0

Basic salary £0

HCAS supplement + £0

Unsocial / overtime pay + £0

Income tax - £0

National Insurance - £0

NHS pension - £0

Student loan(s) - £0

Professional body subscription - £0

Estimated take-home £0

Estimates only. Tax based on 2025/26 PAYE bands (England/Wales), personal allowance £12,570. NHS pension uses 2015 Scheme rates on full pensionable pay including HCAS. AfC unsocial rates per Section 2. Always verify with your payslip.

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NHS Agenda for Change pay bands 2026/27

AfC pay rates effective 1 April 2026 for England. All figures are gross annual salary before tax, NI, pension and HCAS.

Band	Step	Gross annual	Hourly rate (37.5h)
Band 1–2	Single rate	£25,272	£12.96/hr
Band 3	Entry	£25,760	£13.21/hr
Band 3	Top	£27,476	£14.09/hr
Band 4	Entry	£28,392	£14.56/hr
Band 4	Top	£31,157	£15.98/hr
Band 5	Entry	£32,073	£16.40/hr
Band 5	Mid	£34,592	£17.74/hr
Band 5	Top	£39,043	£20.02/hr
Band 6	Entry–Top	£39,959–£48,117	£20.49–£24.67/hr
Band 7	Entry–Top	£49,387–£56,515	£25.33–£28.98/hr
Band 8a	Entry–Top	£57,528–£64,750	£29.50–£33.21/hr
Band 8b–9	Range	£66,582–£129,783	Up to £66.55/hr

NHS pension contribution tiers — 2026

The NHS 2015 Pension Scheme uses tiered contributions applied to your full pensionable pay including HCAS (unlike the police scheme, where London allowances are excluded). Contributions are made pre-tax in terms of pension relief but are not technically salary sacrifice.

Tier	Pensionable pay	Contribution rate
1	Up to £13,259	5.2%
2	£13,260–£26,831	6.5%
3	£26,832–£32,691	8.3%
4	£32,692–£49,078	9.8%
5	£49,079–£62,924	10.7%
6	£62,925 and above	12.5%

Tier 4 applies to most Band 5 and Band 6 nurses. Band 7s typically straddle Tiers 4 and 5 depending on step and HCAS. The calculator above applies the correct tier automatically.

HCAS London weighting — how it works

NHS staff working in London and surrounding areas receive a High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) on top of their basic salary. Unlike police London weighting, HCAS is pensionable — you pay pension contributions on the supplement and it counts towards your pension accrual.

Area	Rate	Minimum	Maximum
Inner London	+20% of basic	£4,715/yr	£8,349/yr
Outer London	+15% of basic	£3,681/yr	£5,282/yr
London Fringe	+5% of basic	£1,177/yr	£2,108/yr
Rest of England	No supplement	—	—

NHS unsocial hours rates (AfC Section 2)

Rates vary slightly by band but for Band 5 and above the standard rates are: weekday overtime ×1⅓; Saturday hours ×1.3; Sunday and bank holiday hours ×1.6. Night shifts attract a flat enhancement. All rates apply to basic hourly rate only — HCAS is excluded.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the take-home pay for an NHS Band 5 nurse?

At the entry step (£32,073 gross), a Band 5 nurse in England takes home around £2,067/month after 20% income tax, 8% National Insurance and NHS pension contributions at Tier 4 (9.8%). At the top step (£39,043 gross), take-home rises to approximately £2,425/month. Inner London HCAS adds roughly £380–£500/month to take-home depending on the step, since the HCAS itself is taxed. Use the calculator above for your exact figure.

Is NHS London weighting (HCAS) pensionable?

Yes — unlike the police scheme. HCAS is included in your pensionable pay for NHS pension purposes. This means you pay pension contributions on the supplement, and it also counts towards your pension accrual. Your total pensionable pay is basic salary plus HCAS. The calculator applies pension contributions to the combined figure automatically.

How does part-time working affect my NHS pay?

If you work fewer than 37.5 hours per week, your annual salary is pro-rated proportionally. For example, a Band 5 nurse working 22.5 hours per week earns 60% of the full-time Band 5 salary. Your hourly rate remains exactly the same as full-time — only the annual total changes. HCAS is also pro-rated. Enter your contracted hours in the calculator and all figures update automatically.

Can I have more than one student loan?

Yes. Plan 2 and Postgrad is the most common combination for nurses who did their degree from 2012 onwards and also hold a postgrad qualification. Both are deducted independently — Plan 2 at 9% above £27,295 and Postgrad at 6% above £21,000. Select as many plans as apply to you in the calculator and they stack correctly.

Why does my take-home not match my payslip exactly?

This calculator uses standard 2025/26 PAYE thresholds and assumes a standard personal allowance of £12,570. Your actual payslip may differ because of: a non-standard tax code (e.g. if you have multiple jobs or previous underpayments); salary sacrifice arrangements such as car leasing or cycle-to-work schemes; childcare vouchers; local pension arrangements; or employer-specific deductions. The calculator is for guidance — always verify against your payslip.

Does this cover Wales or Scotland?

Wales uses the same Agenda for Change structure (AWAC) with very similar — but not identical — pay values. Scotland has its own AfC-equivalent agreement negotiated by the Scottish Government. This calculator reflects England rates. If you work in Wales, figures will be close but may not be exact. Scotland and Northern Ireland are not covered.

Related tools

→ NHS Overtime Calculator — time and a third, Saturdays, Sundays and bank holiday rates
→ NHS & Police Pay Scales — find your exact hourly rate
→ Police Take Home Pay Calculator
→ NHS AfC unsocial hours pay guide
→ NHS nursing overtime guide