NHS Band 5 Salary and Take-Home Pay 2026/27
An NHS Band 5 employee in England earns between £32,073 and £39,043 a year in 2026/27, and takes home roughly £2,040 to £2,380 a month after income tax, National Insurance and the NHS pension. Band 5 is the entry grade for newly qualified nurses, midwives, paramedics and most allied health professionals. These are the confirmed 2026/27 Agenda for Change rates, which include the 3.3 percent pay award that took effect on 1 April 2026.
Figures verified against NHS Employers AfC pay scales on .
Written by James HartleyCIMA
Band 5 at a glance, England 2026/27:
- Starting salary: £32,073 a year
- Mid pay point: £34,592 a year (after 2 years)
- Top of band: £39,043 a year (after 4 years)
- Hourly rate: about £16.39 to £19.95 an hour
- Take-home pay: about £2,040 a month at entry, rising to about £2,380 at the top
- Pension tier: 8.3 percent at entry and mid, rising to 9.8 percent at the top point
- Pay points: 3
What is the Band 5 take-home pay each month?
A newly qualified Band 5 nurse on the £32,073 starting salary takes home about £2,040 a month in England, once income tax, National Insurance and the 8.3 percent pension contribution are deducted. At the mid pay point of £34,592 the take-home rises to about £2,180 a month. At the top of the band, £39,043, take-home is about £2,380 a month, although the pension rate rises to 9.8 percent at that point, which slightly slows the increase. These figures assume a standard tax code, no student loan and full-time hours. If you have a student loan, work part time, or receive London weighting, use the NHS pay calculator for an exact figure.
Band 5 pay points and progression
Band 5 has three pay points in 2026/27: £32,073 at entry, £34,592 after two years, and £39,043 after a further two years. You move up one point on your work anniversary, subject to a satisfactory appraisal, so it takes about four years to reach the top of the band. After that, your salary only increases through the annual national pay award, or by moving up to Band 6. There is no faster route through the points for strong performance, because Agenda for Change progression is time-based, not merit-based.
Why does my NHS pension jump at the top of Band 5?
Your pension contribution rises from 8.3 percent to 9.8 percent when you reach the top of Band 5, because the top salary of £39,043 crosses into a higher pension tier. The 2026/27 tiers charge 8.3 percent on pensionable pay between £28,855 and £35,155, and 9.8 percent between £35,156 and £52,778. The entry and mid points of Band 5 sit in the 8.3 percent tier, but the top point of £39,043 falls into the 9.8 percent tier, and the higher rate applies to your whole salary, not just the part above the threshold. This is why your monthly take-home rises less than you might expect when you reach the top of the band. The contribution is deducted before income tax, so you receive tax relief on it, and your employer adds a further 23.7 percent on top.
What is the Band 5 hourly rate?
The Band 5 hourly rate in 2026/27 is about £16.39 an hour at entry and about £19.95 an hour at the top of the band, based on the standard NHS full-time week of 37.5 hours. The hourly rate is worked out by dividing the annual salary by 1,957.5, which is 52.143 weeks multiplied by 37.5 hours. In Scotland the standard week is 36 hours, so the hourly rate is calculated on 1,872 annual hours and works out slightly higher for the same salary.
How much is Band 5 pay in London?
A Band 5 employee in inner London receives a High Cost Area Supplement of 20 percent of basic salary, which adds about £6,415 to the entry salary, taking it to roughly £38,488 before deductions. The supplement is capped at a minimum of £5,794 and a maximum of £8,746 in inner London. Outer London pays 15 percent and the London fringe pays 5 percent, with their own caps. London weighting is both pensionable and taxable, so it increases your pension contribution and your tax, and the calculator accounts for this when you select a London zone.
Who works at Band 5?
Band 5 is the entry grade for most qualified clinical professionals. Typical Band 5 roles include newly qualified nurses, midwives, paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers, biomedical scientists, dietitians, speech and language therapists and operating department practitioners. It is one of the largest bands in the NHS by headcount, because it is where the majority of registered professionals begin their careers after qualifying.
How do I move from Band 5 to Band 6, and how much more is it?
Moving from Band 5 to Band 6 means applying for a more senior post, because progression between bands is not automatic. The immediate pay increase can be small, since the top of Band 5 is £39,043 and the entry point of Band 6 is £39,959, a difference of just £916 a year. The real gain is the ceiling: the top of Band 6 is about £48,117, which is roughly £9,074 higher than the top of Band 5. Band 6 roles include specialist nurses, deputy ward managers, senior physiotherapists and team leaders, and they carry greater clinical or managerial responsibility. A useful detail is that all three Band 6 pay points sit in the same 9.8 percent pension tier, so unlike Band 5 there is no pension jump as you progress through the band.
Is Band 5 pay the same across the UK?
Band 5 pay is similar but not identical across the four nations in 2026/27. England and Northern Ireland use the same starting salary of £32,073, and Wales is very close at £32,557, all reflecting the 3.3 percent award. Scotland has a separate, slightly higher multi-year deal and a shorter 36-hour week, so both the salary and the hourly rate differ, and Scottish income tax bands change the take-home. Select your nation in the NHS pay calculator to see the exact figure for where you work.
Frequently asked questions
A Band 5 nurse on the £32,073 starting salary takes home about £2,040 a month in England after income tax, National Insurance and the 8.3 percent pension contribution. This rises to about £2,180 a month at the mid pay point and about £2,380 a month at the top of the band, assuming a standard tax code, full-time hours and no student loan.
The starting salary for a Band 5 nurse in England is £32,073 a year in 2026/27. This is the entry pay point and includes the 3.3 percent pay award applied on 1 April 2026. Wales pays £32,557 at entry, Northern Ireland matches England at £32,073, and Scotland is higher under its separate deal.
Your pension contribution rises from 8.3 percent to 9.8 percent at the top of Band 5 because the £39,043 top salary crosses into a higher pension tier. The higher rate then applies to your entire salary, not just the amount above the threshold, which is why your take-home pay rises more slowly than the salary increase alone would suggest.
It takes about four years to reach the top of Band 5. You start on £32,073, move to £34,592 after two years, and reach £39,043 after a further two years, with each step subject to a satisfactory annual appraisal.
The Band 5 hourly rate is about £16.39 an hour at entry and about £19.95 an hour at the top of the band in 2026/27, based on a 37.5 hour week. The rate is calculated by dividing the annual salary by 1,957.5 hours.
A Band 5 employee in inner London earns about £38,488 at entry once the 20 percent High Cost Area Supplement is added, capped between £5,794 and £8,746. Outer London adds 15 percent and the fringe adds 5 percent. The supplement is taxable and pensionable.
On the £32,073 Band 5 starting salary, you pay about £3,368 in income tax, about £1,560 in National Insurance and about £2,662 in pension contributions a year, leaving take-home pay of about £24,483 a year, or £2,040 a month. The pension is deducted before tax, so it reduces your taxable income.
Band 5 is the entry grade for newly qualified nurses, midwives, paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers, biomedical scientists, dietitians, speech and language therapists and operating department practitioners. It is where most registered NHS professionals begin their careers.
Staying at Band 5 gives you a salary of up to £39,043, while moving to Band 6 raises your ceiling to about £48,117. The immediate jump from the top of Band 5 to the bottom of Band 6 is only about £916 a year, so the benefit of Band 6 is the higher long-term ceiling and career progression rather than an instant pay rise.