Take Home Pay
Take Home Pay
This NHS Band 5 salary calculator estimates Agenda for Change Band 5 take-home pay for 2026/27 — the main newly qualified nurse and allied health band. Enter entry, intermediate or top pay point, hours, High Cost Area Supplement, tax nation, NHS Pension and student loan plan. It returns gross, tax, NI, pension and net monthly and annual pay, plus hourly basic. Use it for NQN offers, preceptorship planning, or England versus Scotland tax comparisons. Figures follow AfC Band 5 scales so newly registered staff see real take-home, not just the headline salary.
Estimated net monthly pay
£0.00/mo
| Pay step | Basic | Hourly | Est. net / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | £32,073 | £16.40 | — |
| Intermediate (2 yrs) | £34,592 | £17.69 | — |
| Top of Band (4 yrs) | £39,043 | £19.97 | — |
Figures use NHS Employers AfC 2026/27 scales, HMRC tax/NI/student loan rules and NHS Pension tiers from 1 April 2026. Estimate only — your payslip is authoritative.
For NHS Agenda for Change staff in England, Band 5 is £32,073 to £39,043 a year in 2026/27. These rates are effective from 1 April 2026 and come from the NHS Employers national pay scale. Source: NHS Employers
| Pay point | When reached* | Annual salary | Hourly rate | Indicative pension tier at full-time headline salary** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | From entry | £32,073 | £16.40 | 8.3% |
| Intermediate | After 2 years | £34,592 | £17.69 | 8.3% |
| Top | After 4 years | £39,043 | £19.97 | 9.8% |
Note on progression: “When reached” is a concise guide to the current scale, not an automatic promise of progression. Progression is subject to the applicable NHS pay-progression process.
Pension-tier note: The pension percentage is based on actual annual pensionable pay, not simply the full-time headline band. A part-time employee can therefore fall into a different contribution tier.
The official England hourly rate is calculated on the standard 37.5-hour AfC week. The current range is £16.40 to £19.97 per hour. Do not use the England hourly figure for NHS Scotland: Scotland moved Agenda for Change staff to a 36-hour full-time week from 1 April 2026 without loss of overall earnings. Source: Scottish Government
Progression is time-based and subject to the NHS pay-progression process: Entry £32,073, Intermediate £34,592 after 2 years, Top £39,043 after 4 years.
Your NHS Pension contribution rate is based on actual annual pensionable pay, not the full-time headline salary. The 2026/27 England and Wales tiers are 6.5% up 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% from £67,669. Source: NHS Employers
Part-time warning: do not force the full-time contribution rate onto every user. Pension contribution tiers use actual pensionable pay, so contracted hours and pensionable additions can change the tier.
There is no single correct net salary for everyone on Band 5. Take-home pay changes with:
For AfC unsocial-hours payments, Band 5 falls in the band-specific national enhancement structure. The current national rate for this band is +30% for the lower enhancement period and +60% for Sundays/public holidays. The calculation basis and qualifying time are defined by the NHS Terms and Conditions rather than by a generic “night shift” multiplier. Source: NHS Employers — Unsocial hours payments
Yes, where the post qualifies for a High Cost Area Supplement. For 2026/27 in England, HCAS is 20% in Inner London (minimum £5,794, maximum £8,746), 15% in Outer London (minimum £4,870, maximum £6,137) and 5% in Fringe areas (minimum £1,346, maximum £2,270). Source: NHS Employers
HCAS is an addition to basic pay, not a different AfC band. Link users who need the exact supplement to the NHS London Weighting Calculator.
No. Agenda for Change salary tables are not one identical UK-wide value. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can implement different settlements and working-week arrangements. Use the relevant national page rather than silently applying an England value to every user.
For the full AfC band tables, see our NHS pay scales guide. An NHS Band 5 salary in England for 2026/27 is £32,073 at entry, £34,592 at the intermediate point, and £39,043 at the top of the band. NHS Employers confirms these 2026/27 pay points, effective from 1 April 2026 under the Agenda for Change (AfC) contract.
