NHS Pay Scales 2025/26

Last updated: 6 November 2026 · Figures verified against the NHS Employers pay scales for 2025/26.

By the NHS Bands Pay editorial team

Every spring, the old pay tables are replaced and the new ones take their place, and within weeks the old figures are hard to find. That is a problem for anyone who needs to check what they were actually paid in a past year: a payslip from March 2026, a pension statement, a final pay calculation for someone who left mid-year. This page keeps the 2025/26 England scales in one place, entry to top for every band, with the hourly and monthly figures worked out alongside them, and the comparison with the 2026/27 scales that replaced them. The figures come from the NHS Employers pay scales for 2025/26, checked point by point, including the intermediate steps in Bands 5 to 9 that some published tables omit. If you need the current rates instead, they are on the Agenda for Change overview and the 2027/28 pay scales page, which carries the full 2026/27 baseline tables.

The full 2025/26 tables

The tables below are the England scales for 2025/26, 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 entry and top are the same figure. Bands 3 and 4 have two points, and Bands 5 to 9 have three. Band 1 is closed to new entrants, so the table starts at Band 2, and no Band 1 figure is quoted here. These are basic pay figures only: London weighting, unsocial-hours enhancements and overtime sit on top of them, and they are covered in the London weighting guide and the unsocial hours and overtime guide.

Source: NHS Employers 2026/27 pay award; Health Careers NHS, Agenda for Change pay rates.

The spread across the scale is wide. A Band 2 member of staff earned £24,465 a year, or £12.50 an hour, while a Band 9 member of staff at the top earned £125,637 a year, or £64.18 an hour, more than five times as much. The middle of the scale is where most staff sit: Band 5, the largest band, ran from £31,049 to £37,796, and Band 6 ran from £38,682 to £46,580. The gap between the top of one band and the entry of the next is small at the bottom of the scale and wide at the top: Band 5 top to Band 6 entry is £886 a year, while Band 8d top to Band 9 entry is £3,842. Those gaps are what make promotion worth more at senior levels, and they are also what the annual award reshapes each year, because a percentage uplift adds more cash at the top than at the bottom.

One detail in the table deserves a note, because it is where published tables most often go wrong. Bands 5 to 9 each have an intermediate step, and that step is a real pay point with its own salary, not an average of entry and top. A Band 5 nurse two years into the band was on £33,487 in 2025/26, not on some figure halfway between £31,049 and £37,796. The same applies at Band 8d, where the intermediate step was £96,941 and the top was £105,337. Tables that omit the intermediate steps make it impossible to check a payslip for anyone mid-progression, which is why this page lists all three steps for every band that has them.

What changed on 1 April 2026

The 2026/27 award was a 3.3% consolidated uplift to all Agenda for Change pay points in England, announced on 12 February 2026 when the government accepted the NHS Pay Review Body 39th Report in full, and effective from 1 April 2026. It was paid on time in April 2026 salaries in England and Wales, so no back pay was needed for the 2026/27 award itself. Our 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.

Because the uplift was a flat percentage applied to every pay point, the rise was 3.30% at the top of every band, from Band 2 to Band 9. The cash gain rises with the band, so the same percentage meant very different money at different levels:

Three worked examples show what the change meant in practice. A Band 5 nurse at the top of the band went from £37,796 to £39,043 a year, a rise of £1,247 a year, or £103.92 a month, and the hourly rate rose from £19.31 to £19.95, a gain of 64p an hour. A Band 2 healthcare assistant went from £24,465 to £25,272, a rise of £807 a year, or £67.25 a month, and the hourly rate rose from £12.50 to £12.91. A Band 9 manager at the top went from £125,637 to £129,783, a rise of £4,146 a year, or £345.50 a month, and the hourly rate rose from £64.18 to £66.30. Entry points rose by the same 3.3%: Band 5 entry gained £1,024 a year, or £85.33 a month, and Band 6 entry gained £1,277 a year, or £106.42 a month.

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. Because the uplift applied to the whole scale, the cash gaps between bands widened slightly: the distance between Band 5 top and Band 9 top grew by £2,899 a year. 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 them, you cannot see how much of today's gap is the award and how much is progression.

Who still needs the 2025/26 scales

An archived pay scale is not a curiosity. Four groups of people still need these figures, and they need them exact.

Anyone checking an old payslip. A payslip from any month between April 2025 and March 2026 should show basic pay from these tables. The monthly figures in the section below are the ones to compare against, and the payslip guide explains how to read each line, including the separate lines for London weighting and unsocial-hours pay.

Anyone checking a pension record. The 2015 NHS pension scheme is career average, so the salary earned in 2025/26 is part of the pension record, and the contribution tier that applied that year decides what was deducted. The pension section below lists the 2025/26 tiers with worked examples, and the pension contributions guide carries the current tiers.

