NHS Band 5 Pay
Band 5 pays £32,073 to £39,043 a year in England for 2026/27, depending on your step. That is about £2,040 a month take-home at the entry step.
| Band | Step | Annual | Monthly Gross | Hourly | Monthly Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 5 | Entry step | £32,073 | £2,673 | £16.40 | £2,040 |
| Band 5 | Mid step | £34,592 | £2,883 | £17.69 | £2,177 |
| Band 5 | Top step | £39,043 | £3,254 | £19.97 | £2,381 |
Take-home assumes tax code 1257L, NHS pension membership, no London supplement and no student loan. Work out your own figure.
Band 5 across the Four Nations
Same band, same step, four different answers — separate awards, separate tax, and a shorter week in Scotland.
| Nation | Week | Award | Gross | Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 37.5h | 3.3% | £32,073 | £24,483 |
| Scotland | 36h | 3.75% | £34,544 | £26,007 |
| Wales | 37.5h | 3.3% | £32,557 | £24,799 |
| Northern Ireland provisional | 37.5h | — | £32,073 | £24,432 |
Band 5 Pay over Five Years
| Year | Award | Entry Step | Top Step | Full Tables |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | 3.3% | £32,073 | £39,043 | 2026/27 scales |
| 2025/26 | — | £31,049 | £37,796 | 2025/26 scales |
| 2024/25 | — | £29,970 | £36,483 | 2024/25 scales |
| 2023/24 | — | £28,407 | £34,581 | 2023/24 scales |
| 2022/23 | — | £27,055 | £32,934 | 2022/23 scales |
Entry-step pay has risen £5,018 since 2022/23, an increase of 18.5% over five years before inflation.
Which Jobs Are Band 5?
77 nationally profiled job titles are matched to Band 5, across 42 job families, from the NHS Employers A–Z job profile index.
A national profile is not a guarantee. A national profile is the job-evaluation match for a role. Individual posts are matched locally, so an employer may band a job differently from the national profile.
Band 5 Pay by Profession
Pay is set by the band, not the profession: a Band 5 nurse and a Band 5 midwife on the same step are paid the same basic salary. What differs is which of a profession’s national profiles sit at this band, and where the next one up is.
| Profession | National Profiles at Band 5 | Pay Range | Next Profile Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse | Nurse Nurse (Community) Nurse (GP Practice) Nurse (Learning Disabilities) Nurse (Mental Health) Nurse (Schools) Theatre Nurse Theatre nurse/practitioner |
£32,073 to £39,043 | Nurse Specialist (Band 6) Nurse Specialist (Community) (Band 6) |
| Midwife | Midwife Entry Level Midwifery band 5 |
£32,073 to £39,043 | Midwife (Community) (Band 6) Midwife (Hospital) (Band 6) |
| Physiotherapist | Physiotherapist | £32,073 to £39,043 | Physiotherapist Specialist (Band 6) Physiotherapist Specialist (Experienced Rotational) (Band 6) |
| Occupational therapist | Occupational Therapist | £32,073 to £39,043 | Occupational Therapist Specialist (Band 6) |
| Radiographer or sonographer | Radiographer (Diagnostic) Radiography (Therapeutic) |
£32,073 to £39,043 | Radiographer Specialist (Diagnostic Therapeutic) (Band 6) |
| Paramedic | Paramedic (Newly Qualified) Paramedic Entry Level |
£32,073 to £39,043 | Paramedic (Band 6) |
| Biomedical scientist | Biomedical Scientist | £32,073 to £39,043 | Biomedical Scientist Specialist (Band 6) Biomedical Scientist Team Leader (Band 6) |
| Clinical physiologist | Physiological Measurement Practitioner/Clinical Physiologist | £32,073 to £39,043 | Specialist Physiological Measurement Practitioner/Clinical Physiologist (Band 6) |
| Pharmacist | Pharmacist Entry Level | £32,073 to £39,043 | Pharmacist (Band 6) |
| Speech and language therapist | Speech and Language Therapist | £32,073 to £39,043 | Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Band 6) |
| Dietitian | Dietitian | £32,073 to £39,043 | Dietitian Specialist (Band 6) |
| Social worker | Social Work Entry Level | £32,073 to £39,043 | Residential Day Care - Social Work (Residential) (Band 6) Social Work Residential (Band 6) |
| Pharmacy technician | Pharmacy Technician Higher Level (Pharmacy or Primary Care) | £32,073 to £39,043 | Pharmacy Technician Specialist (Band 6) |
| Assistant or associate practitioner | Clinical Psychology, Assistant Practitioner (Higher Level) Residential Senior Care - Social Work Assistant Practitioner Social Work Assistant Practitioner (Residential) |
£32,073 to £39,043 | — |
| Dental nurse | Dental Nurse Higher Level Dental Nurse Team Leader |
£32,073 to £39,043 | Dental Nurse team Manager (Band 6) Dental Nurse Tutor (Band 6) |
Profile titles and bands from the NHS Employers A–Z job profile index (January 2026). Pay range runs from the entry step of the lowest band to the top step of the highest band the profiles cover. Your own post is banded by local job matching, which can differ from the national profile.
