Take Home Pay
Take Home Pay
This NHS overtime calculator estimates extra earnings from Agenda for Change overtime or additional plain-time hours for 2026/27. Enter hourly rate or band point, overtime hours, enhancement rules that apply locally, and tax and pension treatment to see gross overtime and approximate net after Income Tax and National Insurance. Use it before picking up extra shifts or checking a payslip overtime line. Outputs separate overtime gross from basic pay so additional hours sit clearly within AfC rules and your overall take-home for the month.
Est. net overtime uplift
£0
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.
Sixty free tools covering Agenda for Change pay, the NHS Pension Scheme, tax, leave, absence and leaving the NHS — updated for 2026/27. Start from a pillar hub, then drill into the cluster that matches your question.
This NHS overtime calculator shows your additional take-home pay from overtime shifts and unsocial hours enhancements under the Agenda for Change (AfC) framework. Select your pay band, enter your overtime hours by shift type, and the calculator returns your gross extra earnings and net pay after income tax, National Insurance, and NHS Pension deductions. 1All figures use the confirmed 2026/27 AfC pay scales with the 3.3% uplift effective from 1 April 2026.
24 Under Agenda for Change (Annex 5), NHS staff in Bands 1–7 receive overtime payments for hours worked above 37.5 per week. The standard full-time working week is 37.5 hours in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 28 From 1 April 2026, the NHS Scotland full-time week reduces from 37 hours to 36 hours. 28 This means Scottish AfC staff begin earning overtime at 36 hours, not 37.5 hours. 24 Bands 8–9 are not eligible for overtime. 24 Staff in Bands 8a–9 are not eligible for overtime payments. Any additional hours worked are managed through time off in lieu (TOIL) at management discretion.
29 Overtime refers to any hours worked in excess of the standard 37.5-hour work week. Overtime is generally paid at a flat time-and-a-half rate, 1.5×, regardless of when the hours are worked, with the exception of Bank Holidays, which are typically paid at double-time, 2×.
The Agenda for Change handbook (Section 3) sets these overtime pay rates for Bands 1–7:
Shift Type | Overtime Rate | Multiplier |
Weekday (Mon–Fri) | Time and a half | ×1.5 |
Saturday | Time and a half | ×1.5 |
Sunday | Time and a half | ×1.5 |
Bank Holiday | Double time + TOIL | ×2.0 + day off |
24 Overtime worked on a general public holiday is paid at double time (×2.0). In addition, staff are entitled to a day off in lieu (TOIL).
Worked example: 2NHS hourly rates in 2026/27 range from £12.91 per hour at Band 2 to £66.30 per hour at the top of Band 9 in England. A Band 5 nurse at entry point earns £32,073 per year, which equals £16.45 per hour. Working 4 hours of weekday overtime pays £16.45 × 1.5 = £24.68 per hour, totalling £98.70 gross. After tax, NI, and pension deductions, take-home is approximately £65–£72 depending on your tax code and pension tier.
These two payment types follow separate rules in the AfC handbook, yet NHS staff consistently confuse them.
Overtime applies only when you exceed 37.5 weekly hours (36 in Scotland from April 2026). It is paid at the multipliers above. Only Bands 1–7 are eligible.
26 Unsocial hours enhancements apply to rostered hours within your contract. They are separate from overtime payments. If you work overtime during unsocial hours, you receive the overtime rate (×1.5 or ×2.0) — not the unsocial hours enhancement on top of overtime.
25 The Agenda for Change handbook sets different unsocial hours rates depending on your pay band. Lower bands receive higher percentage enhancements to help compensate for lower base salaries.
Pay Band | Nights & Saturdays (8pm–6am weekdays / all Saturday) | Sundays & Bank Holidays |
Band 2 | +41% | +83% |
Band 3 | +35% | +69% |
Bands 4–9 | +30% | +60% |
26 Under Agenda for Change (Section 2), NHS staff receive percentage enhancements on top of basic pay for hours worked during unsocial times — weekday nights (8pm–6am), Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays. 26 Each hour receives only one enhancement rate — either the nights/Saturday rate or the Sunday/bank holiday rate. Rates do not stack.
24 Part-time extra hours are paid at plain time up to 37.5. Hours worked above 37.5/week attract the overtime multiplier. This means a part-time Band 2 healthcare assistant on a 22.5-hour contract must work beyond 37.5 total weekly hours before any hour attracts the ×1.5 or ×2.0 rate. The hours between 22.5 and 37.5 are paid at basic rate only. 27 Under the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, overtime applies only when you work beyond standard weekly hours. Whether you're a part-time Band 5 staff nurse working 22.5 hours or a Band 3 clinical support worker on 30 hours, overtime rates only begin after exceeding the full-time equivalent threshold — not your contracted hours.
However, unsocial hours enhancements still apply to every eligible hour regardless of contract type. If those extra hours fall on a Saturday night, you still receive the percentage enhancement — you simply do not receive the overtime multiplier until you cross the 37.5-hour threshold.
29 Under the AfC national agreement, the night enhancement applies to any hours worked between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM. 29 If your shift begins at 7:00 PM and ends at 7:30 AM, you do not receive the enhancement for the entire shift. You receive your basic hourly rate for the first hour (7:00 PM to 8:00 PM), the enhanced night rate for the middle ten hours (8:00 PM to 6:00 AM), and the basic rate again for the final ninety minutes (6:00 AM to 7:30 AM). 27 Half-shift rule: When more than half of a weekday shift (not a public holiday) falls within unsocial hours, the entire shift qualifies for enhancement.
A Band 2 healthcare assistant working a standard 12-hour night shift (7pm–7am) receives the +41% enhancement on basic rate for the eligible unsocial hours of that shift. If this shift also occurs beyond the 37.5-hour weekly threshold, the ×1.5 overtime multiplier applies instead.
