NHS Band 9 Salary and Take-Home Pay 2026/27
An NHS Band 9 employee in England earns between £112,782 to £129,783 a year in 2026/27, and takes home roughly £5,626 to £6,341 a month after income tax, National Insurance and the NHS pension. Band 9 covers Chief nurse, Director of estates, Executive director and other senior Agenda for Change roles. These are the confirmed 2026/27 rates verified against NHS Employers and NHSBSA, including the 3.3 percent pay award from 1 April 2026.
Figures verified against NHS Employers AfC pay scales on .
Written by James HartleyCIMA
Band 9 at a glance, England 2026/27:
- Starting salary: £112,782 a year
- Top of band: £129,783 a year (after about 5 years)
- Hourly rate: about £58 to £66 an hour
- Take-home pay: about £5,626 a month at entry, rising to about £6,341 at the top
- Pension tier (entry): 12.5% (Tier 6 (12.5%))
- Pay points: 3
- Income tax: salary above £50,270 taxed at 40 percent
- Personal allowance tapers from £100,000
- Top point reaches the 45 percent additional rate band
Band 9 take-home pay by pay point
The table shows gross pay, deductions and net monthly take-home for each Band 9 pay point in England 2026/27, calculated from the NHS take-home engine using official AfC scales, NHS pension tiers, income tax and National Insurance. Figures assume full-time hours, a standard tax code and no student loan.
| Pay point | Gross | Pension | Income tax | NI | Net/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £112,782 | £14,098 | £26,906 | £4,266 | £5,626 |
| Mid (2 years) | £119,583 | £14,948 | £29,286 | £4,402 | £5,912 |
| Top (5 years) | £129,783 | £16,223 | £32,856 | £4,606 | £6,341 |
How it is calculated
- Start with gross pay. Start with your gross annual basic pay for your AfC band and pay point, including any High Cost Area Supplement if it applies.
- Deduct NHS pension. Subtract your NHS pension contribution at the tier rate that applies to your whole pensionable salary.
- Calculate income tax. Apply income tax to your pay after pension, using your personal allowance and the 20, 40 and 45 percent bands.
- Subtract National Insurance. Subtract employee National Insurance at the 2026/27 rates on your gross pay.
- Divide by 12. The remainder is your annual take-home pay. Divide by 12 for the monthly figure in your payslip.
Band 9 pay points and progression
Band 9 has three pay points in 2026/27, rising from £112,782 at entry to £129,783 at the top. You move up one point on your work anniversary with a satisfactory appraisal and reach the top after about five years. There is no automatic move to the next sub-band; that requires a new appointment.
Band 9 and the 60 percent effective rate
Between £100,000 and £125,140 you lose your personal allowance while still paying 40 percent income tax, creating a roughly 60 percent effective rate on each extra pound. Above £125,140 the additional 45 percent rate applies. All three Band 9 pay points sit above £100,000, so personal allowance taper affects every point, with none left at the top.
Who works at Band 9?
Typical Band 9 roles include:
- Chief nurse
- Director of estates
- Executive director
- Director of workforce
- Very senior manager (AfC ceiling)
Band 9 and neighbouring bands
See Band 8d salary and take-home for the band below (£94,356 to £108,814 gross).
Use the NHS pay calculator for your exact monthly figure by nation, London zone and student loan status, or the NHS pension contribution calculator to model your tier. See all NHS pay bands for the full AfC scale.
Frequently asked questions
A Band 9 employee on the £112,782 starting salary takes home about £5,626 a month in England after income tax, National Insurance and the 12.5% pension contribution. At the top of the band, £129,783, take-home rises to about £6,341 a month, assuming a standard tax code, full-time hours and no student loan.
The starting salary for Band 9 in England is £112,782 a year in 2026/27, including the 3.3 percent pay award applied on 1 April 2026. The top of the band is £129,783, reached after about five years.
No. Band 9 is the top of the Agenda for Change structure. Roles above Band 9, such as chief executives, are paid under very senior manager arrangements. Within Band 9 you still move up pay points on time served.
The whole of Band 9 sits in the Tier 6 (12.5%) tier at 12.5% of whole salary in 2026/27.
The Band 9 hourly rate is about £58 an hour at entry and about £66 an hour at the top of the band in 2026/27, based on a 37.5 hour week and 1,957.5 annual hours.
Chief nurse, Director of estates, Executive director, Director of workforce, Very senior manager (AfC ceiling).
Band 9 salaries trigger the personal allowance taper from £100,000 and the 45 percent additional rate from £125,140. On the £129,783 top point your personal allowance is zero, so you pay 40 percent on income up to £125,140 and 45 percent above. That creates an effective marginal rate of about 60 percent in the taper zone, which is why net pay rises more slowly than gross pay.
The top pay point of Band 9 (£129,783) exceeds £125,140, so part of that salary is taxed at the 45 percent additional rate. The entry point (£112,782) is taxed at 40 percent on income above £50,270 with a reduced personal allowance.
You apply for a Band 9 post through internal or external recruitment. Band 8d entry is £94,356 and Band 9 entry is £112,782, a rise of £18,426 at the bottom of the band.
Figures verified against NHS Employers and NHSBSA, last updated 15 June 2026.