NHS Cleaner Pay 2026/27

Last updated: 21 October 2026 · Figures verified against the NHS Employers 2026/27 pay circular.

By the NHS Bands Pay editorial team

What NHS cleaners and domestic assistants earn in 2026/27: the Band 2 salary, night and weekend enhancements, London weighting, and the in-house vs contracted-out question that decides your pay.

Cleaners keep hospitals safe: infection control starts with cleaning, and domestic assistants are a recognised part of ward teams. In NHS job adverts the role is usually called domestic assistant (or domestic, housekeeping assistant), but on the ward everyone says cleaner. This page covers cleaner pay in 2026/27 in full - and the one question you must ask before applying.

NHS cleaner pay 2026/27

Directly employed NHS cleaners sit at Band 2, a single spot rate with no pay steps:

Source: NHS Employers Agenda for Change pay circular 2026/27 (England, full-time 37.5 hours a week). Hourly rates are annual salary divided by 52.2 weeks and 37.5 hours.

Band 2 has no progression within the band: a first-day cleaner and a twenty-year cleaner earn the same spot rate. Pay rises come from the annual national award, and real progression means moving to a Band 3 post (see below). For the full band picture, see our Band 2 pay guide.

In-house vs contracted-out: the question that decides your pay

This is the single most important thing on this page. Many NHS trusts outsource cleaning and other facilities services to private contractors (companies such as Mitie, Sodexo and Serco hold large NHS facilities contracts). If you are employed by the contractor rather than the trust, you are not on Agenda for Change: your pay, sick pay, pension and annual leave are whatever the contractor offers, which is typically less generous than NHS terms.

The differences that matter most:

• Basic pay: in-house cleaners get the Band 2 spot rate (£25,272); contracted-out cleaners are often paid closer to the statutory minimum wage, with smaller or no annual rises.
• Sick pay: NHS staff get full occupational sick pay (up to 6 months full pay depending on service); contractor staff often get statutory sick pay only.
• Pension: in-house staff are in the NHS Pension Scheme (employer contributes 23.7%); contractor staff get a standard workplace pension.
• Annual leave: 27 days plus bank holidays for NHS staff with under 5 years' service; contractor leave is usually the statutory minimum.

Before applying, check the advert: if the employer is the NHS trust itself, the job is Agenda for Change. If the employer is a facilities company, it is not. Some trusts have brought cleaning back in-house in recent years, so the picture varies by area - always ask at interview.

Shift enhancements: nights, weekends and bank holidays

Hospitals are cleaned around the clock, and unsocial-hours enhancements are where cleaner pay gets interesting. The Agenda for Change Section 2 rates for Band 2 are +41% for Saturday and weekday night shifts (8pm–6am) and +83% for Sundays and public holidays:

• Night / Saturday: £12.91 × 1.41 = about £18.20 an hour
• Sunday / bank holiday: £12.91 × 1.83 = about £23.63 an hour

A cleaner regularly working night shifts can earn thousands more a year than the basic £25,272 suggests. Early-morning shifts starting before 6am also attract the night enhancement for the hours before 6am. Full rules are in our unsocial hours and overtime guide.

Overtime for cleaners

Overtime - hours above 37.5 a week - is paid at time-and-a-half for Bands 1–7: about £19.37 an hour for a Band 2 cleaner at the 2026/27 basic rate, and double time (about £25.82 an hour) for overtime on bank holidays. Part-time cleaners earn plain time for extra hours up to 37.5 a week, with overtime rates only above that. Bank (internal temporary staffing) shifts are another common way cleaners top up earnings - see how bank work compares with agency in our agency vs bank pay guide.

London weighting (HCAS) for cleaners

Cleaners in London receive the High Cost Area Supplement: 20% of basic pay in inner London (minimum £5,794), 15% in outer London (minimum £4,870) and 5% in the fringe zone (minimum £1,346). Because 20% of £25,272 is £5,054.40, the £5,794 minimum applies in inner London, giving a total of £31,066 a year - a meaningful uplift on the basic rate. Our HCAS guide has the full zone map.