Saturday overtime is paid at ×1.5 (time and a half) for hours beyond 37.5 in the week. Saturday unsocial hours enhancement within contract is +30% for Bands 4–9 and +41% for Band 2.
30 On a Saturday or Sunday it's simpler — the entire 24 hours attracts the enhancement (30% on Saturday, 60% on Sunday). 25 Double time (×2.0) applies to Sunday overtime and bank holiday overtime. For a Band 5 entry-point nurse (£32,073/yr), the hourly rate is £16.45 — so double time is £32.90/hr.
Sunday shifts remain the highest-value shifts available to frontline NHS staff when combining enhancement percentages with the overtime multiplier.
Overtime is taxed as regular income through PAYE. 1516The personal allowance and higher rate threshold remain frozen. The next £37,700 of income (up to the higher rate threshold, set at £50,270) is charged tax at the basic rate, set at 20%. Income above the higher rate threshold, up to the additional rate threshold (£125,140), is taxed at the 40% rate. If your basic salary sits near the £50,270 threshold, regular overtime will push a portion of your earnings into the 40% bracket.
10 As of 1 April 2026, the contribution rates are as follows: 5.2% for earnings up to £13,259; 6.5% for £13,260 to £28,854; 8.3% for £28,855 to £35,155; 9.8% for £35,156 to £52,778; 10.7% for £52,779 to £67,668; and 12.5% for earnings of £67,669 and above. 24 Unsocial hours enhancements count as pensionable pay and contribute to your NHS pension. However, overtime payments (hours above 37.5/week) are not pensionable for full-time staff. Part-time additional hours up to 37.5 are pensionable. 9 Unlike income tax (which is marginal), NHS pension contributions apply to your ENTIRE salary based on which tier you fall into. This creates "cliff edges" at tier boundaries.
31 In a landmark judgement, the Court of Appeal ruled that voluntary overtime does need to be taken into account when calculating holiday pay if it is 'sufficiently regular and settled'.
This ruling comes from the case East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust v Flowers & Ors [2019] EWCA Civ 947. 37Following the Flowers litigation, it has been accepted that NHS employers in England should include regularly worked overtime and additional standard hours in the calculation of pay when staff are on annual leave. Corrective payments will be made in respect of the financial years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 and will be based on overtime earned in those years.
If your payslip shows lower pay during annual leave than during working weeks and you regularly work overtime, you may have a valid back-claim. Raise this with your Trust's HR department.
24 Staff in Bands 8a–9 are not eligible for overtime payments. Any additional hours worked are managed through time off in lieu (TOIL) at management discretion. 24 They do still receive unsocial hours enhancements at +30%/+60%.
For Bands 1–7, TOIL can be taken instead of paid overtime if agreed with your manager before the shift. Under AfC terms, TOIL is granted hour-for-hour at plain time for weekday overtime, and at the enhanced value for bank holidays. TOIL cannot be imposed retrospectively by your employer.
It depends on your band and pay point. 5With the 3.3% NHS pay award, Band 2 staff will earn £12.92 per hour. At ×1.5 overtime, that becomes £19.38 per hour gross. At ×2.0 (bank holidays), it becomes £25.84 per hour gross. Use the calculator above with your exact band for a precise figure.
Only after exceeding 37.5 hours in a week (36 in Scotland from April 2026). 24Part-time extra hours are paid at plain time up to 37.5. Hours worked above 37.5/week attract the enhanced overtime rate.
24 Overtime payments (hours above 37.5/week) are not pensionable for full-time staff. Part-time additional hours up to 37.5 are pensionable. 24 Unsocial hours enhancements count as pensionable pay and contribute to your NHS pension.
It refers to the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust v Flowers ruling. 32The Court of Appeal ruled that voluntary overtime does need to be taken into account when calculating holiday pay if it is 'sufficiently regular and settled'. If your Trust has not updated your holiday pay to reflect average overtime earnings, you may be owed back pay.
24 Staff in Bands 8a–9 are not eligible for overtime payments. Any additional hours worked are managed through time off in lieu (TOIL) at management discretion. They do still receive unsocial hours enhancements at +30%/+60%.
24 Sunday overtime hours are paid at time-and-a-half (×1.5). If you are working within your contracted hours on a Sunday, you receive the unsocial hours enhancement instead: +60% for Bands 4–9, +83% for Band 2.
Through PAYE, at your marginal rate. 16The next £37,700 of income (up to the higher rate threshold, set at £50,270) is charged tax at the basic rate, set at 20%. 16Income above the higher rate threshold, up to the additional rate threshold (£125,140), is taxed at the 40% rate. If overtime pushes your monthly earnings above £4,189 (the higher-rate monthly threshold), the excess is taxed at 40%.
Overtime is extra hours worked in your substantive (permanent) post. 27Bank staff on AfC terms receive the same enhancements. Agency staff rates depend on their contract — often higher headline rates but without NHS Pension. 13Overtime payments, travel expenses, and most bank shifts are non-pensionable, though some permanent staff can pension their bank shifts under specific trust rules.
Yes. 28From 1 April 2026, the NHS Scotland full-time week reduces from 37 hours to 36 hours. This has two significant effects on overtime and unsocial hours. Overtime threshold is lower: Scottish AfC staff begin earning overtime at 36 hours, not 37.5 hours. 3Scotland received 3.75% under a separate deal.
Data sources: NHS Employers 2026/27 Pay Scales | NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook (Section 2, Annex 5; Section 3) | NHSBSA Pension Contribution Tiers 2026/27 | House of Commons Library: Direct Taxes 2026/27 | East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust v Flowers [2019] EWCA Civ 947. This calculator provides estimates. Always verify against your official payslip and your Trust's local AfC agreement.