NHS pay calculator 2026/27
Estimate monthly take-home pay for any England Agenda for Change band and step, and compare two weekly working patterns.
England · Agenda for Change · 2026/27
Change the band or hours to update your comparison.
Excludes enhancements, London allowances, loans and other deductions. Doctors’ contracts and payroll outside England need a different calculation.
Band 5 · Entry step · Pension contributions included
Current: 37.5 hours
£2,040.25
Estimated take-home / month
Comparison: 30 hours
£1,721.65
Estimated take-home / month
Working 30 hours instead of 37.5 means an estimated £318.60 less take-home each month.
The pay-step amounts are full-time annual salaries. Match the step on your contract or ask payroll if unsure; progression is not automatic. Full-time is modelled as 37.5 hours. Inputs stay in this page’s memory and are not added to URLs or saved. Membership changes affect benefits beyond take-home pay; this tool does not recommend opting out.
Calculation assumptions
England basic pay for a full, steady tax year; standard Personal Allowance including taper, monthly pay, category A employee NI and ordinary net-pay pension contributions. Excludes salary sacrifice, other income, special tax codes and mid-year changes, as well as the extras listed above. Check payroll for an individual payslip.
Assumptions: full steady tax year, standard Personal Allowance including taper, monthly category A NI and net-pay pension contributions. Excludes enhancements, HCAS, loans, other deductions/income, salary sacrifice, special tax codes and mid-year changes.
England Agenda for Change · 2026/27 · Band 5, step 1 of 3 · Full-time salary £32,073.00 · Current 37.5 hours/week; comparison 30 hours/week · NHS pension membership: included in both scenarios.
Average monthly comparison
Steady-year estimates, not exact payslips. Income tax is annual liability divided by 12; monthly NI uses payroll thresholds. Payroll rounding and cumulative tax can differ.
| Component | Current | Comparison | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £2,672.75 | £2,138.20 | -£534.55 |
| Pension contribution | £221.84 | £138.98 | -£82.86 |
| Income tax | £280.68 | £190.34 | -£90.34 |
| Employee NI | £129.98 | £87.22 | -£42.76 |
| Take-home | £2,040.25 | £1,721.65 | -£318.60 |
Pension rates apply to the whole pensionable salary, so a change in hours can change the contribution percentage. Ordinary pension deductions reduce taxable pay, but do not reduce NI pay. Contributions buy scheme benefits, not a personal investment pot.
Take-home pay by band at a glance
Full time, paying into the NHS Pension, standard tax code. Select a band for every step, part-time pay and pension.
Swipe across the table to see every column →
| Band | Entry step | Top step |
|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | £1,700 | Same |
| Band 2 | £1,700 | Same |
| Band 3 | £1,727 | £1,823 |
| Band 4 | £1,874 | £1,990 |
| Band 5 | £2,040 | £2,381 |
| Band 6 | £2,430 | £2,866 |
| Band 7 | £2,934 | £3,309 |
| Band 8a | £3,353 | £3,663 |
| Band 8b | £3,742 | £4,136 |
| Band 8c | £4,226 | £4,735 |
| Band 8d | £4,851 | £5,459 |
| Band 9 | £5,626 | £6,116 |
Full salary tables: NHS pay bands 2026/27 · NHS pay rise
NHS pay calculator questions
How is NHS take-home pay calculated?
Gross basic pay for your band, step and hours, minus NHS Pension contributions (a tiered percentage of pensionable pay), income tax on the remaining pay and employee National Insurance. For example, the Band 5 entry step full time (£32,073 a year) comes to about £2,040 a month take-home.
Does the calculator include unsocial hours, overtime or HCAS?
No. It uses basic Agenda for Change pay for England only. Enhancements, overtime, on-call pay, High Cost Area Supplements, student loans and salary sacrifice change a real payslip.
Why might my payslip differ?
Payroll applies tax cumulatively through the year and your tax code may not be standard. Starting part way through the year, back pay, pay progression and other deductions also change individual payslips.
Should I opt out of the NHS Pension to increase take-home pay?
This calculator shows the take-home difference but does not recommend opting out. Opting out stops future pension build-up and employer contributions and can affect other scheme benefits, so check the full effect before making a decision.
Sources and pension context
Checked 27 October 2026: NHS Employers pay scales, NHSBSA contribution tiers and HMRC payroll thresholds. Basic salaries and pension tiers apply from 1 April 2026; tax/NI year runs from 6 April.
For retirement benefits rather than current salary, use the NHS pension calculator and its separate scheme assumptions. Our public-sector pension guide explains the benefit types.