Anyone who left during 2025/26. Final pay and unused leave payouts are worked out on the salary at the leaving date, so a member of staff who left in, say, November 2025 needs the 2025/26 rates to check the final payment. The final pay guide works through the calculation, and the leave payout guide covers untaken leave.

Staff in Northern Ireland. The 3.3% award for 2026/27 is recommended but not yet implemented there, so the 2025/26 figures remain the most recent published reference for the value of the award, and the Northern Ireland pay guide carries the local position. The same applies to anyone checking the 2025/26 award itself: it was backdated and paid with arrears in August 2025, and the back pay guide explains how arrears appear on a payslip.

Pension contributions in 2025/26

The pension contribution tiers for 2025/26 were the official NHSBSA tiers for England and Wales, and they were set by pensionable pay. The employer paid 23.7% on top of the member contribution in the same year.

The tier boundaries matter, because a small rise in pay can push a member of staff into a higher tier, and the higher rate then applies to the whole pensionable pay, not just the part above the boundary. A Band 2 member of staff on £24,465 fell in the 6.5% tier and paid £132.52 a month. A Band 3 member of staff at the top, on £26,598, also paid 6.5%, or £144.07 a month. A Band 5 member of staff at entry, on £31,049, fell in the 8.3% tier and paid £214.76 a month, while a Band 5 member of staff at the top, on £37,796, paid 9.8%, or £308.67 a month. At the top of the scale, a Band 9 member of staff on £125,637 paid 12.5%, or £1,308.72 a month. The 2026/27 tiers use the same rates, with the thresholds uprated in line with CPI, and the pension contributions guide carries the current thresholds.

How the hourly rates are worked out

Every hourly figure in the tables above uses the standard NHS calculation:

Hourly rate = annual salary divided by 52.2, divided by 37.5

The 52.2 converts the year to weeks, and 37.5 is the full-time week in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Part-time staff are paid the full-time rate pro rata to contracted hours, so a 0.6 contract at Band 5 entry is paid £15.86 an hour for 22.5 hours a week, not a lower hourly rate. The hourly rate calculator works out any band and fraction.

Three examples show the formula in action. A Band 5 nurse at the top, on £37,796 a year, earned £19.31 an hour in 2025/26: £37,796 divided by 52.2 is £724.06 a week, divided by 37.5 is £19.31 an hour. A Band 2 healthcare assistant on £24,465 earned £12.50 an hour. A Band 9 manager at the top, on £125,637, earned £64.18 an hour. Scotland is the exception to the 37.5-hour week: it moved to a 36-hour week in April 2026, so Scottish hourly rates are calculated on 36 hours, which is why Scottish hourly figures look higher for similar annual salaries.

Unsocial-hours enhancements are percentages of the hourly rate, so they can be worked out from the same tables. A Saturday hour at the top of Band 5 in 2025/26 was worth £25.10, because the Section 2 Saturday enhancement for Bands 4 to 9 is time plus 30%, and £19.31 multiplied by 1.30 is £25.10. The weekend pay rates guide carries the full Saturday and Sunday tables for 2026/27.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The tables on this page are England. The devolved nations set their own awards and maintain their own scales, and the 2025/26 position differed in each of them.

• 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. Scotland's scale differs from England's: in 2026/27, Band 5 in Scotland ran from £34,494 to £42,977. 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. See NHS Northern Ireland pay.

The four-nation pay scales comparison sets the awards, working weeks and living-wage floors side by side, and the 2027 pay rise hub follows the next round for all four nations.

How to check an old payslip

Checking a payslip against these tables takes five steps, and the order matters, because the most common mistake is comparing the wrong month.

1. 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.
2. Read the basic pay line, not the gross. Basic pay is the annual salary divided by 12, and it is the figure in the table below. London weighting, unsocial-hours pay, overtime and on-call payments appear on separate lines, and they are not part of basic pay.
3. Check the month. A March 2026 payslip should show the 2025/26 monthly figure. An April 2026 payslip should show the 2026/27 figure. If the April payslip still shows the old figure, the award has not been applied, and payroll needs to know.
4. Compare with the table. A Band 6 member of staff at entry should show £3,223.50 a month in basic pay on a March 2026 payslip, and £3,329.92 on the April 2026 payslip, a rise of £106.42 a month. A Band 5 member of staff at the top should show £3,149.67 in March and £3,253.58 in April.
5. Query it if it does not match. 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 with payroll, 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 £2,587.42, which is £1,552.45 a month. Staff on a pay step that changed during the year should check the month the step changed, because the payslip for that month can show a part-month at each rate.

