How much is the NHS pay rise by band?
Last updated: 6 November 2026 · Figures verified against the NHS Employers 2026/27 pay circular.
Every pay award is announced as a percentage, and every member of staff wants to know the same thing: what does it mean in pounds, on my band, at my pay step, each month. A percentage hides the answer, because 3.3% of a Band 2 salary and 3.3% of a Band 9 salary are very different amounts of money, and because the monthly figure is the one that has to cover the rent. This page gives the pounds. It lists the 2025/26 salary, the 2026/27 salary and the rise in between, as an annual figure, a monthly figure and an hourly figure, at every pay step from Band 2 to Band 9. It then works out what is left after pension, tax and National Insurance, because the gross rise is not the rise that lands in the bank account. All of the figures come from the NHS Employers pay scales for 2025/26 and 2026/27, checked point by point, including the intermediate steps in Bands 5 to 9 that some published tables omit. If you want the story of how the award was decided, it is on the 2026/27 pay rise guide. If you want the rise worked out on your own salary, use the NHS pay rise calculator.
The rise in pounds, at every pay step
The table below is the England scale, for a full-time member of staff on a 37.5-hour week. England uses three pay steps, entry, intermediate and top, following the 2018 contract deal, which abolished spine points. Band 2 is a single spot rate, so it appears once. Bands 3 and 4 have two points, and Bands 5 to 9 have three. These are basic pay figures: London weighting, unsocial-hours enhancements and overtime sit on top of them, and because those allowances are percentage-based, they rose by 3.3% too. The monthly figure is the annual rise divided by 12, and the hourly figure is the annual rise divided by 52.2 and then by 37.5, using the standard NHS hourly calculation.
| Pay point | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Annual rise | Monthly rise | Hourly rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 (spot rate) | £24,465 | £25,272 | +£807 | +£67.25 | +£0.41 |
| Band 3 entry | £24,937 | £25,760 | +£823 | +£68.58 | +£0.42 |
| Band 3 top | £26,598 | £27,476 | +£878 | +£73.17 | +£0.45 |
| Band 4 entry | £27,485 | £28,392 | +£907 | +£75.58 | +£0.46 |
| Band 4 top | £30,162 | £31,157 | +£995 | +£82.92 | +£0.51 |
| Band 5 entry | £31,049 | £32,073 | +£1,024 | +£85.33 | +£0.52 |
| Band 5 intermediate | £33,487 | £34,592 | +£1,105 | +£92.08 | +£0.56 |
| Band 5 top | £37,796 | £39,043 | +£1,247 | +£103.92 | +£0.64 |
| Band 6 entry | £38,682 | £39,959 | +£1,277 | +£106.42 | +£0.65 |
| Band 6 intermediate | £40,823 | £42,170 | +£1,347 | +£112.25 | +£0.69 |
| Band 6 top | £46,580 | £48,117 | +£1,537 | +£128.08 | +£0.78 |
| Band 7 entry | £47,810 | £49,387 | +£1,577 | +£131.42 | +£0.81 |
| Band 7 intermediate | £50,273 | £51,932 | +£1,659 | +£138.25 | +£0.85 |
| Band 7 top | £54,710 | £56,515 | +£1,805 | +£150.42 | +£0.92 |
| Band 8a entry | £55,690 | £57,528 | +£1,838 | +£153.17 | +£0.94 |
| Band 8a intermediate | £58,487 | £60,417 | +£1,930 | +£160.83 | +£0.98 |
| Band 8a top | £62,682 | £64,750 | +£2,068 | +£172.33 | +£1.06 |
| Band 8b entry | £64,455 | £66,582 | +£2,127 | +£177.25 | +£1.08 |
| Band 8b intermediate | £68,631 | £70,896 | +£2,265 | +£188.75 | +£1.16 |
| Band 8b top | £74,896 | £77,368 | +£2,472 | +£206.00 | +£1.26 |
| Band 8c entry | £76,965 | £79,504 | +£2,539 | +£211.58 | +£1.30 |
| Band 8c intermediate | £81,652 | £84,346 | +£2,694 | +£224.50 | +£1.38 |
| Band 8c top | £88,682 | £91,609 | +£2,927 | +£243.92 | +£1.50 |
| Band 8d entry | £91,342 | £94,356 | +£3,014 | +£251.17 | +£1.54 |
| Band 8d intermediate | £96,941 | £100,140 | +£3,199 | +£266.58 | +£1.64 |
| Band 8d top | £105,337 | £108,814 | +£3,477 | +£289.75 | +£1.78 |
| Band 9 entry | £109,179 | £112,782 | +£3,603 | +£300.25 | +£1.85 |
| Band 9 intermediate | £115,763 | £119,583 | +£3,820 | +£318.33 | +£1.95 |
| Band 9 top | £125,637 | £129,783 | +£4,146 | +£345.50 | +£2.12 |
Source: NHS Employers 2026/27 pay award; Health Careers NHS, Agenda for Change pay rates.
