NHS Pay Calculator (Agenda for Change)
Estimate take-home pay for NHS Agenda for Change staff in England. Choose your band, pay point, hours, London HCAS, NHS pension, student loan and deductions to see monthly and annual pay before and after tax.
Calculate NHS AfC take-home pay
Current default uses 2026/27 England AfC rates. Switch to 2025/26 if you are checking an earlier payslip.
Choose the point shown on your ESR or payslip.
Full-time AfC is normally 37.5 hours.
Use for regular unsocial-hours or contractual enhancements.
Unrecognised code - using 1257L estimate.
Union, parking, lottery, local deductions and similar.
Use for taxable bank, overtime or local payments that are not pensionable.
Contracted uses basic pay, HCAS and pensionable enhancements. Use custom if your payslip or ESR pensionable pay is different.
Only used when custom pensionable pay is selected.
Student loans
If more than one undergraduate plan is selected, the calculator uses the lowest selected threshold once. A Postgraduate Loan can run alongside one undergraduate plan.
Current AfC award
3.3%
England AfC uplift from 1 April 2026.
Full-time hours
37.5
Standard weekly hours for full-time AfC pay.
NHS pension
5.2%-12.5%
Member tier depends on pensionable pay.
What this NHS calculator is built for
NHS payslips are not like a simple office salary. The basic AfC band is only the starting point. Your actual monthly pay may include high cost area supplement, unsocial-hours enhancements, arrears, salary sacrifice, NHS pension, student loans, union fees and local deductions. A Band 5 nurse in London and a Band 5 nurse outside London can therefore have the same basic pay point but a very different payslip.
This calculator keeps the journey practical: choose your band, choose the pay point that appears on ESR or your contract, then add the NHS-specific items that change take-home pay. It does not ask for every possible line from a payslip because that would make it miserable to use, but it includes the lines that usually move the answer materially.
If you are not on Agenda for Change, use the NHS Medical Pay Calculator for doctors and dentists, or the Take-Home Pay Calculator for ordinary PAYE salary checks.
| NHS pay line | How it is treated |
|---|---|
| Basic AfC pay | Pro-rated by contracted hours |
| HCAS | Min/max supplement, then pro-rated |
| Enhancements | Split between pensionable and non-pensionable additions |
| NHS pension | Net pay arrangement for Income Tax |
| Student loan | Annual estimate using official thresholds |
How this NHS pay calculator works
Inputs used
- Tax/pay year, AfC band, pay point and contracted weekly hours.
- London HCAS area: none, fringe, outer London or inner London.
- Annual pensionable enhancements, non-pensionable taxable additions, monthly salary sacrifice, monthly post-tax deductions and tax code.
- NHS pension inclusion, Scotland income tax option and student loan plan selection.
Calculation method
- Look up the full-time England AfC basic salary for the selected year, band and pay point.
- Pro-rate the basic salary by contracted hours divided by 37.5.
- Calculate HCAS from the full-time basic salary using the official percentage, minimum and maximum, then pro-rate it by working time equivalent.
- Add pensionable and non-pensionable taxable additions, then reduce relevant gross pay by salary sacrifice where entered.
- Apply NHS pension member contributions to the selected pensionable-pay basis as a net pay arrangement, then calculate Income Tax, employee National Insurance and student loan repayments.
- Show annual, monthly and weekly gross pay, deductions and take-home pay.
Assumptions
- Agenda for Change pay points are England rates from NHS Employers. The calculator is not a Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland AfC pay-scale checker.
- Pensionable enhancements and non-pensionable additions are separated so bank, overtime, local or non-contractual payments can be treated more carefully.
- NHS pension uses the member contribution tier based on the selected pensionable-pay basis and assumes the normal net pay arrangement.
- Student loan is estimated annually. Real PAYE deductions are usually calculated per pay period and can differ in a month with arrears or back pay.
What this does not cover
- It does not cover doctors, dentists or medical nodal pay. Use the NHS Medical Pay Calculator for that.
