NHS Catering Assistant Pay 2026/27

Last updated: 24 October 2026 · Figures verified against the NHS Employers 2026/27 pay circular.

By the NHS Bands Pay editorial team

What does an NHS catering assistant do?

Catering assistants keep hospital food moving. In the central kitchen they prepare ingredients, portion meals, wash up and keep work surfaces and equipment clean to food hygiene standards. On the wards they run the meal trolley service: taking patient orders, serving meals at the bedside, checking that the right patient gets the right meal, and clearing away afterwards. It is physical, fast-paced work done on your feet, and it runs to a strict timetable because wards eat at set times.

The part of the job that takes the most care is special diets. Hospital patients eat for medical reasons as well as hunger: soft and pureed textures after surgery or stroke, low-salt or diabetic menus, gluten-free meals, and meals that respect religious and cultural requirements. Getting a meal wrong can harm a patient, so catering teams work from diet sheets and ward lists, and they double-check allergen information before a tray leaves the kitchen. A catering assistant who can be trusted with therapeutic diets and allergen control is worth more to a kitchen than one who can only wash up, and that difference is part of what separates Band 2 posts from Band 3 cook and supervisor posts.

Most catering assistants work for the trust itself, but catering is one of the services trusts most often contract out. Where a private company runs the kitchens, staff are employed by that company on its own terms, which may differ from Agenda for Change rates. The employer named in the advert tells you which pay system applies. The same in-house versus contracted-out question affects NHS cleaner pay, and the pattern is the same: check the employer first, then the band.

What band is a catering assistant?

Catering assistant posts evaluated under Agenda for Change are Band 2. Banding follows the AfC job evaluation scheme, which scores each post on effort, skill, responsibility and working conditions (see how NHS jobs are banded). Kitchen and ward service work scores at Band 2: it is physically demanding, it needs food hygiene competence and care around special diets, but it does not require a professional qualification.

Band 2 has no pay steps: it is a single spot rate, so a first-year catering assistant and a twenty-year catering assistant earn the same basic salary full-time. Senior catering assistant posts, cooks and catering supervisors, which carry extra responsibility for food preparation, allergen control or leading a small team, are typically evaluated at Band 3. Read NHS Band 2 pay and NHS Band 3 pay for the full picture of both bands.

Catering assistant salary 2026/27

Hourly rates use the standard AfC method: annual salary divided by 52.2 weeks and 37.5 hours. A Band 3 post has two pay points, entry and top, and staff move between them on the normal AfC progression rules for their trust. Band 2 has no such move: the only way up from Band 2 basic pay is into a Band 3 post, or into a different role altogether.

Pay breakdown: hourly, weekly and monthly

These are full-time equivalent figures. Part-time catering assistants are paid pro rata: at 0.6 whole-time equivalent, a Band 2 catering assistant earns £15,163.20 a year, which is £1,263.60 a month gross and £290.48 a week. See NHS part-time pay for how pro-rata pay, leave and enhancements work. You can also run your own figures through the hourly rate calculator.

Pay across the UK nations

Wales applies its Real Living Wage floor to the bottom of the scale, which lifts the Band 2 spot rate to £26,300. In Scotland the 36-hour week changes the hourly conversion, so use the Scottish figures on our Scotland page rather than converting the English annual rate. Northern Ireland staff should not budget on the 3.3% until implementation is confirmed; see NHS Northern Ireland pay.

The 2026/27 pay rise for catering assistants

The 3.3% award for 2026/27 took effect on 1 April 2026 and was accepted in full (see the 2026/27 pay rise). For catering assistants in England it moved the Band 2 spot rate from £24,465 to £25,272, an increase of £807 a year, or about £67 a month gross before deductions. Band 3 moved from £24,937 to £25,760 at entry (up £823) and from £26,598 to £27,476 at the top (up £878). Wales applied the same 3.3% alongside its £13.45 Real Living Wage floor for Band 2.

Unsocial hours pay for catering assistants

Hospital kitchens run early mornings, evenings and weekends, because patients eat three meals a day, seven days a week. Breakfast service starts before most of the hospital is awake, and evening meal service runs into the night shift handover. Under AfC Section 2, unsocial hours are weekday nights from 8pm to 6am, all of Saturday, and Sundays plus public holidays. The enhancements are:

Worked example: a full 7.5-hour Saturday shift is worth £96.83 at plain time for a Band 2 catering assistant, but £136.52 with the Saturday enhancement. The same 7.5 hours on a Sunday or bank holiday is worth £177.19. These are the verified 2026/27 Section 2 rates. Older figures sometimes quoted online, such as 44% and 88% for Band 2, were superseded by the 2018 AfC framework agreement and are wrong. Where unsocial hours form a regular pattern, some trusts average the enhancement into salary under Annex 5 instead of paying it shift by shift; ask your trust which system applies to your post. Full detail: unsocial hours and overtime.

Do catering assistants get overtime?

Yes. Overtime is any hours worked above 37.5 a week (36 hours in Scotland from April 2026). For Bands 1 to 7, AfC Section 3 sets overtime at time-and-a-half, rising to double time on bank and public holidays. For a Band 2 catering assistant on £12.91 an hour, that means £19.37 an hour weekday overtime and £25.82 an hour on bank holidays. At Band 3, weekday overtime is £19.74 an hour at entry and £21.06 at the top, and bank holiday overtime is £26.32 and £28.08 respectively. Two limits apply: overtime and unsocial-hours enhancement cannot both be claimed for the same hours, and staff may elect time off in lieu instead of overtime pay. Part-timers are paid at plain time for hours above their contracted hours up to 37.5, with overtime rates only above that line.

