NHS Suspension Pay 2026/27: Do You Still Get Paid?

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

By the NHS Bands Pay editorial team

Being suspended from work is frightening, and the first question most people ask is about money. The short answer is reassuring: suspension in the NHS is normally on full pay, because it is a precaution while something is looked into, not a punishment and not a dismissal. This page explains what that means in practice, what full pay covers, what it does not cover, and what to check if your payslip does not look right.

Suspension is one of the most misunderstood words in NHS employment. People hear it and assume they have been sacked, or that their pay has stopped, or that a finding has already been made against them. None of those things is true. Suspension is a holding position. An employer suspends someone so that an investigation can happen fairly, without the person involved being at work while facts are gathered, or so that a workplace risk can be managed while a situation is assessed. It is not a disciplinary sanction in itself, and it does not mean the employer has decided what happened.

That distinction is why pay continues. If suspension were a punishment, stopping pay would be part of the penalty. Because it is precautionary, the normal position is that the employee is kept whole financially while the process runs its course. The employer has chosen to remove the person from work; the employee has not chosen to stop working. Keeping full pay is how that balance is held. This page is about pay only. It is not legal advice, and for the disciplinary process itself you should speak to your union rep or a representative as early as possible.

What suspension is, and what it is not

A suspension letter should say, in plain terms, that you are suspended from duty, from what date, and what you are and are not expected to do while suspended. Typical conditions include not attending the workplace, not contacting colleagues or patients about the matter, and being available for investigation meetings. Those conditions vary by trust and by case, so read your own letter rather than relying on a colleague's experience. The letter is the document that governs your case, and anything in it that contradicts this page should be raised with your rep straight away.

Suspension differs from several things it is often confused with. It is not dismissal: your employment continues, and you remain an employee throughout. It is not sick leave, although if you become genuinely unwell while suspended, the sick pay rules and the suspension rules can overlap, and you should notify your manager and your rep about both. It is not a career break, where pay stops by agreement for a planned period away. And it is not acting up or a secondment, where a different pay rate applies for different work. During suspension you do no work, and your substantive rate continues.

Suspension also differs from strike action, where pay is deducted for days not worked. Our guide to NHS pay disputes explains the strike position in full. Do not mix the two up: striking is a choice to withdraw labour, and pay reflects that choice, while suspension is the employer's decision to keep you away from work, and pay reflects that decision. If anyone tells you suspension means unpaid leave, ask them to show you the written term that says so, because the standard position is the opposite.

Full pay: what it covers

Full pay during suspension means your normal basic salary, paid on the normal payday, through the normal payroll. For most staff that is the Agenda for Change rate for their band and step, as set out in the 2026/27 England scale below, which includes the 3.3% award effective 1 April 2026. Monthly figures are the annual salary divided by 12, and day figures use the published rounded hourly rate multiplied by 7.5 hours, the standard working day. Weekly figures are the annual salary divided by 52.2.

London weighting is part of full pay, not an extra that disappears during suspension. High Cost Area Supplement follows your substantive post and place of work, so a Band 5 nurse at the entry step on £32,073 keeps the inner London supplement of 20%, which is £6,414.60, giving £38,487.60 in total. In outer London the 15% calculation gives £4,810.95, but the outer minimum of £4,870 applies instead, giving £36,943 in total. In the fringe area 5% gives £1,603.65, for £33,676.65 in total. The full detail, including the inner maximum of £8,746, is in our guide to London weighting (HCAS).

Pension contributions also continue on the normal basis while you are paid in full, because contributions are a percentage of pensionable pay and your pay has not changed. Under the provisional 2026/27 tiers, a Band 5 entry salary of £32,073 attracts 8.3%, which is £221.84 a month, plus the employer contribution of 23.7%, which is £633.44 a month. A Band 6 entry salary of £39,959 attracts 9.8%, which is £326.33 a month, plus an employer contribution of £789.19 a month. The full tier table is in our guide to NHS pension contributions. If a payslip during suspension shows pension deductions stopping while basic pay continues, query it, because the two should move together.

Worked example 1: a Band 5 nurse suspended for a month

A Band 5 staff nurse at the entry step earns £32,073 a year, which is £2,672.75 a month, £614.43 a week and £122.85 a day at the £16.38 hourly rate. If she is suspended, her monthly pay should still be £2,672.75 on the normal payday, and her payslip should still show the usual tax, National Insurance and pension deductions. Twenty working days at the day rate gives £2,457.00, which is close to but not the same as the monthly figure, because monthly pay is the annual salary divided by 12 rather than a count of days worked. Do not expect the payslip to be calculated day by day: salaried NHS pay is monthly, and suspension does not change that.