Read the table down the monthly column and the shape of the award becomes clear. At the bottom of the scale the rise is modest: a Band 2 healthcare assistant gained £67.25 a month, a Band 3 receptionist at entry gained £68.58 a month, and a Band 4 associate practitioner at entry gained £75.58 a month. In the middle, where most staff sit, a Band 5 nurse gained £85.33 a month at entry and £103.92 a month at the top, a Band 6 nurse gained £106.42 a month at entry and £128.08 a month at the top, and a Band 7 ward manager gained £131.42 a month at entry and £150.42 a month at the top. At the top of the scale the same percentage is serious money: a Band 8a manager at the top gained £172.33 a month, a Band 8d director at the top gained £289.75 a month, and a Band 9 manager at the top gained £345.50 a month. Part-time staff should scale these figures to their contracted hours: a 0.6 contract at Band 5 entry gained 60% of £85.33, which is £51.20 a month, and the part-time pay guide explains how pro rata pay is worked out.
One small caveat belongs with the table, because it is where a reader checking the arithmetic will trip. The published scales are whole pounds, so multiplying a 2025/26 salary by 1.033 can differ by up to about a pound from the published 2026/27 figure. Band 5 entry is the example: £31,049 times 1.033 is £32,073.62, while the published salary is £32,073, a difference of 62p. Band 5 top is the same: £37,796 times 1.033 is £39,043.27, while the published figure is £39,043. The table uses the published scales at both ends, which is the correct way to state the rise, and the percentage column in the archived 2025/26 pay scales page shows the rise at 3.30% at every top-of-band point.
What you actually keep from the rise
The gross rise is not the rise that lands in the bank account. Three deductions come off it before it reaches take-home pay: the NHS pension contribution, Income Tax and National Insurance. The pension contribution gets tax relief, so tax is charged on the rise after the pension contribution is taken off, while National Insurance is charged on the gross rise, because pension contributions do not reduce National Insurance earnings. Student loan repayments are not included in the table below, because they depend on the plan: anyone repaying a loan loses a further 9% of the part of the rise above their plan threshold, and the student loan repayments guide covers the thresholds.
| Pay point | Gross rise a month | Pension | Tax | National Insurance | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 (spot rate) | +£67.25 | £4.37 | £12.58 | £5.38 | +£44.92 |
| Band 5 entry | +£85.33 | £7.08 | £15.65 | £6.83 | +£55.77 |
| Band 5 top | +£103.92 | £10.18 | £18.75 | £8.31 | +£66.68 |
| Band 9 top | +£345.50 | £43.19 | £136.04 | £6.91 | +£159.36 |
Four worked examples show how the deductions bite at different levels. A Band 2 healthcare assistant gained £67.25 a month before deductions. The pension contribution is 6.5% of the rise, or £4.37, tax at 20% on the remaining £62.88 is £12.58, and National Insurance at 8% is £5.38, leaving £44.92 a month, or about two thirds of the gross rise. A Band 5 nurse at entry gained £85.33 a month. The pension contribution is 8.3%, or £7.08, tax at 20% on the remaining £78.25 is £15.65, and National Insurance at 8% is £6.83, leaving £55.77 a month. A Band 5 nurse at the top gained £103.92 a month. The pension contribution is 9.8%, or £10.18, tax at 20% on the remaining £93.74 is £18.75, and National Insurance at 8% is £8.31, leaving £66.68 a month. A Band 9 manager at the top gained £345.50 a month, and the deductions are heavier: the pension contribution is 12.5%, or £43.19, tax at 45% on the remaining £302.31 is £136.04, because the whole of the rise sits above the £125,140 threshold where the personal allowance has tapered away, and National Insurance at 2% is £6.91, leaving £159.36 a month, or under half of the gross rise. The pension contributions by band guide lists the contribution rate at every salary, and the payslip guide shows where each deduction appears.
