Council Pay Calculator 2026/27: NJC pay spine
Work out your take-home pay on any NJC spinal column point for 2026/27, after income tax, National Insurance, LGPS pension and student loan. Includes the 3.3% pay award and part-time hours.
NJC pay spine 2026/27: take-home pay at every point
Full time (37 hours a week), paying into the LGPS main section, with tax code 1257L and no student loan. The hourly rate is the NJC figure for each point.
| Point | Pay a year | Hourly rate | LGPS rate | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCP 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 | 5.8% | £20,773 | £1,731 |
| SCP 4 | £26,016 | £13.48 | 5.8% | £21,044 | £1,754 |
| SCP 5 | £26,427 | £13.70 | 5.8% | £21,321 | £1,777 |
| SCP 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 | 5.8% | £21,604 | £1,800 |
| SCP 7 | £27,274 | £14.14 | 5.8% | £21,891 | £1,824 |
| SCP 8 | £27,709 | £14.36 | 5.8% | £22,184 | £1,849 |
| SCP 9 | £28,153 | £14.59 | 5.8% | £22,483 | £1,874 |
| SCP 10 | £28,608 | £14.83 | 5.8% | £22,790 | £1,899 |
| SCP 11 | £29,071 | £15.07 | 6.5% | £22,939 | £1,912 |
| SCP 12 | £29,542 | £15.31 | 6.5% | £23,254 | £1,938 |
| SCP 13 | £30,023 | £15.56 | 6.5% | £23,575 | £1,965 |
| SCP 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 | 6.5% | £23,904 | £1,992 |
| SCP 15 | £31,015 | £16.08 | 6.5% | £24,238 | £2,020 |
| SCP 16 | £31,525 | £16.34 | 6.5% | £24,578 | £2,048 |
| SCP 17 | £32,046 | £16.61 | 6.5% | £24,926 | £2,077 |
| SCP 18 | £32,578 | £16.89 | 6.5% | £25,282 | £2,107 |
| SCP 19 | £33,119 | £17.17 | 6.5% | £25,643 | £2,137 |
| SCP 20 | £33,673 | £17.45 | 6.5% | £26,013 | £2,168 |
| SCP 21 | £34,237 | £17.75 | 6.5% | £26,390 | £2,199 |
| SCP 22 | £34,811 | £18.04 | 6.5% | £26,773 | £2,231 |
| SCP 23 | £35,570 | £18.44 | 6.5% | £27,280 | £2,273 |
| SCP 24 | £36,581 | £18.96 | 6.5% | £27,956 | £2,330 |
| SCP 25 | £37,563 | £19.47 | 6.5% | £28,612 | £2,384 |
| SCP 26 | £38,510 | £19.96 | 6.5% | £29,244 | £2,437 |
| SCP 27 | £39,481 | £20.46 | 6.5% | £29,893 | £2,491 |
| SCP 28 | £40,444 | £20.96 | 6.5% | £30,536 | £2,545 |
| SCP 29 | £41,177 | £21.34 | 6.5% | £31,026 | £2,585 |
| SCP 30 | £42,123 | £21.83 | 6.5% | £31,658 | £2,638 |
| SCP 31 | £43,149 | £22.37 | 6.5% | £32,343 | £2,695 |
| SCP 32 | £44,253 | £22.94 | 6.5% | £33,081 | £2,757 |
| SCP 33 | £45,529 | £23.60 | 6.5% | £33,933 | £2,828 |
| SCP 34 | £46,579 | £24.14 | 6.5% | £34,634 | £2,886 |
| SCP 35 | £47,665 | £24.71 | 6.8% | £35,245 | £2,937 |
| SCP 36 | £48,738 | £25.26 | 6.8% | £35,960 | £2,997 |
| SCP 37 | £49,817 | £25.82 | 6.8% | £36,678 | £3,056 |
| SCP 38 | £50,908 | £26.39 | 6.8% | £37,442 | £3,120 |
| SCP 39 | £51,928 | £26.92 | 6.8% | £38,182 | £3,182 |
| SCP 40 | £53,051 | £27.50 | 6.8% | £38,997 | £3,250 |
| SCP 41 | £54,143 | £28.06 | 6.8% | £39,751 | £3,313 |
| SCP 42 | £55,224 | £28.62 | 6.8% | £40,334 | £3,361 |
| SCP 43 | £56,293 | £29.18 | 6.8% | £40,911 | £3,409 |
What the NJC pay spine is
Many council staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including many school support staff, are paid on the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services pay spine. It is a list of numbered spinal column points (SCPs), each with a yearly salary. The national spine runs from SCP 3 to SCP 43. Teachers are paid on separate national scales.
Your council puts each job in a grade, and each grade covers a few spinal column points. How and when you move up the points in your grade is set by your council's pay policy. Councils set their own grades, so there is no national grade-to-point table. Your council publishes its own pay scales, and your contract or payslip shows your point.
The 2026/27 pay award
The 2026/27 award is a 3.3% rise on every point from SCP 3 to SCP 43, effective from 1 April 2026. It was agreed on 24 August 2026, so councils paid it later in the year with arrears backdated to April. SCP 2 was deleted from 1 April 2026, so SCP 3 is now the lowest point. Allowances set by the NJC also rose by 3.3%.
