HSC Pay Scales in Northern Ireland
Health and social care staff in Northern Ireland are still paid at 2025/26 rates. The 2026/27 award has been promised but not implemented, so back pay is building up every month.
HSC Pay Now, and What the 2026/27 Award Adds
Band 5 is paid £31,049 to £37,796 today. At the provisional 2026/27 rates it would be £32,073 to £39,043. Because the award is expected to be backdated to 1 April 2026, the difference is not lost while you wait: it accrues as arrears. The last column shows how much has built up for the six months from April to September 2026.
| Band and Step | 2025/26, Paid Now | 2026/27, Provisional | Back Pay Built Up, April–September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 single step | £24,465 | £25,272 | £404 |
| Band 3 entry step | £24,937 | £25,760 | £412 |
| Band 3 top step | £26,598 | £27,476 | £439 |
| Band 4 entry step | £27,485 | £28,392 | £454 |
| Band 4 top step | £30,162 | £31,157 | £498 |
| Band 5 entry step | £31,049 | £32,073 | £512 |
| Band 5 mid step | £33,487 | £34,592 | £553 |
| Band 5 top step | £37,796 | £39,043 | £624 |
| Band 6 entry step | £38,682 | £39,959 | £639 |
| Band 6 mid step | £40,823 | £42,170 | £674 |
| Band 6 top step | £46,580 | £48,117 | £769 |
| Band 7 entry step | £47,810 | £49,387 | £789 |
| Band 7 mid step | £50,273 | £51,932 | £830 |
| Band 7 top step | £54,710 | £56,515 | £903 |
| Band 8a entry step | £55,690 | £57,528 | £919 |
| Band 8a mid step | £58,487 | £60,417 | £965 |
| Band 8a top step | £62,682 | £64,750 | £1,034 |
| Band 8b entry step | £64,455 | £66,582 | £1,064 |
| Band 8b mid step | £68,631 | £70,896 | £1,133 |
| Band 8b top step | £74,896 | £77,368 | £1,236 |
| Band 8c entry step | £76,965 | £79,504 | £1,270 |
| Band 8c mid step | £81,652 | £84,346 | £1,347 |
| Band 8c top step | £88,682 | £91,609 | £1,464 |
| Band 8d entry step | £91,342 | £94,356 | £1,507 |
| Band 8d mid step | £96,941 | £100,140 | £1,600 |
| Band 8d top step | £105,337 | £108,814 | £1,739 |
| Band 9 entry step | £109,179 | £112,782 | £1,802 |
| Band 9 mid step | £115,763 | £119,583 | £1,910 |
| Band 9 top step | £125,637 | £129,783 | £2,073 |
Full time, 37.5 hours, before tax. Back pay is the annual difference ÷ 12 × 6 months; each further month the award is not paid adds another twelfth. Part-time staff are owed the same proportion of their hours. 2026/27 figures are provisional until the Department of Health issues a pay circular. For your exact arrears, including a step change during the year, use the back pay calculator.
Take-Home Pay in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland uses the same income tax and National Insurance as England and Wales, but pensions are run by HSC Pension Service on its own tier table. What the award is worth each month at the entry step of each band:
| Band | Gross a Year, 2025/26 | Take-Home a Month Now | After the 2026/27 Award (Provisional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £24,465 | £1,652 | £1,697 |
| Band 3 | £24,937 | £1,678 | £1,724 |
| Band 4 | £27,485 | £1,820 | £1,870 |
| Band 5 | £31,049 | £1,980 | £2,036 |
| Band 6 | £38,682 | £2,356 | £2,424 |
| Band 7 | £47,810 | £2,843 | £2,927 |
| Band 8a | £55,690 | £3,257 | £3,347 |
| Band 8b | £64,455 | £3,644 | £3,735 |
| Band 8c | £76,965 | £4,111 | £4,218 |
| Band 8d | £91,342 | £4,715 | £4,841 |
| Band 9 | £109,179 | £5,464 | £5,615 |
Tax code 1257L, 2026/27 income tax and National Insurance, HSC Pension Scheme membership on the 2026/27 tier table, no student loan. Both columns use this year’s tax rules, so the difference is the award alone. Work out your own figure.
Recent HSC Pay Awards and When They Were Paid
- 2024/25: 5.5%, applied in Northern Ireland from 1 June 2024 rather than 1 April, under circular HSC (AfC) (6) 2024 dated 19 December 2024. The same circular introduced the intermediate step in bands 8a to 9 (circular).
- 2025/26: 3.6%, effective 1 April 2025, paid in February 2026 pay with full arrears back to 1 April 2025, which could not be spread over later months (BSO Payroll Shared Services).
- 2026/27: 3.3% committed, not yet implemented. provisional
Pay Steps and Progression in HSC
Northern Ireland uses the same minimum periods on each step as England: two years in bands 2 and 3, three in band 4, two then two more in band 5, and two then three more in bands 6 to 9. The intermediate step in bands 8a to 9 took effect from 1 June 2024; staff became eligible on the later of that date or the second anniversary of joining the band. Band 1 closed to new starters in Northern Ireland from 15 January 2020. Work out your own pay step dates.
HSC Pay Dates 2026/27
BSO Payroll Shared Services publishes monthly pay days of 28 Apr, 27 May, 26 Jun, 29 Jul, 26 Aug, 28 Sept, 28 Oct, 26 Nov, 23 Dec, 27 Jan, 24 Feb, 25 Mar, running from April 2026 to March 2027. December is paid on the 23rd, leaving 35 days until the January pay day. Payslips, cut-offs and the other nations are on the NHS pay dates page.
HSC Pension Scheme Contributions
| Tier | Actual Pensionable Pay | Contribution Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | £0 to £13,259 | 5.2% |
| Tier 2 | £13,260 to £28,854 | 6.7% |
| Tier 3 | £28,855 to £35,155 | 8.5% |
| Tier 4 | £35,156 to £52,778 | 10.0% |
| Tier 5 | £52,779 to £67,668 | 10.9% |
| Tier 6 | £67,669 and above | 12.7% |
Employers pay 23.2% on top. Tiers are set by actual pensionable pay, not whole-time equivalent. Source listed on the sources page.
The full 2026/27 tables for every nation are on the 2026/27 pay scales page, and the four nations guide explains how Northern Ireland differs from Scotland and Wales.
Common Questions
What Is Band 5 Pay in Northern Ireland?
HSC Band 5 is being paid at 2025/26 rates of £31,049 to £37,796 a year. Once the 2026/27 award is implemented it is expected to be £32,073 to £39,043, backdated to 1 April 2026; that figure is provisional until a pay circular is issued.
What Is Band 7 Pay in Northern Ireland?
HSC Band 7 is being paid at 2025/26 rates of £47,810 to £54,710 a year, rising to a provisional £49,387 to £56,515 for 2026/27 when the award is implemented.
When Will HSC Staff Get the 2026/27 Pay Rise?
No date has been set. The Health Minister committed on 12 February 2026 to the 3.3% award, but as of 16 September 2026 the Department of Health had not issued an Agenda for Change pay circular for 2026/27. The 2025/26 award was paid in February 2026 with full arrears to April 2025.
Is HSC Pay the Same as NHS Pay in England?
The pay scales have matched England's in recent years, but the awards reach payslips later. In 2024/25 the award applied in Northern Ireland from 1 June 2024 rather than 1 April, and the 2025/26 award was paid in February 2026, ten months after its effective date.