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NHS pay band explorer

Agenda for Change bands and pay points for 2026/27, and the band each profession usually starts at in the NHS.

Moves the band to where our guide says this profession usually starts.

Nurses

“Newly registered nurses usually start at band 5.”

Nurses in the UK

NHS Employers 2026/27 rates for England, as quoted in our UK guide.

Band 5 · 2026/27 · basic annual pay

£32,073 to £39,043

Our guide says nurses usually start at Band 5.

Pay points in Band 5

Intermediate point £34,592 after 2 years, top after a further 2 years.

  1. 1. Entry point

    £32,073

    When you start in the band

  2. 2. Intermediate point

    £34,592

    After 2 years

  3. 3. Top point

    £39,043

    After a further 2 years

All bands, 2026/27

Basic annual pay from entry to top point. Select a band to see its points. Where nurses usually start.

NHS Employers Agenda for Change pay for 2026/27 in England, effective 1 April 2026: basic annual pay, before any supplements or extra payments for unsocial hours or on-call. Each employer sets the band for a post, so check the band on the job advert.

Method

How it works

The explorer shows published pay scales and adds nothing of its own.
  1. Step 1

    Choose a profession

    It moves to the band our UK guide for that profession says people usually start at, and quotes the guide.
  2. Step 2

    See the points

    Each band shows its entry, intermediate and top points, and the years before you move up, as NHS Employers states them.
  3. Step 3

    Add London

    Tick inner London to add the High Cost Area Supplement: 20% of basic pay, between £5,794 and £8,746.

Agenda for Change 2026/27

NHS pay bands and points

Basic annual pay in England from 1 April 2026, as published by NHS Employers.

Bands 8b and 8c show the entry and top of the band from our UK profession guides; intermediate points for those bands are not listed there.

Specialist, team lead and advanced roles are usually at Band 6 to 8a; each employer sets the band for a post.

FAQ

Questions about NHS pay bands

Band 5 starts at £32,073 a year, rises to £34,592 after 2 years and reaches £39,043 at the top point after a further 2 years. These are NHS Employers basic annual rates for England from 1 April 2026, before any high cost area supplement.

Newly registered nurses usually start at Band 5, as our UK nursing guide states. Pay before you pass the OSCE and join the NMC register is set by your employer; NHS Employers' pay scales do not set a specific band for that period.

Band 6 runs from £39,959 to £48,117 a year, with an intermediate point of £42,170 after 2 years and the top after a further 3. It is used for experienced and specialist roles.

Our UK guides say nurses, midwives, dental hygienists and therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, podiatrists, radiographers, paramedics, operating department practitioners and lab scientists usually start at Band 5. Pharmacists and qualified hospital optometrists usually start at Band 6, and physician associates and qualified clinical psychologists at Band 7.

Bands 5 to 8a have three pay points: entry, intermediate and top. You move to the next point after the years NHS Employers states for that band, shown in the explorer. Bands 3 and 4 have two points, and Band 2 has one.

Yes. The inner London High Cost Area Supplement is 20% of basic salary, with a minimum of £5,794 and a maximum of £8,746 a year (2026/27). Outer London and fringe rates are lower. Tick inner London in the explorer to add it.

No. Doctors in England are paid on separate national scales set by the NHS Employers medical and dental pay circular, and most dentists in NHS general practice are self-employed. Our UK guides for doctors and dentists list those figures.

No. These are the NHS Employers rates for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own pay, so check the figures with your employer there.

The visa has its own salary rules, which depend on the job's occupation code. Our UK guide and GOV.UK explain them; check that the post's salary meets the rule for its code before you accept.

Sources

Where the figures come from

Pay points from NHS Employers; starting bands from NHS Health Careers, as cited on our UK guides (checked 20 October 2026).
  1. 1NHS Employers: Pay scales for 2026/27
  2. 2NHS Health Careers: Physician associate
  3. 3NHS Health Careers: Midwife
  4. 4NHS Health Careers: Pay for dentists
  5. 5NHS Health Careers: Dental hygienist
  6. 6NHS Health Careers: Dental therapist
Show all 19 sources
  1. 7NHS Health Careers: Pharmacist
  2. 8NHS Health Careers: Physiotherapist
  3. 9NHS Health Careers: Occupational therapist
  4. 10NHS Health Careers: Speech and language therapist
  5. 11NHS Health Careers: Dietitian
  6. 12NHS Health Careers: Podiatrist
  7. 13NHS Health Careers: Diagnostic radiographer
  8. 14NHS Health Careers: Therapeutic radiographer
  9. 15NHS Health Careers: Paramedic
  10. 16NHS Health Careers: Operating department practitioner
  11. 17NHS Health Careers: Optometrist
  12. 18NHS Health Careers: Biomedical science
  13. 19NHS Health Careers: Clinical psychologist

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