NHS Agenda for Change pay bands 2026/27

Agenda for Change is the national pay system for most NHS staff who are not doctors, dentists or senior managers on separate contracts. From 1 April 2026 the England scale runs from £25,272 at Band 2 to £129,783 at the top of Band 9. Pay within each band rises in steps, and most bands have two or three points.

How the system works

Every job is matched to a band by its job evaluation score, so a band is a level of responsibility and not a profession. Two people on the same band can do different work yet sit on the same pay points. Within a band you start at the entry point and move up on a set timetable, usually after two or three years at each step. The details are in how pay progression works in the NHS.

Bands 8 and 9 are split into 8a, 8b, 8c and 8d, then 9. Band 1 still exists on paper but is closed to new entrants, and support roles such as porters and domestic staff now start at Band 2.

England pay points from 1 April 2026

The 3.3% consolidated award took effect on 1 April 2026 and was paid in April salaries. The figures below are annual, full-time, before the supplement for London and the surrounding areas.

Band	Entry (years to next step)	Middle point (years to next)	Top
1 (closed)	£25,272	none	£25,272
2	£25,272	none	£25,272
3	£25,760 (2)	none	£27,476
4	£28,392 (3)	none	£31,157
5	£32,073 (2)	£34,592 (2)	£39,043
6	£39,959 (2)	£42,170 (3)	£48,117
7	£49,387 (2)	£51,932 (3)	£56,515
8a	£57,528 (2)	£60,417 (3)	£64,750
8b	£66,582 (2)	£70,896 (3)	£77,368
8c	£79,504 (2)	£84,346 (3)	£91,609
8d	£94,356 (2)	£100,140 (3)	£108,814
9	£112,782 (2)	£119,583 (3)	£129,783

Bands 3 and 4 have an entry point and a top point only. Band 5 upwards has an entry point, one middle point and a top point.

The lowest bands and the National Living Wage

Bands 1 and 2 were first lifted to £24,853 (£12.71 an hour) from 1 April 2026 to keep them at the National Living Wage. The 3.3% award then replaced that adjustment, which is why Band 2 now sits at £25,272. The gap between Band 2 and the legal minimum is small, which is one reason the bottom of the scale is under review. National Living Wage and minimum wage rates 2026 shows how the wage floor compares.

Reform of the lowest bands is not settled

The NHS Staff Council got a mandate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and talks on restructuring the lowest bands and graduate pay began at the end of April 2026. The Staff Council statement says that if agreement is reached, backdating to 1 April 2026 will apply. No deal had been announced by 16 October 2026, so none of the figures above include any reform. Any pay quoted for a restructured Band 2 or Band 3 is unconfirmed until NHS Employers publishes it.

London and the fringe

Staff in Inner London, Outer London and the fringe areas receive a High Cost Area Supplement on top of basic pay. It is a percentage of basic pay with a minimum and a maximum, which is why a Band 5 entry salary of £32,073 becomes £38,488 in Inner London. The supplement guide has the percentages and limits.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Scotland negotiates separately. Its scales have fewer pay points than England’s and higher values: Band 2 is £26,658 to £28,947 and Band 5 is £34,494, £36,857 and £42,977 from 1 April 2026. Wales has announced 3.3% for 2026/27, but that comes from a union report and not a Welsh Government statement, so check before relying on it. Northern Ireland has not confirmed a payment date, because the 3.3% recommended by the pay review body depends on the Executive’s budget. The pay award article covers the status in each nation.

What the scale does not include

Basic pay is only part of what lands in a payslip. Unsocial hours enhancements, on-call payments and overtime come on top, and the NHS Pension Scheme contribution comes off. The take-home pay calculator shows what a salary leaves after tax, National Insurance and pension. NHS adverts quote the band and the pay range, so you can match any vacancy to the table above the day you see it.