Pay point | Annual | Monthly gross | Hourly | Years |
Entry | £32,073 | £2,672.75 | £16.40 | 0–2 |
Intermediate | £34,592 | £2,882.67 | £17.69 | 2–4 |
Top of band | £39,043 | £3,253.58 | £19.97 | 4+ |
The 3.3% award lifted the entry point up from £31,049 in 2025/26. NHS Employers records the 3.3% pay award for 2026/27, paid from April 2026.
Band 5 covers newly qualified registered staff such as staff nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals. The AfC guide lists these as typical Band 5 roles. The hourly rates rest on the standard 37.5-hour full-time week.
Use the NHS take home pay calculator above for a personalised net figure. Band 5 take-home pay in 2026/27 is roughly £2,040 a month at entry and £2,381 a month at the top, after the NHS Pension, income tax and National Insurance. The exact figure depends on your pay point, tax code, pension tier, student loan and any London weighting.
Band 5 point | Gross | NHS Pension | Income tax | National Insurance | Net monthly |
Entry (£32,073) | £2,673 | −£222 (8.3%) | −£281 | −£130 | £2,040 |
Intermediate (£34,592) | £2,883 | −£239 (8.3%) | −£319 | −£147 | £2,177 |
Top (£39,043) | £3,254 | −£319 (9.8%) | −£377 | −£176 | £2,381 |
How Band 5 take-home pay is calculated:
The inputs are confirmed: employee National Insurance is 8% (GOV.UK National Insurance rates) and the personal allowance is £12,570 for 2026/27 (GOV.UK Income Tax rates), and the NHS Pension tiers sit at 8.3% and 9.8%. See our NHS pension contribution rates page for the full tier table.
Newly qualified nurses often open their first payslip expecting close to the £2,673 monthly gross, then find roughly £630 has gone to pension, tax and National Insurance before the money lands.
Common mistakes when estimating Band 5 take-home:
Unsocial hours add 30% to the hourly rate for nights and Saturdays and 60% for Sundays and bank holidays, paid on top of basic pay. NHS Employers sets AfC unsocial-hours enhancements from 30% to 60% for evening, night, weekend and bank-holiday work.
Shift type | Enhancement | Entry hourly | Top hourly |
Standard | base | £16.40 | £19.97 |
Night / Saturday | +30% | £21.32 | £25.96 |
Sunday / Bank holiday | +60% | £26.24 | £31.95 |
Overtime | ×1.5 | £24.60 | £29.96 |
Worked example: a Band 5 entry nurse works 30 extra unsocial hours a month at the +30% rate. They earn £21.32 an hour instead of the standard £16.40. The enhancement adds about £178 a month gross, or roughly £130 a month net after tax and National Insurance. Nurses who pick up two weekend shifts a week routinely see their monthly pay sit well above the basic point. Every Sunday hour pays 60% more than the standard rate.
It takes a minimum of four years to reach the top of Band 5: two years from entry to the intermediate point, then two more years to the top. NHS Employers lists the two-year and two-year progression steps. Each step needs a satisfactory annual appraisal, and progression is time-based rather than merit-based, so there is no faster route for strong performance. Once you reach the top, pay only rises through the annual national award or by moving to Band 6.
Band 5 pay rises in and around London through the High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS). NHS Employers publishes the HCAS rates and caps. The supplement adds 20% in Inner London, 15% in Outer London, and 5% in the Fringe, each capped at a minimum and maximum.
HCAS zone | Uplift | Minimum | Maximum | Band 5 entry incl. HCAS |
Inner London | 20% | £5,794 | £8,746 | £38,488 |
Outer London | 15% | £4,870 | £6,137 | £36,943 |
Fringe | 5% | £1,346 | £2,270 | £33,677 |
Because HCAS is pensionable, a London Band 5 salary can push you into the higher 9.8% pension tier even at entry.
Outside England the picture differs. Scotland runs a separate multi-year deal with a 36-hour standard week and Scottish income tax bands. NHS Scotland's 36-hour week and different tax bands change Band 5 pay. Both the salary and the take-home diverge from England as a result. For exact figures outside England, use our Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland calculators.
The NHS Pension Scheme (2015 CARE) and a student loan both cut take-home, but by very different amounts. The pension is the larger deduction: 8.3% at entry and intermediate, rising to 9.8% at the top of the band. The 2026/27 pension tiers place Band 5 entry and intermediate in the 8.3% band and the top point in the 9.8% band.
