About
About NHS Pay Bands
NHS Pay Bands is an independent reference site for NHS pay in England. We publish the Agenda for Change pay scales for every band and step, estimate take-home pay after deductions, and explain — in plain English — how the pay system works.
Who writes this site
The site is researched and maintained by the NHS Pay Bands Editorial Team — a small independent team that tracks NHS pay announcements, HMRC thresholds and NHS Pension rules so that the tables and guides here stay current. We are not affiliated with the NHS, and we publish under a team byline rather than individual names; what we ask you to trust is not a CV but a process: every figure is sourced, dated and independently re-checked, and we correct mistakes quickly and visibly.
Where the figures come from — and how we check them
Pay scales are taken from the national Agenda for Change pay scales for England published by NHS Employers. Tax and National Insurance parameters come from HMRC's published rates and thresholds. NHS Pension contribution tiers come from the NHS Pension Scheme member contribution tables. Student loan thresholds come from the Student Loans Company and GOV.UK.
Before anything is published, every salary, deduction and take-home figure on the site is recalculated by a second, fully independent implementation of the tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan rules, and the two sets of results are compared line by line. A release is blocked if even a single number disagrees. Estimates still exclude local variations such as unsocial hours enhancements and High Cost Area Supplements — your payslip is always the authoritative source.
Primary sources we work from (last reviewed 17 July 2026):
- NHS Employers — Pay scales for 2026/27
- NHS Employers — Pay scales for 2025/26
- NHS Employers — NHS Pension Scheme member contributions
- GOV.UK — Income Tax rates and Personal Allowance
- GOV.UK — National Insurance rates and categories
- GOV.UK — Repaying your student loan: how much you repay
- NHS Employers — NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook
Data update log
- 17 July 2026 — 2026/27 Agenda for Change scales (3.3% award), NHS Pension contribution tiers and 2026/27 student-loan thresholds verified against NHS Employers and GOV.UK; every published figure re-checked by an independent calculation.
Figures are reviewed whenever new scales or thresholds are announced — at minimum at every annual pay award — most recently for the 2026/27 award (3.3%, effective 1 April 2026). The tables on this site show England rates; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own Agenda for Change rates.
Editorial policy
We are not affiliated with the NHS, NHS Employers or the Department of Health and Social Care, and nothing here is financial advice. Advertising is clearly separated from content and never influences the figures or what we write. We do not publish sponsored content. For personal financial decisions, speak to a regulated adviser.
Contact
Spotted an out-of-date figure? Please get in touch — data corrections are our top priority and are published as soon as they are verified.