All 77 Profiled Job Titles at Band 5
- Ambulance Practitioner Higher Level Ambulance Service
- Ambulance Practitioner Specialist ES
- Anatomical Pathology Technician Higher Level (Mortuary) Anatomical pathology
- Biomedical Scientist Biomedical scientists clinical support workers
- Business/Administrative Manager Business & Projects
- Call handler supervisor Ambulance Service
- Catering Manager SS
- Chaplain Entry Level Chaplaincy
- Clinical Audit Facilitator/Analyst Public Health/Health Improvement
- Clinical Coding Officer Team Leader Patient Services
- Clinical Psychology, Assistant Practitioner (Higher Level) Psychological professions
- Communications Officer Public Relations
- Counsellor Entry Level Psychological professions
- Day Centre Carer (Higher Level/Team Leader) PSS
- Dental Nurse Higher Level Dental Nursing
- Dental Nurse Team Leader Dental Nursing
- Dental Technician Dental Services
- Dietitian Dietetics
- Dispatcher higher level Ambulance Service
- Duty/Shift Officer (control centre) Ambulance Service
- Finance Analyst Finance
- Finance Team Manager Finance
- Health Improvement Practitioner Public Health/Health Improvement
- Health Records Section Manager/Assistant Health Records Manager (Multi Section Unit) Patient Services
- Healthcare Science Practitioner Health Care Science
- Home Care Team Leader ( Staff Supervision and Client Assessment) Home Care
- HR Advisor Human Resources
- IM&T Analyst/Technician, Higher Level Information Technology
- Information Analyst (Statistics/Information Management/Public Health Intelligence) IM&T Analyst/Technician, Higher Level Information Technology
- Librarian Information Services
- Medical Engineering Technician Medical Technology
- Medical Physics Technician Clinical Sciences
- Midwife Entry Level NM
- Midwifery band 5 Midwifery
- Nurse NM
- Nurse (Community) NM
- Nurse (GP Practice) NM
- Nurse (Learning Disabilities) NM
- Nurse (Mental Health) NM
- Nurse (Schools) NM
- Nursing: Band 5 Combined Nursing
- Occupational Therapist Occupational Therapy
- Occupational Therapy Technical Instructor Higher Level Occupational Therapy
- ODP: Band 5i Operating Department Practitioners
- ODP: Band 5ii* Operating Department Practitioners
- Optometrist Orthoptists and Optometrists
- Oral Health Practitioner Dental Services
- Orthoptist Orthoptists and Optometrists
- PALS Officer Higher Level 1 Public Relations
- Paramedic (Newly Qualified) ES
- Paramedic Entry Level Ambulance Service
- Personal Assistant AS
- Pharmacist Entry Level Pharmacy
- Pharmacy Technician Higher Level (Pharmacy or Primary Care) Pharmacy
- Physiological Measurement Practitioner/Clinical Physiologist Medical Technology
- Physiotherapist Physiotherapy
- Play Specialist Higher Level / Team Leader Play Specialists
- Podiatrist Podiatry
- Practice Manager (Small Practice) Patient Services
- Primary Care Mental Health Worker (Graduate) Psychological professions
- Procurement Officer SS
- Project Support Manager Business & Projects
- Radiographer (Diagnostic) Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiographers
- Radiography (Therapeutic) Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiographers
- Rehabilitation Worker (Sensory Impairment) Social Work
- Residential Carer Team Leader PSS
- Residential Day Care - Day Centre Carer (Higher Level/Team Leader) Residential Day care
- Residential Senior Care - Social Work Assistant Practitioner Residential Day care
- Social Work Assistant Practitioner (Residential) PSS
- Social Work Entry Level Social Work
- Solicitor entry level Legal Services
- Speech and Language Therapist Speech and language Therapy
- Support Services Team Manager Support Services
- Theatre Nurse Theatre Nurses
- Theatre nurse/practitioner Theatre Nurses
- Tradesperson Higher Level Estates & Maintenance
- Tradesperson Team Leader Estates & Maintenance
Full job descriptions and the responsibilities each role is scored against are published by NHS Employers as national profile documents. We link them rather than reproduce them, so you always read the current version: browse the profile documents. To understand how a role ends up in this band at all, see how pay bands are decided.
