Doctors' Pay Calculator 2026/27 (England)
Work out take-home pay for resident doctors and consultants in England for 2026/27, after income tax, National Insurance, NHS Pension and student loan. Uses the new 10-point resident doctor pay scale, backdated to 1 April 2026.
Resident doctor pay 2026/27: take-home at each nodal point
Full time, basic salary only, paying into the NHS Pension, with tax code 1257L and no student loan. Each nodal point shows the training stages paid on it.
| Nodal point | Pay a year | Pension | Income tax | NI | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: FY1 | £41,226 | £4,040 (9.8%) | £4,923 | £2,292 | £29,970 |
| 2: FY2 | £47,610 | £4,666 (9.8%) | £6,075 | £2,803 | £34,066 |
| 3a: CT1 / ST1 | £55,355 | £5,923 (10.7%) | £7,372 | £3,118 | £38,942 |
| 3b: CT2 / ST2 | £55,355 | £5,923 (10.7%) | £7,372 | £3,118 | £38,942 |
| 4a: CT3 / ST3 | £67,325 | £7,204 (10.7%) | £11,480 | £3,357 | £45,284 |
| 4b: CT4 / ST4 | £67,998 | £8,500 (12.5%) | £11,231 | £3,371 | £44,896 |
| 4c: ST5 | £67,998 | £8,500 (12.5%) | £11,231 | £3,371 | £44,896 |
| 5a: ST6 | £76,582 | £9,573 (12.5%) | £14,236 | £3,542 | £49,231 |
| 5b: ST7 | £77,348 | £9,669 (12.5%) | £14,504 | £3,558 | £49,618 |
| 5c: ST8 | £77,348 | £9,669 (12.5%) | £14,504 | £3,558 | £49,618 |
Monthly figures
Deductions are NHS Pension, income tax and National Insurance. Each figure is rounded to the nearest pound, so the columns may not add up exactly.
| Nodal point | Pay a month | Deductions a month | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: FY1 | £3,436 | £938 | £2,498 |
| 2: FY2 | £3,968 | £1,129 | £2,839 |
| 3a: CT1 / ST1 | £4,613 | £1,368 | £3,245 |
| 3b: CT2 / ST2 | £4,613 | £1,368 | £3,245 |
| 4a: CT3 / ST3 | £5,610 | £1,837 | £3,774 |
| 4b: CT4 / ST4 | £5,667 | £1,925 | £3,741 |
| 4c: ST5 | £5,667 | £1,925 | £3,741 |
| 5a: ST6 | £6,382 | £2,279 | £4,103 |
| 5b: ST7 | £6,446 | £2,311 | £4,135 |
| 5c: ST8 | £6,446 | £2,311 | £4,135 |
Consultant pay 2026/27: take-home at each threshold
Full-time basic salary on the 2003 consultant contract, by years completed as a consultant, paying into the NHS Pension, with tax code 1257L and no student loan.
| Threshold | Pay a year | Pension | Income tax | NI | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threshold 1 (0 to 2 years) | £113,565 | £14,196 (12.5%) | £27,180 | £4,282 | £67,908 |
| Threshold 2a (3 years) | £120,249 | £15,031 (12.5%) | £30,562 | £4,416 | £70,240 |
| Threshold 2b (4 to 7 years) | £123,672 | £15,459 (12.5%) | £32,360 | £4,484 | £71,369 |
| Threshold 3 (8 to 13 years) | £135,645 | £16,956 (12.5%) | £38,645 | £4,724 | £75,321 |
| Threshold 4 (14 or more years) | £150,569 | £18,821 (12.5%) | £45,490 | £5,022 | £81,236 |
Consultant monthly figures
| Threshold | Pay a month | Deductions a month | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threshold 1 (0 to 2 years) | £9,464 | £3,805 | £5,659 |
| Threshold 2a (3 years) | £10,021 | £4,167 | £5,853 |
| Threshold 2b (4 to 7 years) | £10,306 | £4,359 | £5,947 |
| Threshold 3 (8 to 13 years) | £11,304 | £5,027 | £6,277 |
| Threshold 4 (14 or more years) | £12,547 | £5,778 | £6,770 |
How resident doctor pay works from 2026
Resident doctors (previously called junior doctors) in England are paid under the 2016 contract. Your basic salary depends on your nodal point, which is set by your stage of training, not by years of service.
For 2026/27, the government first accepted the pay review body's 3.5% rise. After an agreement between the government and the BMA, NHS Employers then reissued its pay circular (1/2026 R2, dated 24 July 2026). It restructured the pay system from five nodal points to ten, lined up with the stages of training. The BMA says the offer was accepted and is backdated to 1 April 2026.
The rise depends on your grade. The BMA's guide puts it between 3.5% and 7.1%. A Foundation Year 1 doctor's basic salary went up by 6.2%, to £41,226. NHS Employers said the changes and arrears would be paid in September 2026 salaries.
Worked example. A full-time FY1 earns £41,226. That is in the 9.8% NHS Pension tier, so £4,040.15 goes to the pension before tax. Income tax is £4,923.17 and National Insurance is £2,292.48. That leaves £29,970.20 a year, about £2,498 a month.
Consultant pay thresholds
Consultants on the 2003 contract move up through pay thresholds by years completed as a consultant: threshold 1 for the first three years, threshold 2a after 3 years, 2b after 4 years, 3 after 8 years and 4 after 14 years. The 2026/27 values are 3.5% higher than in 2025/26. Pay for extra programmed activities, on-call and national clinical impact awards is on top of these figures.
