Physiotherapist pay in the NHS

A newly qualified NHS physiotherapist is typically paid on Agenda for Change band 5, which is £32,073 a year in England from 1 April 2026. Band 5 rises to £39,043 at the top. Health Careers does not give salary figures for the role, so the bands below come from the NHS Employers 2026/27 pay scales and the band you land on depends on the job advertised.

Bands 5 to 8a 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
8a	£57,528	£60,417	£64,750

Physiotherapy posts are advertised across these bands. Band 5 is the usual starting band for new graduates, and the step to band 6 is the biggest early pay rise, worth £7,886 a year from band 5 entry to band 6 entry. Health Careers does not say which bands go with which job titles, so read each job description and its band together. The band 5 guide and band 6 guide cover how the steps work, and bands 8b and above are in the full band tables.

You spend two years on the entry point of band 5, then two years on the middle point. Bands 6, 7 and 8a have two years on entry and three on the middle point. The conditions for moving up are in how pay progression works in the NHS.

Specialising and moving up

Health Careers says you have annual Continuing Professional Development check-ins to plan your career. You can specialise in areas including sports injuries, critical care, elderly care, children’s services and cancer care, and teaching, research and management roles are available. Moving to a job on a higher band is the way to raise basic pay beyond the steps within a band, and that normally means applying for a new post.

Outside the NHS, Health Careers says you could work with sports teams, run a clinic or open your own practice. Pay there is set by the employer or by you, and the NHS bands do not apply.

London and other extra pay

Trusts in and around London add a high cost area supplement. A band 5 physiotherapist on the entry point earns £38,488 in inner London, £36,943 in outer London and £33,677 in the fringe area. Band 6 entry is £47,951 in inner London. The high cost area supplement guide covers the rules.

The standard week is about 37.5 hours, and Health Careers says it can include nights, early starts, evenings and weekends. Staff on bands 4 to 9 are paid 30% extra for Saturdays and weekday hours from 8pm to 6am, and 60% extra for Sundays and public holidays, under the NHS terms and conditions. Whether you work those hours depends on the service, because outpatient clinics and ward-based teams run different rotas. Annual leave is 27 days plus bank holidays.

Routes in and funding

The most common route is a degree: three years full time or six part time, or a two-year accelerated master’s if you already hold a relevant degree. A degree apprenticeship is the alternative. Typical entry is two or three A levels including a biological science or PE, plus five GCSEs at grades 4 to 9 including English, maths and a science, and each university sets its own criteria. Eligible students receive at least £5,000 a year, which is not repaid. The physiotherapist job profile covers training, and the HCPC registration guide covers registration.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The figures above are for England. Scotland’s scale has different values, and Wales and Northern Ireland take their own decisions on each year’s award. The nurse pay guide shows the Scottish rates for bands 5 to 8a.

What comes off your salary

NHS Pension Scheme contributions in England and Wales are based on actual pensionable pay. On £32,073 you pay 8.3%, on £39,959 you pay 9.8%, and on £56,515 you pay 10.7%. Income tax, National Insurance and any student loan are also deducted. The take-home pay calculator shows the monthly figure for each point.