What You Actually Take Home (2026/27)
True overtime — hours worked above your full-time threshold (37.5/week, or 36/week in Scotland) — is not pensionable for Agenda for Change staff. That means no pension deduction on those hours, but also no pension accrual on them. This calculator shows you your net take-home per overtime hour and your effective hourly rate after deductions.
Enter your band, contracted hours, overtime hours, and rate multiplier. The calculator correctly distinguishes pensionable additional hours (part-time staff) from non-pensionable true overtime.
NHS Overtime Pay Calculator 2026/27 — Time and a Half, Double Time & Net Pay
Calculate your NHS overtime take-home after tax, NI and pension. Correct AfC rates for Bands 2–7. Part-time plain time rule included. Updated 2026/27 rates.
Sunday overtime = ×1.5 under AfC S.3. Bank holidays only = ×2.0. Bands 8a–9 not eligible for paid overtime. Pension calculation on combined pensionable gross including overtime.
How Overtime Is Paid in the NHS
For Agenda for Change (AfC) staff, true overtime — hours worked above your full-time equivalent threshold — is paid at an enhanced rate but is never pensionable:
| Overtime Type | Typical Rate | Pensionable? |
|---|---|---|
| Time and a half (×1.5) | 50% enhancement | ❌ No |
| Double time (×2.0) | 100% enhancement | ❌ No |
| Plain time (×1.0) | No enhancement | ❌ No (true overtime at plain time) |
| Bank shifts | Varies by Trust | ❌ No |
📆 Overtime
Extra hours in your substantive post, above the full-time threshold. Taxed at marginal rate, NI applies, pension deduction = £0.
🏠 Bank Shifts
Additional shifts outside your contracted hours, often at enhanced rates set locally by your Trust. Same tax and NI treatment as overtime — also not pensionable.
Your Overtime Pay, After Deductions
Worked example: Band 6, 6 hours Saturday overtime, England. Figures update automatically on the live calculator.
📈 Overtime Gross Calculation
❌ Deductions on Overtime
🔋 Effective Hourly Rate (Net)
💲 Total Monthly Take-Home
Why True Overtime Is Not Pensionable ; and What That Means for You
For Agenda for Change staff, true overtime (hours above the full-time threshold) is explicitly excluded from pensionable pay:
📆 Regular Salary
⏳ True Overtime Pay
Example: Band 5 nurse, 4 hours overtime at time and a half
Tax (20%): −£3.02
NI (8%): −£1.20
Tax (20%): −£4.93
NI (8%): −£1.97
Band 5 Nurse, 4 Hours Overtime at Time and a Half
Band 7 Manager, 8 Hours Double Time (Bank Holiday)
2% on earnings above £4,189 (£332): −£6.64
Total NI on overtime: −£12.49
Part-Time Band 3, 22.5 Contracted Hours, 3 Hours Additional Time
Regional Differences for Overtime Pay
| Nation | Tax Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| England | UK tax rates (20%/40%/45%) | Standard |
| Scotland | Scottish tax bands (6 bands, 19%–48%) | Overtime may push into higher, advanced, or top band. 36-hr FT threshold. |
| Wales | UK tax rates, C-prefix tax code | Same income tax as England, but higher AfC base pay scale (AfC(W) 02/2026) → higher hourly rate and overtime rate |
| Northern Ireland | UK tax rates, no special prefix | Same income tax rates as England |
🏰 Scotland
Scottish tax bands (advanced 45%, top 48%) mean that overtime can have a higher tax impact than in England. The calculator applies Scottish bands correctly. Full-time threshold is 36 hours, not 37.5.
🏴 Wales
Your basic pay scale in Wales is higher than England’s at every AfC band under AfC(W) 02/2026, so your standard hourly rate (and therefore your overtime rate) will differ from an equivalent England-based colleague, even though the same UK income tax bands apply to both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about NHS overtime pay, pension treatment, NI thresholds, and the distinction between additional hours and true overtime.
