New Take-Home Pay (2026/27)
The 2026/27 NHS pay award is confirmed at 3.3%, effective from 1 April 2026. Enter your current band and see what you’ll actually take home after tax, national insurance, and pension. The calculator shows your net monthly gain and alerts you if your pension contribution rate changes.
Select your current band and new band to see your exact take-home gain after tax, NI, and pension. Pension tier change alerts included.
NHS Pay Rise Calculator
See exactly how much of your pay rise you actually take home. Compare before & after with full tax, NI, pension and loan breakdown. All regions and AfC bands 2–9.
Of every £1 salary increase, --p goes to your pocket and --p goes in deductions.
Your Pay Raise, Before and After
Example: Band 5 Entry → Band 6 Entry · England · 37.5 hrs · No student loan · Pension on
Full itemised breakdown available in the calculator above. Enter your own band and hours for your exact figures.
Will Your Pension Contribution Rate Change?
The calculator above shows a pension tier change alert if this happens. Here’s an example of what changes when a pay rise moves you into a higher tier.
Your pension contribution rate increases with this pay raise
Your pensionable pay moves from £32,073 to £39,959, crossing the threshold into a higher contribution tier.
| Tier | Annual Pensionable Pay | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Up to £13,259 | 5.2% |
| 2 | £13,260 – £28,854 | 6.5% |
| 3 | £28,855 – £35,155 | 8.3% |
| 4 | £35,156 – £52,778 | 9.8% |
| 5 | £52,779 – £67,668 | 10.7% |
| 6 | Above £67,669 | 12.5% |
How the 3.3% Pay Award Affects Your Take-Home
Example monthly take-home gains (full-time, no student loan, pension on, England, outside London):
| Band | Pay Point | Current Take-Home | New Take-Home | Monthly Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | Entry | £1,655 | £1,700 | +£45 |
| Band 3 | Entry | £1,681 | £1,727 | +£46 |
| Band 4 | Entry | £1,823 | £1,874 | +£51 |
| Band 5 | Entry | £1,984 | £2,040 | +£56 |
| Band 5 | Top | £2,186 | £2,244 | +£58 |
| Band 6 | Entry | £2,361 | £2,430 | +£69 |
| Band 7 | Entry | £2,850 | £2,934 | +£84 |
| Band 8a | Entry | £3,265 | £3,353 | +£88 |
| Band 8b | Entry | £3,651 | £3,742 | +£91 |
| Band 8c | Entry | £4,119 | £4,226 | +£107 |
| Band 8d | Entry | £4,723 | £4,851 | +£128 |
| Band 9 | Entry | £5,474 | £5,626 | +£152 |
⚠ What reduces your net gain
- Pension tier increase — e.g. moving from 9.8% to 10.7% when crossing £52,778 pensionable pay
- Student loan repayments — higher earnings may increase repayments, and multiple plans (e.g. Plan 2 + Postgrad) can apply simultaneously
- Higher rate tax — moving into 40% or 45% tax bracket (England/Wales/NI) or the equivalent higher Scottish bands
- National Insurance — higher earnings = more NI at 8% up to the upper threshold, then 2% above it
- Personal allowance taper — applies once pensionable pay after pension deduction exceeds £100,000, relevant from Band 8d/9 in some regions and zones
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the 2026/27 NHS pay award, net gain, pension tier changes, and how the rise affects your take-home.
The 2026/27 NHS pay award for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is confirmed at 3.3%, backdated to 1 April 2026. Scotland’s award is 3.75%, confirmed separately under PCS(AFC)2026/1. The award is consolidated; it becomes part of your base salary and affects future pension calculations and subsequent percentage awards. Use the NHS pay rise calculator above to see your take-home.
The award is effective from 1 April 2026. Most trusts implement the rise within 2–3 months. You will receive backdated pay to April. Use the NHS Back Pay Calculator to estimate your arrears.
It depends. If your new pensionable pay crosses a tier threshold, your contribution rate will increase. The calculator above shows a pension tier change alert if this happens, including the exact £ reduction to your net gain.
A Band 5 entry nurse in England gains approximately £56 per month after the 3.3% award. A Band 7 gains approximately £84 per month. Note that crossing a pension tier boundary reduces your net gain; for example, a Band 6 entry moving to Band 7 entry in Inner London gains approximately £522 per month but pays significantly more pension because pensionable pay (including HCAS) crosses from Tier 4 (9.8%) into Tier 5 (10.7%). Use the calculator above for your exact figure.
No. Scotland’s settlement is 3.75%, confirmed under PCS(AFC)2026/1, higher than the 3.3% applied in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Wales also has its own distinct AfC pay scale (AfC(W) 02/2026), which is not identical in value to England’s, even though the percentage uplift is the same. The calculator above uses the correct rates and pay scales for each nation.
A consolidated award becomes part of your base salary. Future percentage pay awards apply to the consolidated amount. Non-consolidated awards are one-off payments that do not increase your base salary.
If your new salary exceeds your student loan threshold, you will start repaying it (or repay more). The calculator applies the correct 2026/27 thresholds: Plan 1 £26,900, Plan 2 £29,385, Plan 4 (Scotland) £33,795, Plan 5 £25,000, and Postgrad £21,000. You can select multiple plans simultaneously (for example Plan 2 and Postgrad together), and each is calculated and shown separately in your results.
Yes, if your new salary pushes you into a higher tax band. Scotland has six bands (from starter 19% to top 48%). England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have three bands (20%, 40%, and 45%). The calculator applies the correct bands for your nation.
Yes. The percentage uplift applies to your pro-rata salary. Your pension tier may also change if your pro-rata earnings cross a threshold. The calculator handles part-time hours automatically (37.5hrs full-time everywhere except Scotland, which uses 36hrs).
Yes, HCAS (London weighting) increases by the same percentage as the pay award. Unlike many people assume, HCAS is pensionable and is included in your pension tier calculation. The calculator applies the updated 2026/27 caps for Inner, Outer, and Fringe London.
If you are on a protected salary (e.g. following AfC assimilation), your pay rise may be calculated differently. Use the manual salary entry tab to enter your actual current and new salaries.
Very accurate. We use cumulative PAYE (most calculators assume a flat April rate), the correct tiered pension structures for each nation (6-tier England/Wales, 6-tier Northern Ireland with its own slightly higher rates, and 9-tier Scotland), and nation-specific tax bands. Our net gain figures are typically within £1–2 of actual payslip values for standard cases, allowing for payroll rounding.
Related Calculators
NHS Take Home Pay Calculator
Current take-home for any band
→ Back PayNHS Back Pay Calculator
Estimate your arrears from backdated pay
→ Part-TimeNHS Part-Time Pay Calculator
Pro-rata with WTE at two decimal places
→ ScotlandNHS Scotland Take-Home Pay Calculator
Scottish tax bands and 9-tier pension
→ LondonNHS London Take-Home Pay Calculator
HCAS caps, pensionable
→ PensionNHS Pension Calculator
Employer contribution: 23.7% England/Wales, 23.2% NI, 22.5% Scotland
→ DoctorsNHS Doctor Take-Home Pay Calculator
BMA scales for all four nations, London HCAS, night enhancement
→Updated April 2026 | Confirmed 2026/27 NHS pay award at 3.3% | Net gain after tax, NI, and pension | Cumulative PAYE accurate for any month of the tax year