Worked example. A full-time employee on SCP 3 earns £25,614. That is in the 5.8% LGPS band, so £1,485.61 goes to the pension before tax. Income tax is £2,311.68 and National Insurance is £1,043.52. That leaves £20,773.19 a year, about £1,731 a month.
Part-time council pay
The NJC full-time week is 37 hours. If you work fewer hours, your pay is pro rata: the full-time salary × your hours ÷ 37. For example, SCP 20 is £33,673 full time. At 22.5 hours a week that is £20,476.82. Your LGPS band is based on what you actually earn, so you pay 5.8% instead of 6.5%, and take home about £1,443 a month.
London weighting
We have not found a national London weighting rate in the NJC agreement, so this calculator does not add one. If you work in or near London, check your contract or payslip for any extra allowance your council pays.
LGPS contributions
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in England and Wales takes one rate from all your pensionable pay. Your rate depends on your actual yearly pensionable pay, not the full-time equivalent. Your employer checks your band each April and may change it during the year if your pay changes.
| Actual yearly pensionable pay | Main section | 50/50 section |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £18,400 | 5.5% | 2.75% |
| £18,401 to £29,000 | 5.8% | 2.9% |
| £29,001 to £47,300 | 6.5% | 3.25% |
| £47,301 to £59,800 | 6.8% | 3.4% |
| £59,801 to £84,000 | 8.5% | 4.25% |
| £84,001 to £119,100 | 9.9% | 4.95% |
| £119,101 to £140,400 | 10.5% | 5.25% |
| £140,401 to £210,700 | 11.4% | 5.7% |
| £210,701 and above | 12.5% | 6.25% |
Contributions are taken before income tax (a net pay arrangement), so you get tax relief at your highest rate. National Insurance is still worked out on your full pay. In the 50/50 section you pay half the main rate and build up half the pension while you are in it. Council staff in Northern Ireland are in a separate scheme with different rates, which this calculator does not use.
Related calculators
For teachers, see the teacher pay calculator, and for NHS staff the NHS pay calculator. Check any other salary with the take home pay calculator, or scale a salary to your hours with the pro-rata salary calculator. Work out extra hours with the overtime calculator, and see how pension contributions affect your pay with the pension calculator. For NHS staff, use the NHS pay calculator.
How this is worked out
We take the full-time salary for your spinal column point from the NJC 2026/27 pay spine and scale it by your hours ÷ 37. Your LGPS rate is picked from that actual yearly pay and taken off before income tax. Income tax, National Insurance and student loan then use the same 2026/27 rules as our take home pay calculator.
What this calculator assumes
- NJC for Local Government Services pay points 3 to 43 from 1 April 2026, and the 2026/27 tax year with England, Wales and Northern Ireland income tax rates, tax code 1257L and no other income.
- All your pay is pensionable. LGPS (England and Wales) contribution bands for 2026/27, chosen by your actual yearly pay. The main section or the 50/50 section rate applies to all your pay.
- Not included: overtime, allowances, London weighting, additional pension contributions, salary sacrifice schemes and employer pension contributions.
- Part-time pay is the full-time salary × your hours ÷ 37.
- The same pay every month, rounded to the nearest pound. Your payslip works out tax and NI each month, so it can differ by a few pounds.
Sources
- Local government services pay (Local Government Association)
- NJC pay scales 2026/27 agreement, NALC notice (HAPTC)
- Local government services pay agreement 2026/27, NALC advice note
- NJC pay award 2026/27 notice to schools (Devon County Council)
- New contribution bands 2026 (LGPS member site)
- Paying more into the LGPS (LGPS member site)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
- Repaying your student loan: what you pay (GOV.UK)
Checked against the LGA, NALC, the LGPS member site and GOV.UK on 12 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
The NJC pay award for 2026/27 is a 3.3% rise on pay points 3 to 43, from 1 April 2026. It was agreed on 24 August 2026, so councils paid it later in the year, with arrears backdated to April. For example, Devon County Council paid it in September 2026 pay. SCP 2 was deleted from 1 April 2026, so SCP 3 (£25,614) is now the lowest point.
There is no national link between grades and spinal column points. Each council sets its own grades and decides which points sit in each one, so a grade 5 at one council can cover different points from a grade 5 at another. Check your council's published pay scales or your contract.
The hourly rate is the full-time yearly salary ÷ 52.143 weeks ÷ 37 hours. For example, SCP 3 is £25,614 a year, which is £13.28 an hour.
It depends on your actual yearly pensionable pay, not the full-time salary. A full-time employee on SCP 3 (£25,614) pays 5.8% in the main section, and on SCP 43 (£56,293) pays 6.8%. Part-time staff are banded on what they actually earn, so they can pay a lower rate. In the 50/50 section you pay half the rate and build up half the pension.
We have not found a national London weighting rate in the NJC pay agreement, and this calculator does not add one. If you work in or near London, your council may pay an extra allowance, so check your contract or payslip.
No. The NJC pay spine covers councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish councils have their own pay arrangements. The pension rates here are for the LGPS in England and Wales; council staff in Northern Ireland are in a separate scheme with its own rates.