For Agenda for Change (AfC) staff, true overtime — hours worked above the full-time threshold of 37.5/week (36/week in Scotland) — is not pensionable. You won’t pay pension contributions on these hours, but you also won’t accrue pension benefits on them. However, if you work part-time, your additional hours up to the full-time threshold are pensionable; only hours above that threshold count as non-pensionable overtime. For doctors under BMA contracts, check your specific contract terms.
Overtime is taxed at your marginal tax rate. If your regular pay already puts you in the higher rate (40%) or additional rate (45%) band, your overtime will be taxed at that rate. Use the NHS overtime pay calculator above to see your exact net take-home pay.
Yes. Overtime is subject to National Insurance. If overtime pushes your total monthly earnings above the upper earnings limit (£4,189/month for 2026/27), NI is split: 8% on earnings up to £4,189, then 2% on earnings above that.
Under the AfC Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook (Section 3), the standard national overtime rates are: Time and a half (×1.5) for weekday, Saturday, and Sunday overtime; Double time (×2.0) for bank holiday overtime; Plain time (×1.0) for part-time staff’s additional hours up to the full-time threshold. Some Trusts may operate local arrangements with different enhancement rates; check your specific Trust policy if you’re unsure which rate applies to you.
Bank shifts are additional shifts outside your contracted hours, often paid at enhanced rates set locally by your Trust. The tax and NI treatment is the same as overtime, and bank shifts are also not pensionable.
Your hourly rate is calculated from your full-time equivalent annual salary, regardless of how many hours you’re contracted to work. What changes for part-time staff is the threshold at which true overtime begins: your additional hours up to the full-time threshold (37.5/week, or 36/week in Scotland) are paid at plain time and are pensionable; only hours worked above that threshold are true overtime, paid at an enhanced rate and not pensionable.
London weighting (HCAS) is added to your basic pay and pensionable gross, but the overtime rate multiplier (×1.5 or ×2.0) is applied to your basic hourly rate only — HCAS itself does not attract overtime enhancements.
The calculator shows a marginal tax rate alert if this happens. You will pay a higher tax rate on the overtime portion (and potentially on some of your regular pay, depending on cumulative PAYE). The alert shows you the exact impact.
Very accurate. We use cumulative PAYE (most calculators don’t), apply the correct NI thresholds with an 8%/2% split when crossing the UEL, and correctly distinguish pensionable part-time additional hours from non-pensionable true overtime — a distinction many calculators get wrong or miss entirely.
Yes. Select “Bank shift” as the overtime type. The tax and NI treatment is identical to overtime.
Yes. Doctors under BMA contracts may have different overtime rules and pensionability arrangements. This calculator is for Agenda for Change (AfC) staff only. For doctors, use our NHS Doctor Take-Home Pay Calculator.
Time and a half (×1.5) is standard for weekday, Saturday, and Sunday overtime. Double time (×2.0) for bank holidays gives the higher gross return per hour. Use the calculator above to compare your net take-home under different rates.
Related Calculators
NHS Take Home Pay Calculator
Current take-home for any band
→ Pay RiseNHS Pay Rise Calculator
See your new take-home after pay awards
→ Part-TimeNHS Part-Time Pay Calculator
Pro-rata with WTE at two decimal places
→ ScotlandNHS Scotland Take-Home Pay Calculator
Scottish tax bands (S-prefix)
→ LondonNHS London Take-Home Pay Calculator
HCAS caps, pensionable
→ PensionNHS Pension Calculator
Employer contribution: 23.7% England/Wales, 23.2% NI, 22.5% Scotland
→ Back PayNHS Back Pay Calculator
Estimate your arrears from backdated pay
→Updated 2026/27 | AfC Terms and Conditions Section 3 | Cumulative PAYE · NI split at UEL · Pensionable additional hours correctly distinguished | For AfC staff only