NHS Band 2 pay after tax
Take-home pay a month
£1,700.26
A full-time Band 2 salary in England starts at £25,272. After income tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension contributions you take home £1,700.26 a month.
A full-time Band 2 job in England pays £25,272 at both of its pay points in 2026/27, so there is no step up with service. After deductions that is £1,700.26 a month. Scotland has two different Band 2 points, and the higher one leaves £1,900.76 a month.
| Pay point | Salary | Pension | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £25,272 | £1,642.68 | £20,403.10 | £1,700.26 |
| Top | £25,272 | £1,642.68 | £20,403.10 | £1,700.26 |
Pay scale: www.nhsemployers.org/system/files/2026-02/2026%20AfC%20pay%20scales.pdf, effective 1 April 2026
| Pay point | Salary | Pension | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point 1 | £26,696 | £1,708.54 | £21,415.36 | £1,784.61 |
| Point 2 | £28,988 | £2,029.16 | £22,809.10 | £1,900.76 |
Pay scale: www.publications.scot.nhs.uk/files/pcs2026-afc-01.pdf, effective 1 April 2026
Band 2 roles and the flat England rate
Healthcare assistant, security officer, secretary/typist, domestic team leader, driver, housekeeping assistant and domestic support worker all appear as Band 2 examples on the NHS careers pay rates page.
The England pay scale lists an entry point and a top point for Band 2, but both carry the same salary of £25,272. That is also the rate for the closed Band 1. Moving up a point on Band 2 in England therefore makes no difference to take-home pay, which stays at £20,403.10 a year.
Where the Band 2 money goes
The NHS Pension takes £1,642.68 from the England Band 2 salary. Income tax comes to £2,210.06 and National Insurance to £1,016.16. None of the pay reaches the higher rate, so every taxed pound is charged at 20%.
Because the pension is paid before tax, each pound of contribution costs less than a pound of take-home. On Band 2 the yearly pension deduction is smaller than the income tax bill but larger than the National Insurance.
Two Scottish points for Band 2
In Scotland, Band 2 starts at £26,696 and rises to £28,988 at the second point. Both are above the England figure. The second point is also where a higher Scottish pension tier begins, so the contribution rises from £1,708.54 to £2,029.16.
Take-home for Scottish Band 2 staff is £21,415.36 a year at the first point and £22,809.10 at the second. Neither point reaches the Scottish intermediate rate of 21%. For other hours or a student loan, the NHS pay calculator works out the same figures for any Band 2 point.
Questions
Why do both England Band 2 points show the same pay?
The 2026/27 England scale from NHS Employers gives the Band 2 entry and top points the same salary, £25,272. So the two rows in the England table are identical.
What is Band 2 a month after tax and pension?
In England a full-time Band 2 employee keeps £1,700.26 a month. In Scotland the monthly figure is £1,784.61 at the first point and £1,900.76 at the second.
How much National Insurance does Band 2 pay?
On the England rate, employee National Insurance is £1,016.16 a year at 8% of pay above £12,570. The NHS Pension does not reduce the pay that National Insurance is charged on.