Midwife pay

Midwives are paid on Agenda for Change, and Health Careers says the pay is typically starting at band 5. In England from 1 April 2026, band 5 begins at £32,073 and tops out at £39,043. Midwives who move into team manager roles reach band 6, which runs from £39,959 to £48,117, and consultant midwives are on bands 8b to 8c.

Bands 5 to 7 in England

Band	Entry	Middle	Top
5	£32,073	£34,592	£39,043
6	£39,959	£42,170	£48,117
7	£49,387	£51,932	£56,515

On band 5 you spend two years on the entry point and two on the middle point. Band 6 and band 7 have two years on entry and three on the middle point. The band 5 guide and band 6 guide show what each step is worth, and the same bands apply to nurses, so the nurse pay guide is a useful comparison.

Newly qualified midwives go through preceptorship. NHS England’s national framework for midwifery sets a minimum of 12 months, with sign-off at nine months. Rozile has not found a national rule that ties preceptorship to a particular band, so check the band on each advert.

Senior and specialist posts

Health Careers lists band 6 for midwifery team managers and bands 8b to 8c for consultant midwives. From 1 April 2026 those senior bands run from £66,582 at 8b entry to £91,609 at the top of 8c. Trusts advertise their own titles for posts between those bands, so read the job description and the band together.

Moving between bands usually means applying for a new job. Pay points within a band depend on the progression rules in how pay progression works in the NHS.

London and extra pay

Trusts in and around London add a high cost area supplement. A band 5 midwife on the entry point earns £38,488 in inner London, £36,943 in outer London and £33,677 in the fringe area. The high cost area supplement guide covers the rest of the table.

Midwifery runs on shifts, and Health Careers says the week is about 37.5 hours, which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Under the NHS terms, bands 4 to 9 are paid 30% extra on Saturdays and on weekdays between 8pm and 6am, and 60% extra on Sundays and public holidays. On the band 5 entry rate of £16.40 an hour, a night or Saturday hour pays about £21.32 and a Sunday hour about £26.24. At band 6 entry (£20.44) those become about £26.57 and £32.70. The enhancement is worked out on basic salary, so it does not include the London supplement. The unsocial hours pay guide covers the rules.

Annual leave is 27 days plus bank holidays. The figures above are for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own Agenda for Change pay arrangements, and the nurse pay guide sets out the Scottish rates for bands 5 to 7.

Getting qualified

Health Careers says you complete an undergraduate or postgraduate degree or diploma in midwifery, or a midwifery degree apprenticeship. Typical entry is five GCSEs at grade 9 to 4, usually including English and a science, plus two or three A levels or an equivalent such as an NVQ level 3. Requirements vary by university and employer. Eligible students receive at least £5,000 a year for their studies, which is not repaid. The midwife job profile covers the routes in more detail.

Pension and take-home pay

NHS Pension Scheme contributions in England and Wales depend on your actual pensionable pay. A midwife on £32,073 pays 8.3%, one on £39,043 pays 9.8%, and one at the top of band 7 (£56,515) pays 10.7%. Income tax, National Insurance and any student loan come off as well. The take-home pay calculator shows the monthly figure for each point. Current vacancies are on the nursing and midwifery jobs page.