NHS Band 2 pay 2026/27
Band 2 was paid at £25,272 in England for 2026/27. Pay rose 3.3% versus 2025/26 pay scales. Backdated to 2026-04-01.
Band 2 pay scale, 2026/27
| Step | Years from entry | Annual | Hourly (37.5h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | From day one | £25,272 | £12.92 |
England, 2026/27, effective 2026-04-01. Source: Pay scales for 2026/27 — NHS Employers.
All Agenda for Change pay scales for 2026/27 were backdated to 1 April 2026. Salaries are subject to UK income tax, Class 1 National Insurance and NHS pension contributions. Use the take-home calculator for a personalised estimate.
The 2026/27 NHS pay deal in context
The 2026/27 pay round delivered a 3.3% consolidated uplift to every Agenda for Change pay point in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland's two-year deal added a further 3.75% on top of its revised 2025/26 baseline.
The NHS Pay Review Body recommended 3.3% in its 39th report in early 2026, which the UK Government accepted in full. NHS Employers published the implementing circular in February 2026, with the uplift applied to all pay points from 1 April 2026. Wales adopted the same percentage through AfC(W) 02/2026. Northern Ireland's HSC circular is expected later in 2026 following Executive sign-off. Scotland's separately negotiated multi-year settlement delivered 3.75% on top of a 2025/26 baseline that had been revised upwards via the inflation guarantee.
Every pay point on every band moved up by 3.3% on the 2025/26 figures in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The structural pay scale (number of steps per band, years to top) is unchanged from 2025/26. Scotland's structure remained two-step from Band 8a upward; England, Wales and NI kept the intermediate steps introduced in the 2024/25 deal.
Year-on-year change for Band 2
Compared with 2025/26, Band 2 entry pay rose by £807 (3.3%) . A pay scale for the following year has not been published yet.
- Previous year entry
- £24,465
- This year entry
- £25,272
2025/26
+ 3.3% vs previous year
Union response to the 2026/27 deal
The 2026/27 deal was accepted by the major NHS unions (RCN, Unison, Unite and the BMA AfC group) without strike action, in contrast to the disputes of 2022 and 2023. The settlement sits a fraction below the consensus inflation forecast for the financial year, so most staff will see a small real-terms erosion of pay if inflation comes in at or above the Bank of England's central projection.
Common questions about Band 2 pay in 2026/27
- How much did Band 2 pay increase in 2026/27?
- Band 2 pay in England rose from £24,465 to £25,272 for 2026/27, an increase of £807 (3.3%).
- When was the 2026/27 Band 2 pay rise paid?
- The new Band 2 rates were backdated to 2026-04-01. In most NHS Trusts the uplift first showed in the payslip a few months later, with arrears for the backdated period paid alongside the first new monthly rate.
- What is the hourly rate for Band 2 in 2026/27?
- Based on a 37.5-hour standard NHS week, Band 2 pay of £25,272 works out at £12.92 per hour.
- When does the 2026/27 NHS pay rise hit my pay packet?
- The uplift was applied to monthly pay from June or July 2026 in most Trusts, with arrears back to 1 April 2026 paid alongside the first new monthly rate. If you started in the NHS after 1 April, your arrears cover only the period from your start date to the implementation date.
- Is the 2026/27 pay rise above inflation?
- It depends on where inflation lands over the 2026/27 financial year. The 3.3% headline is slightly below most economist forecasts of around 3.4% to 3.6% CPI inflation for the year. Scottish staff have an inflation guarantee built into their multi-year deal: if CPI exceeds the deal-implied figure, the uplift will be topped up automatically.
- How does the 2026/27 uplift compare to last year?
- The 2026/27 deal of 3.3% is slightly below 2025/26 (3.6%) but above 2024/25 (5.5%) is not directly comparable because that deal included one-off elements. The Scottish 3.75% for 2026/27 is also lower than its 2025/26 component (4.4% after inflation guarantee triggered).