Saving Tool UK

Nurse Pay UK 2026/27

Take-home pay, tax and pension breakdowns for NHS bands and private-sector nurses, updated for the 2026/27 tax year.

Calculate your take-home →See salary breakdown

At a Glance

  • Newly Qualified (Band 5)£2,218 / mo
    of £32,073 gross a year
  • Experienced (Band 6)£2,691 / mo
    of £39,959 gross a year
  • Senior / Specialist (Band 7)£3,257 / mo
    of £49,387 gross a year
Take-homeTaxNI

Most UK nurses are paid through the NHS Agenda for Change framework, which covers the large majority of the roughly 790,000 nurses on the NMC register across the UK. Wales uses the same pay structure and applied the same 3.3% award for 2026/27, while Scotland and Northern Ireland settle their own awards.

Typical progression starts at Band 5 (£32,073 in 2026/27) and moves into Band 6 and Band 7 roles, while advanced and specialist posts can reach Band 8a and above.

The London High Cost Area Supplement adds 5% to 20% of base salary depending on zone, giving a noticeable pay uplift for nurses working in the capital.

Nurse Salary Breakdown UK 2026/27

The table below shows typical nurse salaries across experience levels and regions, alongside estimated take-home pay after income tax and National Insurance. Click any gross salary figure to open it in the calculator.

LevelNational GrossNational Take-HomeMonthly (National)London GrossLondon Take-Home
Newly Qualified (Band 5)£32,073£26,613£2,218£38,488£31,232
Experienced (Band 6)£39,959£32,291£2,691£47,951£38,045
Senior / Specialist (Band 7)£49,387£39,079£3,257£58,133£44,275

How Nurse Pay Works in the UK

NHS Agenda for Change sets pay for the vast majority of UK nurses; private sector employers often match Band 5–6 rates but rarely offer an equivalent pension

The NHS Pension Scheme carries an employer contribution of 23.7% of salary, making it one of the most valuable employment benefits in the UK

Unsocial hours enhancements for nights, weekends, and bank holidays can add £3,000–£8,000 per year to base pay for nurses working full-time rotas

Band 5 starting salary is £32,073 nationally; a Band 8a Nurse Consultant earns £57,528–£64,750

Inner London supplement adds 20% to base salary (capped at £8,746 a year in 2026/27); outer London adds 15%; fringe areas add 5%, each with its own minimum and maximum

Moving into management (Band 8+), education, or specialist advanced practice is the main route to pay beyond Band 7

Income Tax and National Insurance in 2026/27

Like all UK workers, nurses salaries are subject to income tax and National Insurance (NI) contributions. In the 2026/27 tax year:

Income Tax Bands
Up to £12,5700% (Personal Allowance)
£12,571 – £50,27020% (Basic Rate)
£50,271 – £125,14040% (Higher Rate)
Above £125,14045% (Additional Rate)
Employee National Insurance
Up to £12,5700%
£12,570 – £50,2708%
Above £50,2702%
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Use the calculator above to see your exact take-home pay after all deductions, including pension contributions and student loan repayments if applicable.

Related Pay Guides

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Take-home calculator

Your take-home pay

Enter your salary and we'll break down income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and your final take-home for 2026/27.

Your pay

per year
per year

Bonuses, commission, overtime, capital gains, investments and similar.

Your take-home pay

£2,571a month

£30,853 a year · £593 a week

Out of £3,330 gross a month

  • Take-home pay£2,57177.2%
  • Your pension+ £100 from your employer£1665.0%
  • Income tax£42312.7%
  • National Insurance£1695.1%
HMRC 2026/27 rates, updated 6 April 2026

If you invested £321 each month into an ISA after covering your expenses, you could make £191,989 over 25 years: +£95,672 on top of what you put in, thanks to compounding returns.

See how
Pension, region, student loan, State Pension age
%
%

Try changing your contributions to see how it affects everything.

Where you pay tax
State Pension age

68 applies if you were born after 5 April 1978.

Explore your finances

Model your expenses, project your wealth, and find your path to financial independence, using the pay figures above.

Your monthly spending

Essentials

£per month
Housing, bills, council tax, food.

Everything else

£per month
Things you choose to pay for.

Your plan

The earliest you can retire with your workplace pension is usually 55 (rising to 57 from 6 April 2028). You won't get your state pension until your mid or late 60s, depending on your current age. Tip: try playing around with your target retirement age to see how things change.
£
The total balance of all your existing pension pots.
£
The total balance of any existing ISA Savings accounts (GIAs are not currently supported)

Financial independence

%
% of today
%
Financial independence means having enough saved that your outgoings are covered for the rest of your life.

Where your £3,330 a month goes

  • Essentials£1,750
  • Everything else£500
  • Tax and NI£592
  • Pension£166
  • Left to invest in your ISA£321

Projected wealth

Estimated income over 50 years, in today's money, with a 5% annual return and 0.35% yearly platform and fund fees.

Projected pension

Your pension pot over 31 years at three growth rates, after 0.35% fees, in today's money.

Calculations
  • FI Target = Annual outgoings (£21,600) * Years needed for 4.00% SWR (25.00) = £540,000
  • Invested annual pension = £3,197
  • Invested annual surplus = £3,853
  • Inflation of 2.5% / year
  • Assumes New State Pension, payments increasing with inflation (2.5% / year)
  • Assumes student loans last 30 years max
  • Assumes a flex-drawdown pension for illustration purposes
  • Assumes you draw down pension up to the higher rate bracket (£50,270), then draw down your S&S ISA
  • Pension lump sums are not included

Take-home pay by salary

See the full 2026/27 breakdown for common salaries.