CT1 to CT4 doctor pay after tax 2026/27

Take-home pay a month

£3,245.31

£38,943.71 a year from a salary of £55,355.00

Your details

Grade and pay point CT1 (nodal point 3a)CT2 (nodal point 3b)CT3 (nodal point 4a)CT4 (nodal point 4b)

Share of full time %

Percent of a full-time post

I pay into this pension scheme

Student loan NonePlan 1Plan 2Plan 4 (Scotland)Plan 5 Postgraduate loan as well

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Where your salary goes

	A year
Salary	£55,355.00
NHS Pension (10.7%)	£5,922.99
Income tax	£7,370.60
National Insurance	£3,117.70
Take-home pay	£38,943.71

How this was worked out

1. Pension rate: pay of £55,355.00 is in the tier from £52,779 to £67,668, so 10.7%
2. Salary: £55,355
3. Pension (net pay): £55,355 × 10.7% = £5,922.99, taken off before tax
4. Personal allowance: £12,570. Payroll applies it as tax code 1257L, which gives £12,579 of tax-free pay.
5. Taxable income: £49,432.01 − £12,579 = £36,853.01
6. Basic rate: £36,853.01 × 20% = £7,370.60
7. Income tax: £7,370.60
8. National Insurance: (£50,270 − £12,570) × 8% = £3,016, plus (£55,355 − £50,270) × 2% = £101.70, total £3,117.70
9. Take-home pay: £55,355 − £7,370.60 − £3,117.70 − £5,922.99 = £38,943.71

• Tax year: 2026/27. Tax code: 1257L. Income tax nation: England.
• Pension: NHS Pension Scheme contribution at the tier for the selected pay. Student loan: none unless selected in the calculator.
• Full-time basic pay, for a full tax year. Money is rounded to the nearest penny.

Doctors in core training in England are paid £55,355 to £67,998 in 2026/27, depending on the year. That leaves roughly £3,245.31 to £3,741.67 a month after the NHS Pension, tax and National Insurance.

Pay scale: www.nhsemployers.org/system/files/2026-07/Pay-and-Conditions-Circular-%28MD%29-1-2026-R2.pdf

How core training maps to the scale

Core training years CT1 and CT2 are paid at nodal points 3a and 3b, which have the same salary. CT3 moves to point 4a and CT4 to point 4b. The same points apply to specialty registrars at the matching stage, so a CT3 and an ST3 are paid alike.

CT1 and CT2 just miss the higher rate

The CT1 and CT2 salary is above the higher rate threshold before deductions. Once the NHS Pension contribution comes off, taxable pay falls just under it, so all income tax is at the basic rate. National Insurance on the part above the upper earnings limit is at the lower additional rate.

Why CT4 can take home less than CT3

CT4 pays a little more than CT3, but the CT4 salary crosses into the top NHS Pension tier. The higher rate then applies to the whole salary. The extra pension contribution is larger than the pay rise, so CT4 take-home is slightly lower than CT3 take-home in 2026/27, even after tax relief. The pension built each year does rise.

The table on this page shows both rows. The NHS pension calculator shows what the higher contribution buys in yearly pension.

Questions

Do CT1 and CT2 doctors pay higher rate tax?

Not on basic pay, because the NHS Pension contribution brings taxable pay below the higher rate threshold.

Is CT4 pay lower than CT3?

The salary is higher, but take-home is slightly lower, because CT4 falls in a higher NHS Pension tier and that rate applies to all of the pay.

What does a core trainee take home each month?

Between about £3,245.31 and £3,741.67 in 2026/27 on basic salary.