The pension tier deserves a note of its own, because the rise can change it. The 2026/27 contribution thresholds were uprated in line with CPI at the same time as the award, so most members of staff stay in the same tier and pay the same percentage. The tiers are 5.2% up to £13,259, 6.5% from £13,260 to £28,854, 8.3% from £28,855 to £35,155, 9.8% from £35,156 to £52,778, 10.7% from £52,779 to £67,668, and 12.5% above £67,669, and the employer pays 23.7% on top. If your pay crosses a threshold, the new rate applies to your whole pensionable pay, not just the part above the boundary, so a small rise near a boundary can cost more than it first looks. The pension contributions guide carries the current tiers with worked examples.
Why the same 3.3% means different money
A flat percentage uplift is the fairest-looking kind of award, and it is also the kind that widens the cash gaps between bands. The reason is simple arithmetic: 3.3% of a small salary is a small amount of money, and 3.3% of a large salary is a large amount. Band 2 gained £807 a year and Band 9 top gained £4,146 a year, and the gap between the top of Band 5 and the top of Band 9 grew by £2,899 in a single year, from £87,841 to £90,740. That is the quiet arithmetic behind why each year's award reshapes the differentials that unions argue over, and why the archived tables matter: without the 2025/26 scales, you cannot see how much of today's gap is the award and how much is progression.
The award was consolidated, which means it permanently raised the scales rather than arriving as a one-off payment, and every future percentage uplift compounds on top of it. A 3.3% rise followed by another 3.3% rise is not 6.6% in total, it is 6.71%, because the second rise applies to the higher salary. The award also lifted everything that is calculated as a percentage of basic pay. Unsocial-hours enhancements are percentages of the hourly rate, so a Saturday hour at the top of Band 5 went from £25.10 to £25.94, and a Sunday hour went from £30.90 to £31.92. Overtime at time and a half rose the same way, and High Cost Area Supplement rose 3.3% too, because it is a percentage of basic pay subject to its own minimums and maximums. The weekend pay rates guide carries the full Saturday and Sunday tables for 2026/27, and the unsocial hours and overtime guide covers nights, overtime and time off in lieu.
None of this means the percentage is the wrong way to look at the award. A percentage is the only honest way to compare one year's award with another, and it is how the Pay Review Body frames its recommendation. The 2026/27 award of 3.3% sits between the 3.6% award for 2025/26 and the 5.5% award for 2024/25. What the pounds table adds is the answer to the question every member of staff actually asks, which is what the award is worth to them, this month, on their band and at their pay step.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The table on this page is England. The devolved nations set their own awards and maintain their own scales, and the 2026/27 position differed in each of them. The four-nation pay scales comparison sets the awards, working weeks and living-wage floors side by side.
- Scotland: a two-year negotiated deal gave 4.4% in 2025/26, then 3.75% from 1 April 2026, with an inflation guarantee to be checked in early 2027, plus the move to a 36-hour week, which changes the hourly calculation. Scotland's scale differs from England's: in 2026/27, Band 5 in Scotland ran from £34,494 to £42,977, against £32,073 to £39,043 in England. See NHS Scotland pay.
- Wales: matched the 3.3% England award for 2026/27, paid on time, with a Real Living Wage floor of £13.45 an hour applied at the bottom of the scale, which lifted Band 2 to £26,300. The Welsh scale differs slightly from England's: in 2026/27, Band 5 in Wales ran from £32,557 to £39,631. See NHS Wales pay.