What changes is everything tied to actually working shifts. She earns no unsocial hours enhancement during suspension, because she works no Saturday, night or Sunday shifts. For comparison, a Saturday shift at the Bands 4 to 9 rate of time plus 30% would have paid £21.29 an hour, and a Sunday shift at time plus 60% would have paid £26.21 an hour. She also earns no overtime, because overtime is paid for hours worked above the contracted week. That is the honest gap in a suspended month: basic pay is protected, but the shift-based top-up that many ward staff rely on is not earned while they are not on the rota. Budget for that gap, and do not assume it will be made up later.

Worked example 2: a Band 2 porter and a Band 6 nurse

A Band 2 porter on the single spot rate earns £25,272 a year, which is £2,106.00 a month, £484.14 a week and £96.83 a day at £12.91 an hour. During suspension that £2,106.00 a month continues, because the spot rate has no step to move and no increment to pause. His Saturday rate while working would have been £18.20 an hour, at time plus 41% for Band 2, and his Sunday rate £23.63 an hour, at time plus 83%. Neither is earned during suspension, for the same reason as in the Band 5 example: enhancements are paid for hours worked, and suspended staff work no hours.

A Band 6 nurse at the entry step earns £39,959 a year, which is £3,329.92 a month, £765.50 a week and £153.08 a day at £20.41 an hour. During suspension her monthly pay should still be £3,329.92, and her pension contribution should still be £326.33 a month at the provisional 9.8% tier. The pattern is the same at every band: the substantive basic salary is the protected figure, and the variable elements tied to working, unsocial hours and overtime, pause until the person returns to work. Our guide to unsocial hours and overtime pay sets out the enhancement rates in full, so you can work out what a normal month would have included.

How long can suspension last, and what should be reviewed

There is no single national number of days or weeks for suspension in the 2026/27 pay data, and this page does not invent one. Suspension should last only as long as the reason for it lasts, and it should be reviewed regularly while it continues. What you can reasonably expect, and what you should ask for in writing, is a named contact, a review date, and an update when that date passes. If weeks go by with no contact and no review, raise it through your rep, in writing, rather than waiting for the process to come back to you.

Two things to check at each review. First, is the reason for suspension still live, or has the investigation moved past the point where your absence is needed. Second, is your pay still correct: basic pay, London weighting if it applies, and pension deductions all present and at the right amounts. A suspension that drags on is stressful enough without a payroll error on top of it, and payroll errors are easier to fix in the month they happen than months later. Keep every payslip from the suspension period, and keep a note of every meeting date and every letter received.

Part-time staff are paid pro rata in the usual way during suspension, just as they are while working. A Band 6 nurse at the entry step (£39,959) working 0.6 whole time equivalent earns £23,975.40 a year, or £1,997.95 a month, and that is the figure that continues during suspension. A Band 5 nurse at 0.8 whole time equivalent earns £25,658.40 a year, or £2,138.20 a month. Suspension does not convert a part-time contract into a full-time one, and it does not reduce a part-time salary further. If your contracted hours change during suspension, ask why, and get the change in writing.

Annual leave, increments and bank work during suspension

Annual leave entitlement continues during suspension, because employment continues. The standard Agenda for Change tiers are 27 days plus 8 bank holidays up to 4 years of service, 29 plus 8 from 5 years, and 33 plus 8 from 10 years, pro rata for part-time staff. Whether you can actually take leave during suspension, and who approves it, is a matter for your suspension letter and your manager, so ask rather than assuming. Leave already booked before suspension may need to be rearranged, and leave accrued during suspension should be recorded in the normal way. Our guide to annual leave covers the tiers and the part-time pro rata method.

Increments are the honest gap in this page. The 2026/27 pay data does not state a national rule for whether an increment date moves during suspension, or whether time on suspension counts towards progression. Do not assume either way. Ask your rep and your manager, in writing, what happens to your increment date if the suspension spans it. The answer affects your pay for the rest of your time in post, not just for the suspension period, so it is worth getting it confirmed before the date passes.

Bank and agency work is the area most likely to catch people out. Many trusts pause bank shifts for suspended staff, and taking agency work elsewhere while suspended can breach the conditions of suspension or create a conflict with the investigation. This page does not state a national rule, because the conditions are set in the suspension letter and in trust policy. Do not pick up extra work, bank or agency, while suspended without checking the letter and speaking to your rep first. The pay from a bank shift is small compared with the risk of breaching a suspension condition. Our guide to second job rules covers the tax and working-time side of extra work in normal circumstances.

