NHS Scotland Pay Calculator 2026/27
Take-home pay for NHS Scotland staff, with Scottish tax and pension.
Your details
Full time in NHS Scotland is 36 hours a week from April 2026.
Take-home pay each month
£2,161.60
£34,544 a year · £18.40 an hour
- Gross pay / month
- £2,878.67
- NHS Pension Scotland (8.7%)
- −£250.44
- Scottish income tax
- −£314.52
- National Insurance
- −£146.49
- Student loan
- −£5.62
- Take-home / year
- £25,939
NHS Scotland Agenda for Change pay scales from 1 April 2026 (2026/27), Scottish income tax rates and NHS Pension Scheme (Scotland) contribution tiers. Assumes tax code S1257L.
How it is worked out
- 1Choose your band and pay point on the NHS Scotland Agenda for Change scales from 1 April 2026.
- 2Full time in NHS Scotland is 36 hours a week from April 2026. Part-time pay is the full-time salary multiplied by your hours divided by 36.
- 3NHS Pension Scheme (Scotland) contributions come off before tax, at one of nine tiers from 5.7% to 12.7% based on your actual pay.
- 4Income tax uses the six Scottish bands for 2026/27, from the 19% starter rate to the 48% top rate. National Insurance and student loans use UK-wide rules.
Worth knowing
- Unsocial hours, overtime and on-call payments are not included.
- Scottish graduates usually repay a Plan 4 student loan.
- If you live outside Scotland but work for NHS Scotland, you pay income tax at the rate for where you live.
Common questions
How much is a Band 5 nurse paid in Scotland in 2026/27?+
Band 5 in NHS Scotland runs from £34,544 to £43,039 from 1 April 2026, for a 36-hour week. At entry, take-home pay is about £2,167 a month with the pension and no student loan.
Is NHS pay higher in Scotland than England?+
Yes, at every band. Scottish income tax is higher on middle and higher incomes, but most NHS staff in Scotland still take home more than the same band in England.
Sources
The rules and figures behind this calculator come from:
- NHS Scotland: Agenda for Change pay
- GOV.UK: Scottish Income Tax
- GOV.UK: National Insurance rates and categories
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency: NHS Pension Scheme
Results are estimates for Agenda for Change staff in NHS Scotland using 2026/27 Scottish pay scales, Scottish income tax and NHS Pension Scheme (Scotland) rates. They are not financial advice. Your payslip and the Scottish Public Pensions Agency have the final word.
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