- Northern Ireland: the 3.3% recommendation for 2026/27 was still awaiting implementation at the time of writing, so the 2025/26 figures remain the reference point there, and staff should not budget on the rise until it is confirmed. See NHS Northern Ireland pay.
Two things follow from the national differences. First, a pounds-per-band table for Scotland or Wales needs those nations' own 2025/26 scales, which are not published on this page, so the figures above are 2026/27 rates only. Second, anyone comparing offers across the border should compare the whole package, not just the headline percentage: Scotland's higher percentage and shorter week, and Wales's living-wage floor, change the answer in ways a single number cannot capture. The 2027 pay rise hub follows the next round for all four nations.
When the rise was paid
The 2026/27 award was announced on 12 February 2026, when the government accepted the NHS Pay Review Body 39th Report in full, and it took effect from 1 April 2026. It was paid on time in April 2026 salaries in England and Wales, so no back pay was needed for this award. The 2026/27 pay rise guide records it as the first on-time award in six years, and carries the full story of how it was decided, including the review body's recommendation and the government's response.
That on-time payment was a break from the previous two years. The 2025/26 award of 3.6% was announced on 22 May 2025 and backdated to 1 April 2025, with the arrears paid in August 2025, and the 2024/25 award of 5.5% was also announced late and backdated. Anyone checking an August 2025 arrears payment needs the 2025/26 rates, not the current ones, and the back pay guide explains how arrears appear on a payslip and how they were calculated. The award history on this page follows the 2026/27 pay rise guide, and the next round is followed on the 2027 pay rise hub.
Check your payslip
Checking the rise on your own payslip takes three steps, and the order matters, because the most common mistake is comparing the wrong month.
- Find your band and pay step. They are on the payslip, or in ESR under your assignment. Band 2 has one step, Bands 3 and 4 have two, Bands 5 to 9 have three.
- Read the basic pay line, not the gross. Basic pay is the annual salary divided by 12, and it is the figure to compare. London weighting, unsocial-hours pay, overtime and on-call payments appear on separate lines, and they are not part of basic pay.
- Compare March with April. A March 2026 payslip should show the 2025/26 monthly figure, and an April 2026 payslip should show the 2026/27 figure. A Band 5 nurse at entry should show £2,587.42 in March and £2,672.75 in April, a rise of £85.33. A Band 5 nurse at the top should show £3,149.67 in March and £3,253.58 in April, a rise of £103.92. A Band 2 healthcare assistant should show £2,038.75 in March and £2,106.00 in April, a rise of £67.25.
If the April payslip still shows the March figure, the award has not been applied, and payroll needs to know. Small differences of a pound or two can come from the pay date or a mid-month change of step, but a larger gap is worth raising, and the pay disputes guide explains how to raise it and what evidence to keep. Part-time staff should compare the pro rata figure, not the full-time figure: a 0.6 contract at Band 5 entry is 60% of £2,672.75 in April, which is £1,603.65 a month. Staff who changed pay step during the year should check the month the step changed, because the payslip for that month can show a part-month at each rate. The Agenda for Change overview carries the current scales, and the pay rise calculator works out the rise on any salary.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the NHS pay rise in 2026/27?
3.3%, applied to every Agenda for Change pay point in England from 1 April 2026. The award was announced on 12 February 2026, when the government accepted the NHS Pay Review Body 39th Report in full, and it was paid on time in April 2026 salaries in England and Wales, so no back pay was needed for this award. In cash, the rise is worth £807 a year at Band 2, £1,247 a year at the top of Band 5 and £4,146 a year at the top of Band 9. The full pounds-per-band table is on this page.
How much extra per month does a Band 5 nurse get?
A Band 5 nurse in England gained £85.33 a month at entry, £92.08 a month at the intermediate step and £103.92 a month at the top, before deductions. After pension, tax and National Insurance, the top-of-band rise is worth about £66.68 a month in the hand. The hourly rate rose by 52p at entry, 56p at the intermediate step and 64p at the top, from £15.86, £17.11 and £19.31 an hour to £16.38, £17.67 and £19.95 an hour.
