NHS Band 3 pay after tax
Take-home pay a month
£1,727.42
A full-time Band 3 salary in England starts at £25,760. After income tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension contributions you take home £1,727.42 a month.
NHS Band 3 in England runs from £25,760 to £27,476 in 2026/27. Full-time take-home is £1,727.42 a month at entry and £1,822.95 at the top, after the NHS Pension, income tax and National Insurance. The Scottish Band 3 scale starts above the England top point.
| Pay point | Salary | Pension | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £25,760 | £1,674.40 | £20,729.08 | £1,727.42 |
| Top | £27,476 | £1,785.94 | £21,875.37 | £1,822.95 |
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 | £29,103 | £2,037.21 | £22,885.46 | £1,907.12 |
| Point 2 | £31,409 | £2,198.63 | £24,416.65 | £2,034.72 |
Pay scale: www.publications.scot.nhs.uk/files/pcs2026-afc-01.pdf, effective 1 April 2026
Band 3 jobs and the step between points
The NHS careers pay rates page names emergency care assistant and occupational therapy support worker as examples of Band 3 roles.
Band 3 in England has two points, and moving from the first to the second lifts yearly take-home from £20,729.08 to £21,875.37. The gain in take-home is roughly two thirds of the rise in salary, because tax, National Insurance and the pension each take a share of the extra pay.
Both England points sit in the same NHS Pension tier, so the contribution grows only in line with pay, from £1,674.40 to £1,785.94. The step into the next tier comes further up the scale, on Band 4.
Tax on Band 3 pay
All of the taxable pay on England's Band 3 falls in the basic rate band. Income tax is £2,301.32 at entry and £2,622.21 at the top point, and National Insurance runs from £1,055.20 to £1,192.48.
These are annual figures for someone with the standard tax code, no student loan and no other income. A monthly payslip can differ by a few pence, as the methodology page explains.
Band 3 on the Scottish scale
NHS Scotland pays Band 3 at £29,103 and £31,409. Even the first Scottish point is higher than the top of the England band. Both Scottish points fall in one pension tier, with contributions of £2,037.21 and £2,198.63.
Scottish Band 3 pay stays inside the starter and basic income tax bands, so none of it is taxed at the intermediate rate. Take-home is £22,885.46 a year at the first point and £24,416.65 at the second, well ahead of either England figure.
Questions
What is NHS Band 3 a month after tax?
In England, a full-time Band 3 employee keeps £1,727.42 a month at the entry point and £1,822.95 at the top point, with the NHS Pension already taken off.
Does the Band 3 pension rate change between points?
No. In England both Band 3 points fall in the same contribution tier, and the same is true of the two Scottish points, although the Scottish tier and rate differ from England's.
Is Band 3 pay higher in Scotland?
Yes. The Scottish Band 3 scale runs from £29,103 to £31,409, and a Scottish taxpayer at the first point takes home £1,907.12 a month.