Updated 29 June 2026
NHS Band 5 Pay
Band 5 is the main entry band for newly qualified registered clinicians: staff nurses, midwives, operating department practitioners, physiotherapists, radiographers, and other degree-level professionals under Agenda for Change.
Gross · 2026/27
£32,073–£39,043
Take-home / yr
≈ £24,483–£28,570
across 3 pay points
What Band 5 pays
Band 5 has 3 pay points. You start at entry (£32,073), move to Year 2 after one year, and reach the top of the band (£39,043) after three years, subject to meeting the national pay progression standards.
If you’re promoted from Band 4 to Band 5, your pay moves to the minimum of Band 5. Since adjacent bands don’t overlap, this always gives a pay rise. See pay on promotion for the full rule. Band 5 is the usual starting band for newly qualified nurses and other registered professionals, while Band 4 is typically for support or associate roles at a different qualification level.
For 2026/27, the headline pay award was 3.3%, but how it lands on your payslip depends on where you work. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland negotiate separately and the awards differ. Rates are published by the NHS Employers website.
Your base salary is taxed at the basic rate (20%) throughout Band 5. The higher-rate threshold (£50,270) sits above the Band 5 range, so overtime or bank shifts can push your total taxable income toward the threshold if you’re at the top of the band and doing regular extra hours. Salary sacrifice arrangements (cycle to work, EV lease schemes) reduce both your income tax and National Insurance, though they also reduce your pensionable pay. Try the Casomo Calculator to model the impact. For a step-by-step walkthrough of how pension, tax, and NI combine, see How UK Take-Home Pay Is Calculated.
NHS Band 5 salary by pay point (2026/27)
| Pay point | Gross salary | Pension | Monthly take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | £32,073 | 8.3% | £2,040 |
| Year 2 | £34,592 | 8.3% | £2,177 |
| Year 4+ | £39,043 | 9.8% | £2,381 |
Gross from the latest 2026/27 Agenda for Change pay scales (England), published by NHS Employers. Take-home assumes the standard tax code, no student loan or salary sacrifice.
Your Band 5 pension entitlements
You’re in contribution tier 4 of the NHS Pension Scheme, which means 8.3% of your gross pay goes to your pension. At Band 5 entry that’s £2,662 a year (£222/month); at the top it’s £3,826 (£319/month). The contribution comes off before income tax, so the real cost is less than the headline rate. And your employer adds 23.7% on top. The NHS Pension Scheme guide covers the wider mechanics (accrual rates, when you can take it, how the 1995/2008/2015 schemes interact).
Frequently Asked Questions
The 2026/27 pay award for AfC staff in England was 3.3%, applied to all pay points. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland negotiate separately and the awards differ. Scotland, in particular, tends to settle at a different number and on a different timeline. The full breakdown of who got what, when, is in the 2026/27 NHS pay rise article.
Not directly. The AfC pay points are the same nationally. What London-area staff get on top is High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS), paid as a percentage of basic salary with a minimum and maximum cash floor and ceiling. There are three HCAS zones: Inner London (20.0%, capped between £5,794–£8,746), Outer London (15.0%), and the Fringe (5.0%). HCAS is pensionable and is paid in addition to your Band 5 base salary. If you’re working at a Trust in one of these zones, your take-home will be higher than the figures in the table above. Use the calculator with HCAS selected for a personalised number.
These are two different routes to extra income and they’re paid differently.
Overtime is additional hours within your substantive role. Under AfC rules, staff in bands 1–7 are eligible for overtime once they work beyond full-time hours (37.5/week). It’s paid at time-and-a-half, with double time on public holidays. Part-time staff receive plain time for additional hours up to 37.5/week. Overtime rates only apply above that. Overtime is generally pensionable under the 2015 scheme, though the treatment of enhanced overtime for part-time staff can differ. Check NHS Pensions guidance for details.
Bank shifts are worked through your Trust’s staff bank, often in your own ward or a different department, and are usually paid at a flat hourly rate set by the Trust rather than AfC overtime rates. NHS Employers guidance is clear that hours worked on an NHS staff bank do not count as overtime under AfC. Pensionability depends on whether your bank employer is the same legal NHS employer as your substantive role and how the Trust has set it up. Check locally if you’re unsure.
The two can pay quite differently for the same shift, and which is available to you depends on your Trust’s policy and what your manager will sign off. Check your payslip after the first few extra shifts you work. That shows how your Trust is treating them.
NHS maternity pay depends on your length of service and pay point. The BMA maternity leave pay entitlements guide has a detailed breakdown of the NHS scheme.