NHS Staff
Pay Scales 2025/26
Rules last checked
Basic pay, full time, 2025/26
Annual basic pay for a 37.5-hour week from 1 April 2025. You move up a step after the years shown. For your own take-home, use the Pay Calculator for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has not issued the 2026/27 award, so these are the 2025/26 scales. Band 1† is closed to new entrants.
| Band | Step | Basic pay against the top of band 9 | Annual basic | Years to the next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 closed to new entrants | Every step | £24,465 | ||
| Band 2 | Every step | £24,465 | ||
| Band 3 | Entry | £24,937 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Top | £26,598 | |||
| Band 4 | Entry | £27,485 | 3 years to the next step | |
| Top | £30,162 | |||
| Band 5 | Entry | £31,049 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Intermediate | £33,487 | 2 years to the next step | ||
| Top | £37,796 | |||
| Band 6 | Entry | £38,682 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Intermediate | £40,823 | 3 years to the next step | ||
| Top | £46,580 | |||
| Band 7 | Entry | £47,810 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Intermediate | £50,273 | 3 years to the next step | ||
| Top | £54,710 | |||
| Band 8a | Entry | £55,690 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Intermediate | £58,487 | 3 years to the next step | ||
| Top | £62,682 | |||
| Band 8b | Entry | £64,455 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Intermediate | £68,631 | 3 years to the next step | ||
| Top | £74,896 | |||
| Band 8c | Entry | £76,965 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Intermediate | £81,652 | 3 years to the next step | ||
| Top | £88,682 | |||
| Band 8d | Entry | £91,342 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Intermediate | £96,941 | 3 years to the next step | ||
| Top | £105,337 | |||
| Band 9 | Entry | £109,179 | 2 years to the next step | |
| Intermediate | £115,763 | 3 years to the next step | ||
| Top | £125,637 |
Department of Health, circular HSC(AfC) 06/2025, Section 1.
What is paid on top of basic
Unsocial hours
A percentage of each hour's basic pay, plus any long-term recruitment and retention premium, added on top. Saturdays and weeknights: all day Saturday, and weekdays after 8pm and before 6am. Sundays and public holidays: all day Sunday and on public holidays. The Pay Calculator turns these into pounds.
| Band | Saturdays and weeknightson top of basic pay | Sundays and public holidayson top of basic pay |
|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | +47% | +94% |
| Band 2 | +41% | +83% |
| Band 3 | +35% | +69% |
| Bands 4 to 9 | +30% | +60% |
NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, Section 2 (Northern Ireland), Table 2.
Overtime
Time and a half above 37.5 hours a week, and double time on a general public holiday. Part-time staff are paid their normal rate up to 37.5 hours. Bands 1 to 7 are paid overtime; bands 8a to 9 are not.
NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, Section 3.
Sources
- Department of Health, circular HSC(AfC) 06/2025, the pay bands and pay step points from 1 April 2025 (Section 1).
- NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, unsocial hours (Section 2 (Northern Ireland)) and overtime (Section 3).
We have done our best to keep this page accurate and up to date. If something on it is wrong, we are sorry, and we would like to know: tell us below and we will check it against the source and update the page.