NHS Pay Rise 2025-26 — Take-Home Impact
The NHS AfC 2025-26 pay award is 5.5% across all bands in England. But how much does that translate to in actual take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance?
2025-26 NHS AfC pay award — key figures
Higher-band staff keep less of the gross rise because more of the increase falls in the 40% tax bracket. Band 5 nurses keep roughly 65% of the gross rise; Band 8b consultants keep closer to 58%.
| Band | 2024-25 mid salary | 2025-26 mid salary | Gross rise/yr | Net rise/yr | Net rise/month | % kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | £22,384 | £23,615 | £1,231 | £886 | £74/mo | 72% |
| Band 2 | £23,359 | £24,644 | £1,285 | £925 | £77/mo | 72% |
| Band 3 | £23,575 | £24,872 | £1,297 | £934 | £78/mo | 72% |
| Band 4 | £26,372 | £27,822 | £1,450 | £1,044 | £87/mo | 72% |
| Band 5 | £31,494 | £33,226 | £1,732 | £1,248 | £104/mo | 72.1% |
| Band 6 | £39,005 | £41,150 | £2,145 | £1,545 | £129/mo | 72% |
| Band 7 | £46,899 | £49,478 | £2,579 | £1,856 | £155/mo | 72% |
| Band 8a | £54,151 | £57,129 | £2,978 | £1,727 | £144/mo | 58% |
| Band 8b | £63,748 | £67,254 | £3,506 | £2,033 | £169/mo | 58% |
Why does a 5.5% pay rise not mean 5.5% more take-home?
Income Tax and National Insurance are deducted from every extra pound of pay. A Band 5 nurse earning around £33,000 pays 20% Income Tax and 8% NI on the additional income — keeping roughly 72p in every extra £1. A Band 7 earning £49,000 keeps closer to 58p because the additional income falls partly in the 40% tax band.
The "% kept" column shows exactly how much of each band's gross pay rise reaches take-home. Use the individual band pages for a full breakdown including pension contributions (NHS pension contributions reduce take-home further, but also build a valuable defined-benefit pension).