Are the nurse presets official salary statistics?

No. Unless a particular source and effective date are explicitly identified, role labels and prefilled amounts are editable planning examples, not verified market medians, an employer pay award or an individual entitlement. Use your current contract, pay statement or actual business records.

Why might the result differ from my payslip or tax return?

This is an annual estimate. Actual results depend on your UK jurisdiction, tax code, pension method, pensionable earnings, loan notices, other income and the timing of payments. Payroll rounding, arrears, benefits and irregular pay can change the result. A self-employed or partnership arrangement also needs its own profit and National Insurance treatment.

Does a professional fee or expense always reduce my tax?

No. Check the applicable HMRC conditions, the amount you actually paid and whether your employer reimbursed it. A deduction normally reduces taxable income rather than producing a pound-for-pound repayment. Do not claim the same cost twice.

2026/27 role-specific pay planning

Nurse salary and take-home pay

AfC salary, shift enhancements and NHS pension. Use the specialist inputs below to compare your actual contract or working arrangement.

By AfterTaxUK Editorial Team · Method and source guidance reviewed 26 October 2026

Use your own figures. Presets are planning examples unless a specific published scale and effective date are cited. They are not a verified salary survey. Confirm current pay, allowances, expense eligibility and pension deductions with your employer, scheme or records.

NHS AfC 2026/27 Pay Engine

NHS Nurse Take-Home Pay Calculator (2026/27)

Calculate your exact net payslip with Agenda for Change pay steps, Section 2 unsocial hours (+30%/+60%), London HCAS weighting, and statutory CARE pension tiers.

1. Select AfC Nursing Pay Band & Experience Step

Newly qualified staff nurse starting grade across NHS hospital wards and community trusts. Basic hourly rate: £16.40/hr (based on 37.5 hr standard week).

2. Hospital Location / London HCAS Supplement3. Student Loan Repayment Plan

4. Unsocial Hours & Shift Patterns (AfC Section 2)Contracted enhancements

AfC Section 2 pays +30% for weekday nights (20:00–06:00) & Saturdays; +60% for Sundays & Bank Holidays.

Saturday & Night hours: 24 hrs / month+£4.92/hr (+30%)

0 hrsAdds £118/mo gross90 hrs

Sunday & Bank Holiday hours: 12 hrs / month+£9.84/hr (+60%)

0 hrsAdds £118/mo gross50 hrs

NHS Pension Scheme (CARE):

Auto-tier: 8.3% Tier deduction

Estimated Net Take-Home Pay

£2,195/ month

Annual Net:£26,335/yr

Total Gross Earnings

£2,909/ month

Basic + HCAS + Enhancements£34,907/yr

Total Deductions

£714/ month

Effective deduction rate:24.6%

NHS Payslip Breakdown (Band 5 — Entry)

Full accounting of gross earnings elements, statutory deductions, and net take-home pay.

Gross Earnings Elements

Basic Contractual Pay(Band 5 AfC)

£2,672.75

Unsocial Hours (Nights & Saturdays)(+30% enhancement rate)

+£118.10

Unsocial Hours (Sundays & Bank Holidays)(+60% enhancement rate)

+£118.10

Total Gross Pay£2,908.95

Statutory Payroll Deductions

NHS Pension Contribution (CARE 2015)

Tier deduction: 8.3% · Tax deductible via Net-Pay Arrangement (s.193 FA 2004)

-£241.44

PAYE Income Tax

Assessed on gross minus pension · Standard Personal Allowance £12,570 (1257L)

-£324.00

National Insurance (Class 1 Primary)

8% between £12,570 and £50,270; 2% above · Assessed on gross earnings

-£148.92

Net Take-Home Pay (monthly)£2,194.59

Statutory NHS Payroll & Tax Rules (2026/27):

• Agenda for Change (AfC) England Pay Scales: Effective 1 April 2026. Hourly rate is calculated using the official AfC divisor of 1,955.36 annual hours (37.5 hours/week × 52.143 weeks).

• Section 2 Unsocial Hours: Saturday shifts and weekday night shifts (20:00 to 06:00) receive a +30% enhancement of the basic hourly rate. Sunday shifts and Public Bank Holidays receive a +60% enhancement.

• NHS Pension Relief (Section 193 Finance Act 2004): NHS Pension contributions operate under a net-pay arrangement, meaning contributions reduce your taxable income for Income Tax immediately at source. National Insurance (Class 1) and Student Loan repayments are calculated on total gross earnings before pension deductions.

• High Cost Area Supplements (HCAS): Inner London (+20%, min £5,794, max £8,746); Outer London (+15%, min £4,870, max £6,137); Fringe (+5%, min £1,346, max £2,270). HCAS is 100% pensionable pay.

What matters in this pay comparison?

AfC salary, shift enhancements and NHS pension

Use the band and experience point on your contract and the pay framework for your NHS nation. Add night, weekend or bank-holiday enhancements from actual rostered hours.

Confirm pensionable pay and contribution tier rather than treating every overtime payment as pensionable. The monthly figure is an annual average, not a promise of a particular shift-heavy payslip.

Check the basis before comparing offers

Use the same year, working hours and paid weeks. An hourly rate, full-time equivalent salary, day rate and actual annual receipts are different inputs.
Check pension method and pensionable pay. Net-pay pensions generally reduce Income Tax but do not reduce employee NI or student-loan earnings; salary sacrifice can affect all three.
Separate cash received from non-cash benefits, reimbursements and deferred awards. Eligibility for a tax deduction is a separate question from whether a payment is taxable.

A reproducible reference calculation

This is an illustrative annual employment salary of £40,000.00, not a typical salary for this occupation or the specialist calculator’s default. It assumes England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the standard Personal Allowance, no other income, no pension contribution and no student loan.

Annual gross salary: £40,000.00
Income Tax: £5,486.00
Employee National Insurance: £2,194.40
Annual net estimate: £32,319.60
Monthly average: £2,693.30

Increasing the annual salary by £1,000 in this reference case increases annual net income by £720.00. This change is calculated from both complete estimates, so it captures any allowance taper or tax-band crossing.

The reference uses annualised employee NI thresholds. Your actual pay-period NI and payroll rounding can differ. Scotland requires its devolved Income Tax calculation.

Sources and checks for your own contract

Use the tax sources for the calculation rules and the role or scheme authority for the applicable working arrangement. A link to tax guidance does not verify an employer salary, a market median or every preset.

Rates are labelled for 2026/27; pay awards and scheme rules can have different effective dates. For a discrepancy, send the page and calculation assumptions to our corrections contact.

Nurse pay questions

Check the pay structure, not just the headline number.

Use the band and experience point on your contract and the pay framework for your NHS nation. Add night, weekend or bank-holiday enhancements from actual rostered hours. Confirm pensionable pay and contribution tier rather than treating every overtime payment as pensionable. The monthly figure is an annual average, not a promise of a particular shift-heavy payslip.

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