What is not included
These figures are basic salary only. Your actual pay is usually higher. Under the 2016 contract you can also get:
- pay for extra rostered hours above the full-time week, with an enhancement for night hours
- a weekend allowance if you are rostered for weekends often enough (a percentage of full-time basic salary)
- an on-call availability allowance if you work an on-call rota (it varies by nodal point)
- flexible pay premia for some training programmes, and London weighting
- an allowance of £1,000 a year if you train less than full time
Consultants can also get pay for extra programmed activities, on-call supplements and clinical impact or excellence awards. This calculator leaves all of these out because they depend on your rota and contract.
NHS Pension contributions
Your NHS Pension contribution is one rate on all your pensionable pay. The rate depends on your actual yearly pensionable pay, after any less than full time reduction.
| Actual yearly pensionable pay | Rate on all pensionable pay |
|---|---|
| Up to £13,259 | 5.2% |
| £13,260 to £28,854 | 6.5% |
| £28,855 to £35,155 | 8.3% |
| £35,156 to £52,778 | 9.8% |
| £52,779 to £67,668 | 10.7% |
| £67,669 and above | 12.5% |
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. This calculator treats basic salary as your only pensionable pay; your employer's payroll decides what else counts.
Less than full time
If you train or work less than full time, your basic salary is pro rata: the full-time salary × your percentage. Your pension rate is based on what you actually earn, so it can be lower. For example, an FY1 at 80% earns £32,980.80, pays 8.3% into the NHS Pension and takes home about £2,090 a month, before the £1,000 allowance.
Pay over £100,000
Consultants should know about the Personal Allowance taper. Between £100,000 and £125,140 of pay after pension, you lose £1 of tax-free allowance for every £2 you earn. A full-time ST3 on £67,325 is well below this, but full-time consultants from threshold 2a upwards have more than £100,000 of pay after pension, so they lose some or all of it.
Related calculators
For other NHS staff, use the NHS pay calculator for Agenda for Change bands. Check any other salary with the take home pay calculator, see how pension contributions affect your pay with the pension calculator, or check repayments on each plan with the student loan calculator. The pro-rata salary calculator scales any salary to your hours.
How this is worked out
We take the full-time basic salary for your nodal point or threshold from NHS Employers' pay circular 1/2026 R2 and multiply it by your percentage of full time. Your NHS Pension rate is picked from that actual basic salary 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
- Pay scales for England from 1 April 2026: resident doctors on the 2016 contract and consultants on the 2003 contract. The 2026/27 tax year, with England, Wales and Northern Ireland income tax rates, tax code 1257L and no other income.
- Basic salary only, and only basic salary counts as pensionable pay here. Extra hours, nights, weekend allowance, on-call availability allowance, flexible pay premia, the less than full time allowance, London weighting, extra programmed activities and clinical impact awards are not included.
- NHS Pension (England and Wales) is one rate on all pensionable pay, chosen by your actual yearly pensionable pay. National Insurance and student loan are worked out on full pay.
- Less than full time pay is the full-time salary × your percentage.
- 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
- Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 1/2026 R2 (NHS Employers)
- Updated medical and dental pay and conditions circular (NHS Employers)
- Medical and dental pay and conditions circular 2026 (NHS Employers)
- A guide to the June 2026 offer for each grade of resident doctor (BMA)
- Cost of being in the NHS Pension Scheme (NHSBSA)
- 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 NHS Employers, the BMA, NHSBSA and GOV.UK on 12 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
From 1 April 2026 a full-time Foundation Year 1 doctor's basic salary is £41,226, 6.2% more than in 2025/26. With NHS Pension contributions of 9.8% and no student loan, that is about £2,498 a month after income tax, National Insurance and pension. Extra rostered hours, nights, weekends and on-call are paid on top.
Yes. All 2026/27 pay rates apply from 1 April 2026. NHS Employers said the first 3.5% uplift and arrears were due in June 2026 salaries, and the revised nodal point pay and its arrears in September 2026 salaries. Check your payslips, as each employer runs its own payroll.
The 2016 contract used to have five nodal points. After the agreement between the government and the BMA, there are now ten, lined up with the stages of training: 1 (FY1), 2 (FY2), 3a and 3b (CT1 and CT2, ST1 and ST2), 4a to 4c (CT3 and CT4, ST3 to ST5) and 5a to 5c (ST6 to ST8). Some pairs currently pay the same: 3a and 3b, 4b and 4c, and 5b and 5c.
A full-time consultant at threshold 1 has a basic salary of £113,565. With NHS Pension contributions of 12.5% and no student loan, that is about £5,659 a month. At threshold 4 (£150,569), it is about £6,770 a month. Extra programmed activities, on-call and clinical impact awards are not included.
No. The calculator uses basic salary only. Under the 2016 contract, extra rostered hours, night work, the weekend allowance, the on-call availability allowance and flexible pay premia are paid on top. Your work schedule sets these, so your real pay is usually higher than the figures here.
Your NHS Pension rate depends on your actual yearly pensionable pay, and one rate applies to all of it. Moving up a nodal point or threshold can take you into a higher tier, and then the higher rate applies to your whole pensionable pay, not just the part above the tier.