Pension and benefits

In-house cleaners are in the NHS Pension Scheme, a defined-benefit CARE scheme - rare and valuable at this pay level. In 2026/27 the £25,272 salary falls in the 6.5% contribution tier (provisional), costing about £136.89 a month (£1,642.68 a year), while the employer contributes 23.7%. Annual leave is 27 days plus 8 bank holidays (35 total) for the first 5 years, rising to 29+8 and then 33+8 with longer service. See our NHS pension contributions guide and annual leave guide.

Career progression: from cleaner to supervisor

There is no pay progression within Band 2, but there is career progression out of it. Typical routes:

• Domestic supervisor / team leader: usually Band 3 (£25,760–£27,476 in 2026/27), overseeing cleaning teams on wards or sites.
• Facilities coordinator roles: Band 3–4 posts covering portering, catering and cleaning rotas.
• Sideways moves: many cleaners move into portering, catering or healthcare assistant roles - all Band 2 entry points with different day-to-day work.

Trusts recruit cleaners on values and train on the job; no prior NHS experience is needed, though infection-control training is provided. The Care Certificate and an NVQ Level 2 in cleaning or facilities services help with supervisor applications.

Cleaner pay across the UK nations

• Scotland: 3.75% from 1 April 2026 under the two-year deal, with a 36-hour week from April 2026. See NHS Scotland pay.
• Wales: 3.3% implemented from 1 April 2026, with the Real Living Wage floor of £13.45 an hour applied to the bottom of the scale - the Welsh Band 2 spot rate is £26,300. See NHS Wales pay.
• Northern Ireland: the 3.3% award has been recommended but, as of autumn 2026, is not yet implemented. Do not budget on the uplift until it is confirmed - see NHS Northern Ireland pay.

Part-time and flexible shifts

Cleaning is one of the most part-time-friendly jobs in the NHS: early-morning, evening and weekend shifts suit people fitting work around childcare, study or a second job. Pay is strictly pro rata - a cleaner working 20 hours a week on the spot rate earns £13,478.40 a year (20/37.5 × £25,272) before enhancements. Unsocial-hours enhancements apply to part-timers exactly as they do to full-timers. See our part-time pay guide and check your payslip line by line with our payslip guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an NHS cleaner get paid?

An NHS cleaner employed directly by a trust is paid Agenda for Change Band 2: £25,272 a year full-time (£12.91 an hour) in England in 2026/27. Cleaners employed by private contractors are on the contractor's terms, not NHS pay.

Do all hospital cleaners get NHS pay?

No. Many trusts outsource cleaning to private facilities contractors, and those cleaners are employed by the contractor on non-NHS terms - usually lower pay, statutory sick pay and a standard workplace pension. Check whether the advert's employer is the NHS trust or a contractor.

Do NHS cleaners get extra pay for nights and weekends?

Yes. Band 2 unsocial-hours enhancements are +41% for Saturday and weekday night shifts (about £18.20 an hour) and +83% for Sundays and public holidays (about £23.63 an hour) at the 2026/27 basic rate.

Do NHS cleaners get London weighting?

Yes, directly employed cleaners in London receive the High Cost Area Supplement. In inner London the £5,794 minimum applies (20% of £25,272 is below it), giving a total of £31,066 a year.

Do NHS cleaners get the NHS pension?

Cleaners employed directly by an NHS trust are in the NHS Pension Scheme, a defined-benefit CARE scheme. In 2026/27 the £25,272 salary falls in the 6.5% contribution tier (about £136.89 a month, provisional), with the employer contributing 23.7%. Contracted-out cleaners are not in the NHS scheme.

What is the difference between a domestic assistant and a cleaner?

Nothing, in practice - domestic assistant (or domestic) is the formal NHS job title for a hospital cleaner. The pay, banding and duties are the same.

Can you progress from a cleaner to a higher band?

Yes. The typical next step is domestic supervisor or team leader at Band 3 (£25,760–£27,476 in 2026/27), or sideways moves into portering, catering or healthcare assistant roles. There is no pay progression within Band 2 itself - it is a single spot rate.

Are NHS cleaning jobs available part-time?

Yes - cleaning is one of the most part-time-friendly NHS jobs, with early-morning, evening and weekend shifts widely available. Pay is strictly pro rata, and unsocial-hours enhancements apply to part-timers the same as full-timers.