When suspension ends

When suspension ends, the normal expectation is a return to your substantive post on your substantive rate, because that rate never stopped. There is no back pay to calculate for the suspension period itself, because full pay was paid throughout. If pay was wrong during suspension, however, the correction is a payroll matter: raise it as soon as you spot it, with the payslips as evidence, through payroll and your rep. The longer an error runs, the harder it is to untangle, especially where tax and pension deductions are involved.

If suspension ends with a disciplinary outcome, the pay consequences of that outcome are separate from suspension pay. A formal warning normally carries no pay consequence. Dismissal ends pay from the dismissal date, subject to notice and any appeal. A demotion or a change of band changes pay from the date the new post starts. None of those outcomes is backdated to the suspension period, and none of them turns suspension itself into unpaid time. If a letter suggests otherwise, query it with your rep before accepting it.

If you are cleared and return to work, check three things on your first payslip back: that basic pay is at the right band and step, that London weighting (if it applies) is present, and that pension deductions have resumed at the right tier. Also check that any annual leave accrued during suspension is showing correctly, and that your increment date has not moved without explanation. Returning to work is a relief, but it is also the moment when payroll errors from the suspension period are easiest to spot and fix.

What to do if your pay stops or drops

Act quickly, and in writing. First, compare the payslip with the last normal payslip before suspension, line by line: basic pay, London weighting, pension, tax and National Insurance. Second, check the suspension letter for any term about pay, and check your trust policy if you can access it. Third, contact your union rep with both documents, and ask payroll for a written explanation of any change. Keep copies of everything, and keep a dated note of every call and meeting.

• Basic pay missing or reduced: ask payroll to confirm the annual salary, band and step on record, and to correct it to the substantive rate.
• London weighting missing: confirm the zone and the minimum that applies to your salary, and ask for the supplement to be restored.
• Pension deductions stopped: ask whether pensionable membership has been interrupted, and get the answer in writing from the pensions officer.
• Tax code changed: check whether the change is a genuine HMRC instruction or a payroll error, and do not accept a second-job code without a reason.
• No payslip at all: treat it as urgent, not as an admin delay, and raise it with payroll and your rep on the same day.

If the dispute is about pay rather than about the suspension itself, the route is the same as for any pay dispute: payroll first, then a formal query, then union support. Keep the two tracks separate in your own notes, because the people handling the investigation are not usually the people handling payroll, and a clear written query reaches the right desk faster than a general complaint.

Frequently asked questions

Do you get paid if suspended by the NHS?

Yes, in most cases. Suspension is normally on full pay, because it is a precaution while something is looked into, not a punishment or a dismissal. Your substantive basic salary continues on the normal payday, along with London weighting if it applies and pension contributions on the normal basis.

Is NHS suspension full pay or half pay?

Full pay is the standard position. A Band 5 nurse at the entry step (£32,073) still receives £2,672.75 a month during suspension, and a Band 2 porter on the spot rate (£25,272) still receives £2,106.00 a month. If your letter states anything less than full pay, raise it with your union rep at once.

Do you get unsocial hours pay while suspended?

No, because unsocial hours enhancements are paid for shifts actually worked. A suspended nurse works no Saturday, night or Sunday shifts, so no enhancement is earned during suspension. Basic pay is protected, but the shift-based top-up pauses until you return to the rota.

Does your NHS pension continue during suspension?

Yes, while you are paid in full. Pension contributions are a percentage of pensionable pay, and your pay has not changed. A Band 5 entry salary of £32,073 attracts 8.3% under the provisional 2026/27 tiers, which is £221.84 a month, plus the 23.7% employer contribution of £633.44 a month. If pension deductions stop while basic pay continues, query it.

How long can NHS suspension last?

There is no single national duration in the 2026/27 pay data, and suspension should last only as long as the reason for it lasts. Ask for a named contact and a review date in writing, and raise it through your rep if weeks pass with no contact and no review. Keep every letter and payslip from the suspension period.

Do you keep annual leave while suspended?

Yes, entitlement continues, because employment continues. The standard tiers are 27 days plus 8 bank holidays up to 4 years of service, 29 plus 8 from 5 years, and 33 plus 8 from 10 years, pro rata for part-time staff. Whether you can take leave during suspension, and who approves it, should be confirmed with your manager and your rep.

Can you work bank or agency shifts while suspended?

Do not assume so. Many trusts pause bank shifts for suspended staff, and agency work elsewhere can breach suspension conditions or conflict with an investigation. Check your suspension letter and trust policy, and speak to your rep before picking up any extra work while suspended.

What happens to pay when suspension ends?

You return to your substantive post on your substantive rate, because that rate never stopped, so there is no back pay for the suspension period itself. Check your first payslip back for basic pay, London weighting and pension deductions, and raise any error from the suspension period with payroll and your rep straight away.