Nurse pay in the UK

A newly qualified nurse in England starts on Agenda for Change band 5 at £32,073 a year from 1 April 2026. That rises to £39,043 at the top of band 5, and experienced nurses who move into ward leadership or advanced practice are on bands 6, 7 and above. The 2026/27 award in England is 3.3%, paid from 1 April 2026.

Which bands nurses are on

Almost every nurse employed by the NHS is paid on Agenda for Change, the national pay system for NHS staff other than doctors and dentists. A registered nurse starts at band 5. Senior staff nurses, sisters and charge nurses, and specialist nurses are usually band 6. Matrons, nurse team leaders and many advanced practitioners are band 7, and service and professional leads sit on bands 8a and above. The band comes from the job description and a formal job evaluation, whatever the title says.

Healthcare assistants are paid on lower bands. For that route, see the pages on band 2 and band 3 pay, and from healthcare assistant to nurse.

England pay points from 1 April 2026

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
8a	£57,528	£60,417	£64,750

On band 5 you spend two years on the entry point and two on the middle point. Bands 6, 7 and 8a have two years on the entry point and three on the middle point. The detail is in how pay progression works in the NHS. Nursing roles on 8b, 8c and 8d are rare outside senior management and are covered in the full band tables.

Most nurses will want the individual band pages for bands 5 and 6: band 5, band 6 and band 7.

London and the high cost area supplements

Trusts in and around London add a supplement to basic pay. It is a percentage of basic pay with a minimum and maximum:

Zone	Percentage	Minimum	Maximum
Inner London	20%	£5,794	£8,746
Outer London	15%	£4,870	£6,137
Fringe	5%	£1,346	£2,270

A band 5 nurse on the entry point earns £38,488 in inner London, £36,943 in outer London and £33,677 in the fringe area. The supplement is pensionable. More detail is on the high cost area supplement page.

Extras on top of basic pay

Nurses on wards, in emergency departments and in community teams often work nights, weekends and bank holidays. Those hours attract enhancements on top of basic pay, set out in the national terms and conditions, and the unsocial hours guide covers the rules. Bank shifts and agency work are paid separately, and each trust sets its own bank rates.

Overtime, on-call payments and extra shifts depend on the trust and the contract. The salary on a vacancy is basic pay only.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Scotland has its own pay deal: 4.25% for 2025/26 and 3.75% for 2026/27, with the second rise from 1 April 2026. The deal also includes an inflation guarantee. If average CPI for January to December 2026 is above 2.75%, a top-up is paid in March 2027. Scottish bands have fewer pay points than England and higher values. Selected 2026/27 rates are:

Band	Scotland 2026/27
5	£34,494, £36,857 and £42,977
6	£43,169, £45,070 and £52,603
7	£52,769, £54,784 and £61,377
8a	£65,032 to £70,202

Wales has announced 3.3% for 2026/27, but that comes from a union report and we have not seen the Welsh Government statement. Northern Ireland is not confirmed. The review body recommended 3.3% and the Health Minister wants to pay it, but it depends on the Executive’s budget and no payment date has been found.

Pay structure talks

NHS Employers’ Staff Council is negotiating changes to the lowest bands and to graduate pay. Talks began at the end of April 2026, and no deal had been found by 16 October 2026. Any agreement will be backdated to 1 April 2026. The figures in this article assume no deal.

Pension and take-home pay

NHS Pension Scheme contributions in England and Wales are based on actual annual pensionable pay. A nurse on £32,073 pays 8.3%, and one on £39,043 pays 9.8%. Income tax, National Insurance and any student loan come off as well. The take-home pay calculator shows what a given salary leaves you with, and the band 5 take-home example works one through. Current vacancies are on the nursing and midwifery jobs page.