Band 5 point | Salary | Pension tier | Monthly contribution |
Entry | £32,073 | 8.3% | £222 |
Intermediate | £34,592 | 8.3% | £239 |
Top | £39,043 | 9.8% | £319 |
The jump to 9.8% happens because the top salary of £39,043 crosses the £35,156 pension-tier threshold. The higher rate then applies to your whole salary, not just the amount above the line. That is why net pay rises more slowly at the top. On the employer side, the trust pays 23.7% into the scheme. NHS BSA confirms employers actually pay 14.38% directly, with the rest centrally funded. Part-time staff pay a rate based on their actual annual pensionable pay, not the full-time headline salary. For example, a Band 5 entry nurse on 30 hours (about £25,658 a year) falls in the 6.5% tier (£13,260 to £28,854) rather than 8.3%, so the pension deduction falls by more than the hours alone suggest.
A Plan 2 student loan is the smaller deduction. You repay 9% of pay above the £29,385 threshold, so at entry the loan removes only about £20 a month, rising to about £72 at the top. The Plan 2 threshold rises to £29,385 for 2026/27.
Salary sacrifice can also change your net figure. It swaps part of your pay for benefits such as extra pension before tax and National Insurance are applied. Model it with our salary sacrifice calculator.
The 3.3% award is worth about £1,025 a year at entry and £1,247 at the top of the band. NHS Employers confirms the 3.3% award for 2026/27, paid from April 2026.
Band 5 point | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Annual increase | Monthly increase |
Entry | £31,049 | £32,073 | +£1,024 | +£85 |
Intermediate | £33,487 | £34,592 | +£1,105 | +£92 |
Top | £37,796 | £39,043 | +£1,247 | +£104 |
The 2025/26 figures — £31,049 at entry, £33,487 intermediate, £37,796 top — come from the previous Agenda for Change pay scales published by NHS Employers.
The Agenda for Change award for 2027/28 is not yet confirmed as of the last review. Until a final award is published, treat the 2026/27 Band 5 figures on this page as the current confirmed baseline rather than next year's salary. For the live pay-round status, read our NHS nurse pay 2027/28 guide. To model illustrative scenarios once a percentage is discussed, use the NHS pay rise 2027/28 calculator.
Band 5 pay breaks down to £16.40 an hour at entry and £19.97 at the top, based on the 37.5-hour week. Monthly gross runs from £2,672.75 to £3,253.58, and net monthly from £2,040 to £2,381.
Band 5 point | Hourly | Weekly gross | Weekly net | Monthly gross | Monthly net |
Entry | £16.40 | £616.79 | £470.82 | £2,672.75 | £2,040.21 |
Intermediate | £17.69 | £665.23 | £502.48 | £2,882.67 | £2,177.41 |
Top | £19.97 | £750.83 | £549.41 | £3,253.58 | £2,380.80 |
For part-time staff, gross and net scale with your hours: multiply by your hours divided by 37.5. A Band 5 entry nurse on 30 hours a week earns about £25,658 gross and takes home around £1,690 a month .
A Plan 2 loan adds about £20 a month at entry and £72 at the top, because you repay 9% of pay above the £29,385 threshold. Net pay falls from about £2,040 to £2,020 at entry and from £2,381 to £2,309 at the top.
The top salary of £39,043 crosses the £35,156 pension-tier threshold, lifting your pension rate from 8.3% to 9.8% on your whole salary. That extra deduction slows the net rise, so take-home grows less than the gross jump suggests.
Unsocial hours add 30% for nights and Saturdays and 60% for Sundays and bank holidays. Thirty extra unsocial hours a month at entry adds roughly £130 to net pay, on top of the basic £2,040.
The Band 5 hourly rate is £16.40 at entry, £17.69 at intermediate, and £19.97 at the top of the band, based on the standard 37.5-hour week. Enhanced shift rates push these figures higher.
It takes a minimum of four years to reach the top of Band 5. You move from entry to the intermediate point after two years, then to the top after two more years, with each step gated by a satisfactory annual appraisal.
No. Scotland runs a separate deal, a 36-hour week, and Scottish income tax. Wales and Northern Ireland run separate awards. Use our Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland calculators for exact figures.