Moving Between NHS Trusts: Your Pay, Leave and Continuous Service
Changing NHS employer does not have to mean starting again. Here is what carries over, what can reset, and the questions to ask before you move.
Updated · 4 min read
Try it with your own numbersNHS Annual Leave CalculatorMoving to a new NHS trust is common. People relocate, chase a promotion or want a different specialty. The good news is that the NHS treats most of your previous NHS employment as continuous, so you keep the benefits you have built up. The catch is that a few entitlements reset if the gap between jobs is too long, and some details depend on your new employer getting your history right.
This guide covers staff on Agenda for Change. The rules come from Section 12 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, which calls this "reckonable service".
What usually carries over
When you move from one NHS employer to another, previous NHS service normally counts towards:
- Annual leave. Your entitlement rises from 27 to 29 days after 5 years, and to 33 days after 10 years. All reckonable NHS service counts towards those steps.
- Pay progression. Continuous previous NHS service counts towards your pay step dates.
- Sick pay. Previous NHS service counts towards your sick pay entitlement, as long as any break between jobs was 12 months or less.
- Maternity, adoption and shared parental pay. The 12 months of continuous service you need for NHS occupational pay can include previous NHS employers. Breaks of three months or less are ignored for this purpose.
- Redundancy pay. Previous NHS service counts, but this rule is strict: a gap of more than a week between NHS jobs can break continuity for redundancy purposes.
Your pay point and step date
If you move to a job on the same band, you should normally keep your current pay point and your pay step date. A common payroll mistake is to put people on the entry point of the band by default.
Before your start date:
- Tell your new employer your current pay point and the date you started on it.
- Ask HR to confirm the pay point in your contract.
- Check your first payslip. If it shows the entry point, raise it straight away with evidence such as your last payslip.
If you move up a band, you normally start at the entry point of the new band. Our pay progression guide explains how steps work after that.
How your records move
Most NHS employers use the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). When you move, your new employer can request your employment details from your old one through an inter-authority transfer. This helps carry over your service dates, mandatory training records and some pre-employment checks. It does not replace your own checks: keep copies of your contracts, payslips and P45.
Gaps between jobs: the rules that matter
| Entitlement | Break that resets it |
|---|---|
| Sick pay | a break of more than 12 months |
| Maternity pay (12-month test) | breaks of more than 3 months are not disregarded |
| Redundancy pay | a break of more than one week between NHS employers |
If you can, plan your start date so there is no gap at all, especially if redundancy or maternity pay could matter to you in the next few years.
Annual leave when you leave
Your old employer should pay you for any annual leave you have built up but not taken, or deduct pay if you have taken more than you have earned. Your new employer then gives you a pro rata entitlement for the rest of its leave year, using your full reckonable service. The annual leave calculator shows your entitlement in hours.
Your NHS Pension
If you move between NHS employers in England and Wales, you stay in the same NHS Pension Scheme. Your membership simply continues: contributions are paid by the new employer from your first payslip, and the pension you have built stays in your record.
A break in pensionable employment of more than five years can affect some older pension rights, including protections under the McCloud remedy. Most people moving trusts will have no break at all.
Notice periods and timing
Agenda for Change notice periods depend on your band and contract, often four weeks for many posts and longer for senior roles. Agree your leaving date and start date together so there is no gap between the two jobs. If your new employer wants you to start sooner than your notice allows, ask your current manager whether some notice can be waived or covered with annual leave.
Moving to a different nation of the UK
Moves between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland count as NHS service for most purposes, but pay scales and some terms differ. Wales and Scotland have their own pay scales, and Northern Ireland sometimes implements pay awards later. Our guides to NHS pay in Wales and Northern Ireland explain the differences. If you move to Scotland or Northern Ireland, you will join a different NHS pension scheme, and your benefits can usually be linked or transferred.
Questions to ask before you accept a move
- Will I keep my current pay point and step date?
- How will my previous service count for leave and sick pay?
- Is there any gap between my contracts?
- Are there any repayment clauses for training or relocation in my current or new contract?
Common questions
Does bank work count as continuous service? Usually not. Bank workers are generally not employees between shifts, so bank work does not normally build continuity.
Does service with a private provider count? Service outside the NHS only counts at the employer's discretion, unless you transferred under TUPE from an NHS employer.
Will my DBS check transfer? Your new employer may accept a recent check or use the DBS update service, but this is their decision.
Check your leave
Use the annual leave calculator to see your entitlement with your total NHS service.
This guide explains the general rules for staff in England using 2026/27 figures. It is not financial advice. Your employer, payslip or NHS Pensions statement has the final word on your own pay.