Recent awards in context

The 2025/26 scales were themselves the product of an award, and the three most recent awards tell the story of how NHS pay has moved:

The pattern is worth noting. The 2024/25 award of 5.5% and the 2025/26 award of 3.6% were both announced late and backdated, and both were paid as a lump sum of arrears months after the pay year had started. The 2025/26 arrears were paid in August 2025, and they could be spread over eight months for Universal Credit claimants. The 2026/27 award broke that pattern: it was announced in February, before the pay year began, and paid on time in April. That is why the 2025/26 tables matter for back-pay checks in a way the 2026/27 tables do not, and why anyone verifying an August 2025 arrears payment needs the 2025/26 rates, not the current ones. 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.

Frequently asked questions

What were the NHS pay scales for 2025/26?

In England, the 2025/26 Agenda for Change scales ran from £24,465 at Band 2, the single spot rate, to £125,637 at the top of Band 9. Band 5 ran £31,049 at entry, £33,487 at the intermediate step and £37,796 at the top. Band 6 ran £38,682 to £46,580, and Band 7 ran £47,810 to £54,710. These rates applied from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, and the full tables, with hourly and monthly pay at every step, are on this page.

When did the 2025/26 scales stop applying?

On 1 April 2026, when the 3.3% award for 2026/27 took effect. 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 the 2026/27 award itself. The 2025/26 scales are now an archive, kept for payslip checks, pension records and leaver calculations.

How much did NHS pay rise from 2025/26 to 2026/27?

By 3.3% at every pay point, because the award was a consolidated percentage uplift applied to the whole scale. In cash, the rise at the top of each band was £807 at Band 2, £1,247 at Band 5, £1,805 at Band 7 and £4,146 at Band 9. Monthly, that is £67.25 at Band 2, £103.92 at Band 5 top and £345.50 at Band 9 top. Entry points rose by the same 3.3%: Band 5 entry gained £1,024 a year, or £85.33 a month, and Band 6 entry gained £1,277 a year, or £106.42 a month.

What was the Band 5 salary in 2025/26?

A Band 5 member of staff in England earned £31,049 a year at entry, £33,487 at the intermediate step and £37,796 at the top, in 2025/26. The hourly rates were £15.86, £17.11 and £19.31, and the monthly basic pay was £2,587.42, £2,790.58 and £3,149.67. The 2026/27 award lifted those figures to £32,073, £34,592 and £39,043 a year. The Band 5 salary guide carries the current rates, the roles at each step and the London weighting picture.

What was the Band 2 salary in 2025/26?

Band 2 was a single spot rate of £24,465 a year in 2025/26, which worked out at £12.50 an hour and £2,038.75 a month in basic pay. There was no intermediate step: every Band 2 member of staff was on the same rate. The 2026/27 award lifted it to £25,272 a year, £12.91 an hour and £2,106.00 a month. London weighting sat on top of these figures as a separate allowance, so a Band 2 member of staff in inner London earned more than the national rate.

How do I check an old payslip against the 2025/26 scales?

Find your band and pay step on the payslip or in ESR, then compare the basic pay line with the monthly table on this page. A Band 6 member of staff at entry should show £3,223.50 a month in basic pay on a March 2026 payslip, and £3,329.92 on the April 2026 payslip, after the 3.3% award took effect. Check the month first, because the most common confusion is comparing an April payslip with last year's table. Remember that London weighting, unsocial-hours enhancements and overtime sit on top of basic pay, so they appear on separate payslip lines. If the basic pay line does not match, query it with payroll, and the payslip guide explains how to read each line.

Which pension tier applied to my pay in 2025/26?

The 2025/26 contribution tiers were 5.2% up to £13,259, 6.5% from £13,260 to £27,797, 8.3% from £27,798 to £33,868, 9.8% from £33,869 to £50,845, 10.7% from £50,846 to £65,190, and 12.5% above £65,191. A Band 2 member of staff on £24,465 paid 6.5%, or £132.52 a month. A Band 5 member of staff at the top, on £37,796, paid 9.8%, or £308.67 a month. A Band 9 member of staff at the top, on £125,637, paid 12.5%, or £1,308.72 a month. The employer paid 23.7% on top. The pension contributions guide carries the current 2026/27 tiers, whose thresholds were uprated.

Are the 2025/26 scales still used anywhere?

Yes, in four places. First, Northern Ireland: the 3.3% award for 2026/27 is recommended but not yet implemented there, so the 2025/26 figures remain the most recent published reference for the value of the award. Second, pension records: the 2015 scheme is career average, so the salary you earned in 2025/26 is part of your pension record. Third, leaver calculations: final pay and unused leave payouts are worked out on the salary at the leaving date, so anyone who left during 2025/26 needs these tables. Fourth, back-pay checks: the 2025/26 award itself was backdated and paid with arrears in August 2025, and anyone checking that lump sum needs the 2025/26 rates.

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 figures on this page are the archived England scales; the current rates are the 2026/27 scales.