NHS Band 6 pay after tax
Take-home pay a month
£2,429.93
A full-time Band 6 salary in England starts at £39,959. After income tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension contributions you take home £2,429.93 a month.
A full-time Band 6 salary in England is £39,959 at entry, £42,170 at the middle point and £48,117 at the top in 2026/27. After deductions that gives £2,429.93 to £2,866.11 a month. In Scotland the Band 6 top point is the lowest NHS point with some pay taxed at the Scottish higher rate.
| Pay point | Salary | Pension | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £39,959 | £3,915.98 | £29,159.10 | £2,429.93 |
| Intermediate | £42,170 | £4,132.66 | £30,577.67 | £2,548.14 |
| Top | £48,117 | £4,715.47 | £34,393.26 | £2,866.11 |
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 | £43,231 | £4,236.64 | £31,203.48 | £2,600.29 |
| Point 2 | £45,135 | £4,739.18 | £32,158.32 | £2,679.86 |
| Point 3 | £52,679 | £5,531.30 | £36,303.22 | £3,025.27 |
Pay scale: www.publications.scot.nhs.uk/files/pcs2026-afc-01.pdf, effective 1 April 2026
Band 6 roles
School nurse, experienced paramedic, estates officer, health records manager and clinical psychology trainee are listed as Band 6 examples on the NHS careers pay rates page.
One pension tier across England's Band 6
All three England Band 6 points fall in a single NHS Pension tier, the same one as the Band 5 top point. The contribution therefore grows in step with pay, from £3,915.98 to £4,715.47, with no sudden jump.
The widest gap on the band is between the middle and top points. Moving across it lifts take-home from £30,577.67 to £34,393.26 a year.
Income tax on England's Band 6 is charged at the basic rate only, from £4,692.80 to £6,164.51. The top salary is also below £50,270, so all of the National Insurance, £2,843.76 at the top, is at the main rate of 8%.
Scotland: two tiers and a higher rate slice
The Scottish Band 6 scale pays £43,231, £45,135 and £52,679. A new tier of the Scottish pension scheme begins exactly at the second point, so the deduction there rises to £4,739.18 and only about half of that pay step reaches take-home.
The Scottish top point is high enough for part of the taxable pay to fall in the Scottish higher rate band, taxed at 42%. Income tax there is £7,780.30, and take-home is £36,303.22. That is still more than the England top point leaves, because the Scottish salary is higher. The methodology page sets out each step of the calculation.
Questions
What is Band 6 a month after tax?
In England a full-time Band 6 employee takes home £2,429.93 a month at entry, £2,548.14 at the middle point and £2,866.11 at the top.
Does anyone on Band 6 pay higher rate tax?
Not in England, where every Band 6 point stays in the basic rate band. In Scotland the top Band 6 point has a slice of pay taxed at the Scottish higher rate.
Does the pension rate change inside Band 6?
Not in England, where all three points share one tier. In Scotland the rate steps up at the second point, and the third point stays in that same higher tier.