NHS Resident Doctor
Pay Scales 2025/26
Rules last checked
Basic pay, full time, 2025/26
Annual basic pay for a 40-hour week from 1 April 2025. Every grade the circular prints is here, each with its own scale and its own pay scale code: three points at foundation, six on a fixed term or core training registrar post, ten on the full pathway. The circular counts each scale from point 1. You move up a point each year, and a point marked † is awarded automatically except for unsatisfactory performance.
| Grade | Point | Basic pay against the top of the scale | Annual basic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation House Officer 1M220 | 1 | £35,704 | |
| Foundation House Officer 1, pay scale code M220 | 2 | £37,733 | |
| Foundation House Officer 1, pay scale code M220 | 3 | £39,758 | |
| Foundation House Officer 2M230 | 1 | £43,510 | |
| Foundation House Officer 2, pay scale code M230 | 2 | £46,142 | |
| Foundation House Officer 2, pay scale code M230 | 3 | £48,779 | |
| Specialty Registrar (CT/DCT)M242 | 1 | £46,274 | |
| Specialty Registrar (CT/DCT), pay scale code M242 | 2 | £48,910 | |
| Specialty Registrar (CT/DCT), pay scale code M242 | 3 | £52,585 | |
| Specialty Registrar (CT/DCT), pay scale code M242 | 4 | £54,812 | |
| Specialty Registrar (CT/DCT), pay scale code M242 | 5 | £57,495 | |
| Specialty Registrar (CT/DCT), pay scale code M242 | 6 | £60,179 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Fixed Term)M240 | 1 | £46,274 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Fixed Term), pay scale code M240 | 2 | £48,910 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Fixed Term), pay scale code M240 | 3 | £52,585 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Fixed Term), pay scale code M240 | 4 | £54,812 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Fixed Term), pay scale code M240 | 5 | £57,495 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Fixed Term), pay scale code M240 | 6 | £60,179 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full)M241 | 1 | £46,274 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 2 | £48,910 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 3 | £52,585 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 4 | £54,812 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 5 | £57,495 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 6 | £60,179 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 7 | £62,862 | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 8 | £65,546 awarded automatically except for unsatisfactory performance | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 9 | £68,230 awarded automatically except for unsatisfactory performance | |
| Specialty Registrar (Full), pay scale code M241 | 10 | £70,914 awarded automatically except for unsatisfactory performance |
Department of Health, circular HSC (TC8) 05/2025, Annex A section 1.
What is paid on top of basic
Northern Ireland pays the rota through one banding supplement on top of basic pay, rather than paying each hour, and a less than full time doctor is paid a fraction of basic with its own set of bands. Both are below.
Banding supplement
A percentage of basic pay, from 20% to 100%, set by the hours the rota averages and how antisocially they fall. A post at 40 hours or fewer a week is unbanded, with 5% for a foundation year 1 post and nothing for any other grade. The circular prints the total salary for every grade at every band.
| Band | What it means | Supplement against the highest | Of basic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 3 | More than 56 hours a week on average, or not achieving the required rest | 100% | |
| Band 2A | 48 to 56 hours a week, worked most antisocially | 80% | |
| Band 2B | 48 to 56 hours a week, worked least antisocially | 50% | |
| Band 1A | 40 to 48 hours a week, worked most antisocially | 50% | |
| Band 1B | 40 to 48 hours a week, worked moderately antisocially | 40% | |
| Band 1C | 40 to 48 hours a week, worked least antisocially | 20% | |
| Unbanded | 40 hours or fewer a week, foundation year 1 only | 5% |
Department of Health, circular HSC (TC8) 05/2025; BMA, how pay banding works.
Less than full time
Basic pay is a fraction of the full-time figure at the same point, in five categories: F5 at 50%, F6 at 60%, F7 at 70%, F8 at 80%, F9 at 90%. The rota is then paid through its own set of bands, a percentage of that reduced basic, with 5% for an unbanded foundation year 1 post.
| Band | What it means | Supplement against the highest | Of basic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band FA | The highest frequency and the most antisocial times | 50% | |
| Band FB | Reducing frequency and out-of-hours commitment | 40% | |
| Band FC | Further reduced frequency and out-of-hours commitment | 20% | |
| Unbanded | Foundation year 1 only | 5% |
Department of Health, circular HSC (TC8) 05/2025; BMA, how pay banding works.
Sources
- Department of Health, pay and conditions circular HSC (TC8) 05/2025, 2 December 2025, the scale, the banding supplements and the less than full time tables, as issued to HSC employers.
- BMA, how pay banding works, what each band means, full time and less than full time.
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