- It does not calculate local recruitment and retention premia, all bank shifts, exact rostered unsocial hours, maternity/sick pay, arrears, emergency tax or ESR payroll corrections.
- It does not replace payroll advice from your NHS trust, lead employer, NHSBSA, HMRC or your pension administrator.
England AfC pay points for 2026/27
| Band | Entry | Middle | Top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | £25,272 | - | - |
| Band 2 | £25,272 | £25,272 | - |
| Band 3 | £25,760 | £27,476 | - |
| Band 4 | £28,392 | £31,157 | - |
| Band 5 | £32,073 | £34,592 | £39,043 |
| Band 6 | £39,959 | £42,170 | £48,117 |
| Band 7 | £49,387 | £51,932 | £56,515 |
| Band 8a | £57,528 | £60,417 | £64,750 |
| Band 8b | £66,582 | £70,896 | £77,368 |
| Band 8c | £79,504 | £84,346 | £91,609 |
| Band 8d | £94,356 | £100,140 | £108,814 |
| Band 9 | £112,782 | £119,583 | £129,783 |
HCAS and part-time pay
High Cost Area Supplement is based on where you work, not where you live. Inner London uses 20% of basic salary subject to a minimum and maximum, outer London uses 15%, and fringe uses 5%. The calculator applies the official full-time minimum and maximum first, then pro-rates the supplement by your hours.
That order matters. A part-time Band 2 worker in inner London does not simply get 20% of pro-rated pay; the full-time minimum HCAS can still be the starting point before pro-rating. This is one of the NHS-specific details that generic salary calculators usually miss.
For 2026/27 the full-time HCAS ranges used are: inner London £5,794 to £8,746, outer London £4,870 to £6,137, and fringe £1,346 to £2,270.
Worked examples
Band 5 starter, no HCAS
A 2026/27 Band 5 entry salary is £32,073 full time. The calculator then deducts NHS pension, PAYE tax and NI.
Band 6 in outer London
Outer London HCAS is calculated from the full-time basic salary using 15%, with the official min/max limits applied.
Part-time AfC role
At 30 hours, working time equivalent is 80%. Basic pay and HCAS are pro-rated before tax and pension estimates.
Common NHS payslip traps
Back pay and arrears
AfC awards or progression can be paid later than the effective date. A single arrears month can make tax, NI and student loan deductions look odd.
Emergency tax after a move
Changing trust, bank contract or role can trigger temporary tax-code issues. Check the code on your payslip before blaming the band calculation.
Salary sacrifice
Lease cars and other salary sacrifice schemes can reduce taxable and NI pay, but may also reduce pensionable pay. Scheme rules matter.
Bank work and overtime
Bank shifts, overtime and extra duties may not be pensionable in the same way as your contracted AfC pay. Use the non-pensionable additions field where a payment is taxable but should not increase the NHS pension tier.
NHS pay calculator FAQs
Does this NHS pay calculator cover doctors and dentists?
Why might my NHS payslip differ from this estimate?
Is NHS pension deducted before tax?
Are unsocial hours and HCAS pensionable?
How are multiple student loans handled?
Official sources
Last verified: May 12 2026. Calculations are estimates based on the published rules and assumptions shown on this page.
- NHS Employers Agenda for Change pay scales 2026/27 - England AfC pay points and high cost area supplement figures from 1 April 2026
- NHS Employers Agenda for Change pay scales 2025/26 - England AfC pay points and HCAS figures for 2025/26
- NHSBSA NHS Pension contribution rates 2025/26 - member contribution tiers used for 2025/26 and 2026/27 estimates
- HMRC rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 - PAYE and employee National Insurance thresholds
- GOV.UK student loan repayments - Plan 1, 2, 4, 5 and Postgraduate Loan thresholds and repayment rates
- Scottish Government income tax rates and bands - Scottish income tax option for NHS staff resident in Scotland