NHS Band 6 salary after tax
Band 6 pays £39,959 to £48,117 a year in England in 2026/27. After income tax, National Insurance and the NHS Pension, a full-time Band 6 takes home £2,429.77 to £2,865.96 a month.
Take-home at each pay point
Full time (37.5 hours a week), outside London, with the NHS Pension and no student loan:
| Pay point | Yearly pay | Pension rate | Pension a month | Tax a month | NI a month | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £39,959 | 9.8% | £326.33 | £391.22 | £182.59 | £2,429.77 |
| After 2 years | £42,170 | 9.8% | £344.39 | £424.46 | £197.33 | £2,547.99 |
| After 5 years | £48,117 | 9.8% | £392.96 | £513.86 | £236.98 | £2,865.96 |
How it's worked out at entry
- Basic pay: £39,959 a year.
- NHS Pension: 9.8% of £39,959 = £3,915.98, taken before tax.
- Taxable pay: £39,959 − £3,915.98 − £12,570 tax-free allowance = £23,473.02.
- Income tax: £23,473.02 × 20% = £4,694.60.
- National Insurance: worked out on the full £39,959, because the pension doesn't reduce NI = £2,191.12.
- Take-home: £29,157.29 a year, or £2,429.77 a month.
Band 6 in London
The High Cost Area Supplement is added for work bases in and around London. Yearly pay including HCAS, with full-time take-home a month underneath:
| Pay point | Inner London | Outer London | London fringe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £47,951 £2,857.08 a month | £45,953 £2,750.25 a month | £41,957 £2,536.60 a month |
| After 2 years | £50,604 £3,000.60 a month | £48,307 £2,876.11 a month | £44,279 £2,660.75 a month |
| After 5 years | £56,863 £3,323.94 a month | £54,254 £3,181.45 a month | £50,387 £2,987.91 a month |
HCAS is 20% of basic pay in inner London (between £5,794 and £8,746), 15% in outer London (£4,870 to £6,137) and 5% in the fringe (£1,346 to £2,270). It counts towards your NHS Pension.
Part-time Band 6
At the entry pay point, outside London. Pay is pro rata to a 37.5-hour week, and your pension rate is set by your actual pay:
| Hours a week | Yearly pay | Pension rate | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 hours | £15,983.60 | 6.5% | £1,183.05 |
| 22.5 hours | £23,975.40 | 6.5% | £1,627.93 |
| 30 hours | £31,967.20 | 8.3% | £2,034.45 |
| 37.5 hours | £39,959.00 | 9.8% | £2,429.77 |
Worth knowing
- You move from entry to the middle pay point after 2 years, and to the top after 5 years in the band, as long as you meet the expected standards.
- Your employer pays another 23.7% of your pensionable pay into the NHS Pension, on top of your salary. At the top of Band 6, that's £11,404 a year.
- These are the rates for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own NHS pay, and HCAS only applies in and around London.
Add your own hours, London zone, extra pay or student loan.
Open the NHS calculatorOther NHS bands
NHS pay calculator · How NHS Pension contributions work
Sources: NHS Employers pay scales 2026/27, NHS Pension Scheme member contributions, GOV.UK rates and thresholds 2026/27.