Updated 29 June 2026
NHS Band 6 Pay
Band 6 is where senior and specialist roles sit: specialist nurses, ward sisters and charge nurses, experienced midwives and allied health professionals, paramedics, biomedical scientists, and team leaders across the professions.
Gross · 2026/27
£39,959–£48,117
Take-home / yr
≈ £29,157–£34,392
across 3 pay points
What Band 6 pays
Band 6 has 3 pay points. You start at entry (£39,959), move to the mid point after two years, and reach the top of the band (£48,117) after five years, subject to meeting the national pay progression standards.
Experienced and specialist midwives typically sit at Band 6, so the £39,959 to £48,117 range is the going rate for a Band 6 midwife on the Agenda for Change scale. A newly qualified midwife usually starts at Band 5 and moves up to Band 6 with experience or a specialist post, then follows the same pay points as any other Band 6 role.
If you’re promoted from Band 5 to Band 6, your pay moves to the minimum of Band 6. Since adjacent bands don’t overlap, this always gives a pay rise. See pay on promotion for the full rule. Time served at Band 5 doesn’t count toward your Band 6 progression. Your clock resets when you move bands.
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.
In Band 6, your pay moves closer to the higher-rate tax threshold (£50,270) as you progress: from £10,311 below it at entry to £2,153 below at the top of the band, where bank shifts, unsocial hours enhancements, or any other additional income can tip you across, with the part above £50,270 taxed at 40%. (Only the part above. See the FAQ below for what this actually means in practice.)
Salary sacrifice arrangements (additional pension purchase, EV lease schemes, cycle to work) reduce your taxable salary, which keeps more of your earnings on the basic-rate side of the line. They also reduce your pensionable pay, which can affect future accrual. Try the Casomo Calculator to model the impact on your take-home and your pension. For a step-by-step walkthrough of how pension, tax, and NI combine, see How UK Take-Home Pay Is Calculated.
NHS Band 6 salary by pay point (2026/27)
| Pay point | Gross salary | Pension | Monthly take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | £39,959 | 9.8% | £2,430 |
| Year 2 | £42,170 | 9.8% | £2,548 |
| Year 5+ | £48,117 | 9.8% | £2,866 |
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 6 pension entitlements
You’re in contribution tier 4 of the NHS Pension Scheme, which means 9.8% of your gross pay goes to your pension. At Band 6 entry that’s £3,916 a year (£326/month); at the top it’s £4,715 (£393/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 6 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.
NHS maternity pay depends on your length of service. With 12 months of continuous NHS service, the occupational scheme pays 8 weeks at full pay, 18 weeks at half pay plus Statutory Maternity Pay, then 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay. Your Band 6 pay point sets the full-pay amount. The BMA maternity leave pay entitlements guide has the full breakdown.
Only the part of your earnings above the higher-rate threshold is taxed at the higher rate, not all of your earnings. This is a common misunderstanding. At Band 6 entry your earnings sit below the threshold, so additional shifts are taxed at the basic rate. Near the top of the band, extra income could push you over, but only the portion above the threshold is affected.
Your pension contribution comes off before tax, which gives you more headroom than the gross figure suggests. HCAS, unsocial hours, and bank shifts all count toward the threshold too. Everyone’s situation is different. Use our take-home and pension calculator to see exactly what an extra shift adds to your monthly pay.