Paramedic pay

A newly qualified paramedic in England is paid on Agenda for Change band 5, starting at £32,073 a year from 1 April 2026. Paramedics who take on more responsibility are usually on band 6, which runs from £39,959 to £48,117. The 2026/27 award in England is 3.3%.

Band 5: newly qualified

Most paramedics join an NHS ambulance trust at band 5 after finishing a degree or a degree apprenticeship and registering with the HCPC. You move up the scale on set dates, so pay rises without an application.

Band 5 point	Annual pay from 1 April 2026	Time on point
Entry	£32,073	2 years
Middle	£34,592	2 years
Top	£39,043

Each trust decides when and how a paramedic moves from band 5 to band 6, so ask at interview or check the job pack. The wider rules on moving between points are in how pay progression works in the NHS.

Band 6: experienced and specialist roles

Band 6 covers paramedics who have grown into senior or specialist roles, including urgent care, hear-and-treat and some clinical support posts. The scale from 1 April 2026 is:

Band 6 point	Annual pay	Time on point
Entry	£39,959	2 years
Middle	£42,170	3 years
Top	£48,117

Advanced and consultant paramedic roles are typically banded 7 and above, with band 7 starting at £49,387. See band 7 pay and jobs for those figures. The page on band 6 pay has the rest of the detail.

What you earn on top of basic pay

Ambulance work runs round the clock, and a large part of a paramedic’s earnings can come from shifts at unsocial hours. Enhancements for nights, weekends and bank holidays are set out in the national terms and conditions, and the unsocial hours guide explains them. Trusts also pay for overtime and for shifts that overrun, at rates that depend on the trust and the contract. A job advert shows basic pay only, so the figure on your payslip can be higher.

London weighting

Ambulance trusts in London pay a high cost area supplement on top of basic pay. In inner London it is 20% of basic pay, with a minimum of £5,794 and a maximum of £8,746. In outer London it is 15% (minimum £4,870, maximum £6,137), and in the fringe area it is 5% (minimum £1,346, maximum £2,270). Details are on the high cost area supplement page.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The Scottish Ambulance Service is on Scotland’s separate Agenda for Change deal: 4.25% for 2025/26 and 3.75% for 2026/27 from 1 April 2026. Scotland has fewer pay points than England and higher values. Band 5 is £34,494, £36,857 and £42,977, and band 6 is £43,169, £45,070 and £52,603. A top-up is paid in March 2027 if average CPI for January to December 2026 is above 2.75%.

Wales has announced 3.3% for 2026/27, but that is reported by the RCN and we have not read the Welsh Government’s statement. Northern Ireland has not confirmed 2026/27 pay. The review body recommended 3.3% and the Health Minister wants to pay it, but it depends on the Executive’s budget.

Pension, tax and take-home pay

Paramedics in the NHS Pension Scheme in England and Wales pay a rate based on actual annual pensionable pay. For 2026/27 that is 8.3% for pay from £28,855 to £35,155 and 9.8% from £35,156 to £52,778. Tax, National Insurance and any student loan come on top. The take-home pay calculator gives a figure for a specific salary.

Structural talks on the lowest bands and graduate pay are also under way across the NHS. They do not change the band 5 or 6 figures above, and no agreement had been reached by 16 October 2026. For the route into the role, read the job profile for paramedics.