NHS Band 4 pay 2024/25
Band 4 salaries in England for 2024/25 ran from £26,530 at entry to £29,114 at the top step. Pay rose 5.5% versus 2023/24 pay scales. Backdated to 2024-04-01.
Band 4 pay scale, 2024/25
| Step | Years from entry | Annual | Hourly (37.5h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | From day one | £26,530 | £13.57 |
| Top | After 3 years | £29,114 | £14.89 |
| Full range | £26,530 to £29,114 | £13.57 to £14.89 | |
England, 2024/25, effective 2024-04-01. Source: Pay scales for 2024/25 — NHS Employers.
All Agenda for Change pay scales for 2024/25 were backdated to 1 April 2024. 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 2024/25 NHS pay deal in context
The 2024/25 pay round delivered a 5.5% consolidated uplift across all bands. England, Wales and Northern Ireland also introduced intermediate pay points for Bands 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d and 9 for the first time, easing progression at senior levels. Scotland delivered the same 5.5% increase under its multi-year deal.
The NHS Pay Review Body recommended a 5.5% consolidated uplift in its 37th report. The UK Government accepted the recommendation, with NHS Employers publishing the new scales in August 2024. Wales followed with AfC(W) 02/2024 on 30 October 2024, also implementing the new intermediate pay points for Bands 8a and above that had been agreed in partnership with Welsh trade unions. Scotland delivered 5.5% under the first year of its 2024/25 to 2026/27 multi-year settlement.
Every pay point moved up by 5.5%. Critically, for the first time in many years, the pay structure itself changed at Bands 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d and 9, with new intermediate pay points added between the historic entry and top points. Staff at those bands now progress to the intermediate step after two years and the top step after a further three years, rather than spending five years on a single rate with no internal progression.
Year-on-year change for Band 4
Compared with 2023/24, Band 4 entry pay rose by £1,383 (5.5%) . Top-of-band pay rose by £1,518 (5.5%). The following year, 2025/26, Band 4 entry pay moved to £27,485.
- Previous year entry
- £25,147
- This year entry
- £26,530
2023/24
+ 5.5% vs previous year
Union response to the 2024/25 deal
The 2024/25 deal was accepted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland without strike action, marking a clear de-escalation from the 2022 and 2023 disputes that had seen multiple unions ballot for and take industrial action. The decision to add intermediate pay points for Bands 8a-9 was a significant concession to senior nursing and AHP staff who had been campaigning for better progression. Scotland avoided industrial action entirely because the multi-year deal had been agreed in partnership ahead of the formal Pay Review Body process.
Common questions about Band 4 pay in 2024/25
- How much did Band 4 pay increase in 2024/25?
- Band 4 entry pay in England rose from £25,147 to £26,530 (5.5%). Top-of-band pay rose from £27,596 to £29,114 (5.5%).
- When was the 2024/25 Band 4 pay rise paid?
- The new Band 4 rates were backdated to 2024-04-01. 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 4 in 2024/25?
- Based on a 37.5-hour standard NHS week, Band 4 entry pay of £26,530 works out at £13.57 per hour. Top-of-band pay of £29,114 works out at £14.89 per hour.
- Why did 8a-9 get new pay points in 2024/25?
- Senior NHS nursing and AHP staff had been arguing for years that the single-rate structure at Bands 8a-9 (entry and top with no intermediate point) compared poorly with the multi-step progression at lower bands. The 2024/25 deal added explicit intermediate pay points, giving these staff a tangible progression milestone after two years rather than five.
- What was the cash value of the 2024/25 uplift?
- A Band 5 newly qualified nurse saw entry pay rise from £28,407 to £29,970, a £1,563 annual increase. A Band 6 specialist nurse went from £35,392 to £37,338, up £1,946. A Band 7 ward manager at the top step moved from £50,056 to £52,809, a £2,753 increase.
- Did Scotland get more than England in 2024/25?
- Scotland's 2024/25 deal was the same headline 5.5% as England, but applied to a higher 2023/24 baseline. So in cash terms, Scottish staff at every band earned more than their English counterparts. The Scottish baseline had been lifted by structural changes negotiated in the previous deal.