Catering assistant pay in London: HCAS

Catering assistants in London get High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) on top of basic pay. At Band 2 and at Band 3 entry, the percentage calculation falls below the HCAS minimums, so the minimum payment applies. At the top of Band 3, the fringe percentage finally passes the minimum:

HCAS counts as basic pay for pension and enhancement calculations. See London weighting (HCAS) for zone boundaries and the full rates.

NHS pension contributions for catering assistants

Catering assistants are automatically enrolled in the NHS Pension Scheme. For 2026/27 the provisional contribution tiers put both Band 2 and Band 3 catering salaries in the 6.5% tier (£13,260 to £28,854), which is £136.89 a month at Band 2, £139.53 a month at Band 3 entry and £148.83 a month at the top of Band 3. The employer pays 23.7% on top at no cost to the employee. These are provisional tiers: the official 2026/27 tiers have not yet been published. See NHS pension contributions for the full table.

Uniform tax relief for catering staff

One smaller item regularly affects catering take-home pay. The HMRC flat-rate expenses list puts hospital catering staff at £125 a year, which is worth £25 a year in tax relief at the 20% rate and £50 at the 40% rate, where the employer provides no laundry service or allowance and no receipts are needed. Claims can be backdated up to four previous tax years. See NHS uniform tax rebate for how to claim and how far back you can go.

Annual leave and bank work

Catering assistants get the standard AfC leave: 27 days plus 8 bank holidays (35 total) with under five years of service, rising to 29 plus 8 (37) at five years and 33 plus 8 (41) at ten years. Part-time staff get pro-rata leave. See NHS annual leave for the full rules.

Many catering assistants top up earnings with bank shifts through their trust's staff bank, paid at the hourly rate for the grade with unsocial-hours enhancements applying to hours worked at unsocial times. Bank work suits catering well, because weekend meal service and holiday cover create predictable extra shifts. Whether bank or agency pays better depends on shift patterns and agency fees; we compare the two in agency vs bank pay.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an NHS catering assistant earn per hour?

In England, an NHS catering assistant earns £12.91 an hour in 2026/27 (£25,272 a year full-time, 37.5 hours a week) at Band 2. Senior catering assistants and cooks at Band 3 earn £13.16 to £14.04 an hour (£25,760 to £27,476 a year). In Wales the Band 2 rate is £13.44 an hour (£26,300 a year) under the Real Living Wage floor.

Is a catering assistant always Band 2?

Most catering assistant posts are Band 2, but senior catering assistants, cooks and catering supervisors, which carry extra responsibility for food preparation, allergen control or leading a small team, are typically evaluated at Band 3 (£25,760 to £27,476 in 2026/27). The band follows the evaluated duties of the post, not the job title, so check the band stated in the advert.

Do NHS catering staff get Agenda for Change pay if the service is contracted out?

Not necessarily. Catering staff employed directly by an NHS trust are on Agenda for Change bands and the rates on this page apply. Where a trust contracts its catering to a private company, staff are employed by that company on its own terms, which may differ from AfC rates. The employer named in the advert tells you which pay system applies.

Do catering assistants get paid extra for nights and weekends?

Yes, where the hours are unsocial. Under AfC Section 2, Band 2 staff get time plus 41% for Saturdays and weekday nights (8pm to 6am), and time plus 83% for Sundays and public holidays. On a £12.91 base rate that is £18.20 an hour on Saturdays and nights, and £23.63 an hour on Sundays and bank holidays. Band 3 rates are time plus 35% and time plus 69%.

Do catering assistants get overtime pay?

Yes. Overtime above 37.5 hours a week is paid at time-and-a-half for Bands 1 to 7, and double time on bank and public holidays. For a Band 2 catering assistant that is £19.37 an hour weekday overtime and £25.82 an hour on bank holidays. Overtime and unsocial-hours enhancement cannot both be claimed for the same hours.

What does a catering assistant earn in London?

With High Cost Area Supplement, a Band 2 catering assistant in 2026/27 earns £31,066 in inner London (£25,272 plus the £5,794 minimum HCAS), £30,142 in outer London (£25,272 plus £4,870) and £26,618 in the fringe zone (£25,272 plus £1,346). The percentage calculation falls below the HCAS minimums at Band 2, so the minimum payment applies in each zone.

Can catering assistants claim uniform tax relief?

Yes, where the employer provides no laundry service or allowance. The HMRC flat-rate expenses list puts hospital catering staff at £125 a year, which is worth £25 a year in tax relief at the 20% rate and £50 at the 40% rate. No receipts are needed, and claims can be backdated up to four previous tax years.

How do you progress from catering assistant to cook or catering manager?

The first step is a Band 3 senior catering assistant or cook post (£25,760 to £27,476 in 2026/27), which usually needs food hygiene training and experience across the kitchen and ward service. From there, supervisory and catering manager posts sit above Band 3, with the band set by the size of the service and the responsibility of the post. Experience in allergen management, therapeutic diets and ward-based service counts most.

Source: NHS Employers 2026/27 pay award announcement.

Source: NHS Employers unsocial hours payments.

Source: Health Careers NHS pay rates.