How much extra per month does a Band 2 healthcare assistant get?
Band 2 is a single spot rate, so every Band 2 member of staff gained the same amount: £807 a year, or £67.25 a month, before deductions. After the 6.5% pension contribution, 20% tax and 8% National Insurance, about £44.92 a month stays in the hand. The hourly rate rose by 41p, from £12.50 to £12.91 an hour, and a Saturday hour rose from £17.63 to £18.20.
How much is the NHS pay rise per hour?
It depends on the band and the pay step, because a percentage of a bigger salary is more money. At Band 2 the rise is 41p an hour. At Band 5 it is 52p an hour at entry and 64p an hour at the top. At Band 6 it is 78p an hour at the top, at Band 7 it is 92p an hour at the top, and at Band 9 it is £2.12 an hour at the top. Unsocial-hours enhancements are percentages of the hourly rate, so they rose too: a Saturday hour at the top of Band 5 went from £25.10 to £25.94.
Is the pay rise the same percentage for every band?
Yes. The 3.3% uplift was applied to every pay point, from Band 2 to the top of Band 9, so the percentage is identical at every step and the cash is not. A Band 2 member of staff gained £807 a year while a Band 9 member of staff at the top gained £4,146, because 3.3% of £125,637 is much larger than 3.3% of £24,465. One small caveat: the published scales are whole pounds, so multiplying a 2025/26 salary by 1.033 can differ by up to about a pound from the published 2026/27 figure. For example, £31,049 times 1.033 is £32,073.62, while the published Band 5 entry salary is £32,073.
When was the 2026/27 NHS pay rise paid?
In April 2026 salaries, on time, in England and Wales. The award was announced on 12 February 2026, before the pay year began, which is why no back pay was needed for this award, a break from the previous two years, when the 3.6% award for 2025/26 was announced in May 2025 and paid with arrears in August 2025, and the 5.5% award for 2024/25 was also backdated. The pay rise guide records the full award history, and the back pay guide explains how arrears appear on a payslip.
What did Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland get?
Scotland agreed a 3.75% rise from 1 April 2026 under a two-year deal, alongside the move to a 36-hour week, and its scale differs from England's: Band 5 in Scotland ran from £34,494 to £42,977 in 2026/27. Wales matched the 3.3% England award, paid on time, with a Real Living Wage floor of £13.45 an hour at the bottom of the scale, which lifted Band 2 to £26,300. In Northern Ireland the 3.3% recommendation is still awaiting implementation, so the 2025/26 figures remain the reference point there. The four-nation comparison page sets the awards side by side.
Will the pay rise change my pension contribution?
Probably not. The 2026/27 pension contribution thresholds were uprated in line with CPI at the same time as the award, so most members of staff stay in the same tier and pay the same percentage. The tiers are 5.2% up to £13,259, 6.5% from £13,260 to £28,854, 8.3% from £28,855 to £35,155, 9.8% from £35,156 to £52,778, 10.7% from £52,779 to £67,668, and 12.5% above £67,669. If your pay crosses a threshold, the new rate applies to your whole pensionable pay, not just the part above the boundary, so a small rise near a boundary can cost more than it first looks. The pension contributions guide carries the current tiers with worked examples.
Keep exploring NHS pay
See the award that this page breaks down in our 2026/27 pay rise guide, check the old rates on the 2025/26 pay scales page, or work out the rise on your own salary with the pay rise calculator. For the money around the rise, try the hourly rate calculator or read the back pay arrears guide.
Sources and independence
Source: NHS Employers 2026/27 pay award.
Source: Health Careers NHS, Agenda for Change pay rates.
Source: NHS Pay Review Body 39th Report 2026 (via the PDA).
NHS Bands Pay is an independent information website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the National Health Service, NHS Employers or the Pay Review Body. The 2025/26 and 2026/27 figures on this page are the archived and current England scales; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own awards.