NHS pay and take-home calculator

Estimate your NHS Agenda for Change take-home pay, including tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.

Information:

Everything is calculated on your device - nothing you enter is sent anywhere. See how figures are sourced and their known limitations in the data sources and limitations section below.

Full time is 37.5 hours. Enter a lower number for part time.
Most NHS staff are in the 2015 Scheme. Choose NEST if you're on a bank/agency contract enrolled in a standard auto-enrolment pension instead.
Leave blank to use the standard code for your nation. Accepts codes like 1257L, S1257L, C1257L, BR, D0, D1, NT, or a K-code such as K475 - with an optional W1/M1 suffix.
The plan type depends on when and where you studied - these are mutually exclusive.
Repaid on top of a student loan plan, if you have one.
Cycle to Work, an NHS car scheme, or similar. Leave as 0 if this doesn't apply to you. Your NHS Pension is still calculated on your reduced (post-sacrifice) salary - see "Known simplifications" below for the Scotland exception.

Employer costs (for information)

These amounts are paid by your employer on top of your gross pay - they don't affect your take-home pay, but show the full cost of employing you.

Data sources and limitations

Pay scales, tax bands, National Insurance rates and NHS Pension Scheme tiers are taken directly from primary sources below.

Full source list
Figures Source
AfC pay scales, England (2025/26 & 2026/27) NHS Employers pay scale posters: 2025/26, 2026/27
AfC pay scales, Scotland (2025/26 & 2026/27) Scottish Government NHS Circular PCS(AFC)2025/5
AfC pay scales, Wales (2025/26 & 2026/27) Welsh Government pay letters AfC(W) 02/2025, AfC(W) 02/2026
AfC pay scales, Northern Ireland Not verified: no NI-specific pay circular could be found - approximated using England's figures. Treat with the least confidence of the four nations.
High Cost Area Supplement (England only) NHS Employers Pay Advisory Notice 02/2024, Annex 9 (2025/26 figures; 2026/27 derived by applying the confirmed 3.3% pay award)
NHS Pension Scheme 2015 employee contribution tiers UK Statutory Instrument 2025 No. 821 (fixed for 2025/26 to 2027/28)
Income tax, England, Wales & Northern Ireland gov.uk, Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances
Income tax, Scotland gov.scot, Scottish Income Tax technical factsheet
National Insurance rates and thresholds gov.uk, National Insurance rates and categories
Student loan repayment thresholds (Plans 1, 2, 4, 5 & Postgraduate) gov.uk, Student loans: a guide to terms and conditions - 2025/26, 2026/27
NEST / auto-enrolment qualifying earnings thresholds & rates The Pensions Regulator, automatic enrolment earnings thresholds

A small number of figures (the NHS Pension employer contribution rate, Welsh tax bands mirroring rUK, and the 2026/27 HCAS table) are corroborated from secondary sources rather than read directly from a primary document. The full technical citation ledger - every figure, its exact source, retrieval date, and known limitations - is published at /DATA_SOURCES.md.

Important: Known simplifications

Scotland's CPI-linked pay top-up isn't modelled, so Scottish figures may be a slight underestimate. Northern Ireland's pay scale is approximated from England's. W1/M1 non-cumulative tax codes are treated the same as cumulative codes in this whole-year estimate. Salary sacrifice is modelled as reducing your NHS Pension Scheme pensionable pay (the England/Wales rule) - Scotland protects pensionable pay from cycle-to-work and childcare sacrifice specifically, which isn't modelled here. For NEST, only the automatic 1% basic-rate tax relief top-up is shown - a higher or additional-rate taxpayer could claim further relief via Self Assessment, which isn't included. Always check your payslip or ask your payroll team for exact figures.

Frequently asked questions

Is this an official NHS calculator?

No. pay-nhs.uk is an independent, unofficial tool. It isn't affiliated with, endorsed by, or run by the NHS, HSC Northern Ireland, or the Department of Health and Social Care. Figures are estimates - always check your payslip or ask your employer's payroll team for exact amounts.

How is NHS take-home pay calculated?

Your take-home pay is your Agenda for Change salary minus Income Tax, National Insurance, and NHS Pension (or NEST) contributions, plus or minus any student loan repayments and salary sacrifice. This calculator applies the current tax bands, NI thresholds, and pension contribution tiers for your nation and tax year to estimate each deduction.

What NHS Pension contribution rate will I pay?

Most NHS staff are in the 2015 Scheme, which uses tiered contribution rates based on your actual pensionable pay - the more you earn, the higher the percentage you contribute. Bank and agency staff enrolled in a standard workplace pension instead of the NHS Pension Scheme should select NEST, which uses flat auto-enrolment rates instead.

Does this include the High Cost Area Supplement (London weighting)?

Yes, for England. If you select England as your nation, you can choose your High Cost Area Supplement zone (Inner London, Outer London, or Fringe) and the calculator adds the correct weighting on top of your base salary. HCAS doesn't apply in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

Is my data sent anywhere when I use this calculator?

No. Everything is calculated entirely on your device, in your browser - nothing you enter (salary, tax code, pay band) is sent to a server or stored anywhere.

How do I contact you?

You can reach us by emailing [email protected].