What Makes a Job Band 5
Bands are not assigned by judgement. Every NHS role is scored against 16 factors under the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme — knowledge and experience, responsibility for patient care, freedom to act, physical and emotional effort, working conditions and others. Each factor is awarded points according to the level the job demands, and the 1000 points available add up to a single total.
That total decides the band. Band 5 covers jobs scoring 326-395 points.
| Band | Total Score |
|---|---|
| Band 1 | 0-160 points |
| Band 2 | 161-215 points |
| Band 3 | 216-270 points |
| Band 4 | 271-325 points |
| Band 5 | 326-395 points |
| Band 6 | 396-465 points |
| Band 7 | 466-539 points |
| Band 8 | 540-584 points |
| Band 9 | 585-629 points |
This is why taking on extra duties does not by itself change your band: the job description has to be re-evaluated and score into the next range. How the 16 factors are scored →
Pension at Band 5
At £32,073 your contribution tier is 8.3%, which is £2,662 a year, or £222 a month. Because it comes out before income tax, the real cost to your take-home is less than the headline rate.
Your employer pays 23.7% on top — £7,601 a year at this salary. That is money most pay calculators never show you, and it is the single biggest reason opting out is rarely a good deal.
Tiers are slabs, not slices. Cross a threshold and the higher rate applies to all your pensionable pay, not just the part above it. A pay rise that nudges you over a boundary can leave a smaller increase than you expected — the calculator shows which tier you land in and why.
London Weighting at Band 5
England only. A percentage of basic pay, capped at an annual minimum and maximum — which is why the headline percentage is not what everyone receives.
| Zone | Rate | Supplement | Extra Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 20% | £6,415 | +£3,731 |
| Outer London | 15% | £4,870 (at the minimum) | +£2,740 |
| Fringe | 5% | £1,604 | +£1,048 |
Moving Up from Band 5
What a promotion is actually worth, after tax, National Insurance and pension — not the gross difference.
| Band | Gross | Take-Home | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 4 entry step | £28,392 | £22,486 | −£1,997 |
| Band 5 entry step | £32,073 | £24,483 | — |
| Band 6 entry step | £39,959 | £29,158 | +£4,675 |
What does it take to reach Band 6? There is no national answer, and any site that gives you one has invented it. Agenda for Change does not publish promotion criteria — each vacancy sets its own person specification, and the post is banded by job evaluation. What you can do is read the national profiles for Band 6 to see the responsibilities those roles are scored against, then compare them with your current job description.
Moving up a step within your own band is different, and happens on your incremental date — see when your increment is due.
Common Questions
How Much Does Band 5 Earn in 2026/27?
In England, Band 5 pay runs from £32,073 to £39,043 a year full time for 2026/27. The entry step of £32,073 works out at about £2,040 a month after tax, National Insurance and pension.
What Is Band 5 Take-Home Pay a Month?
About £2,040 a month at the entry step, on a standard tax code with NHS pension membership and no London supplement. Your own figure depends on your step, hours, nation and circumstances.
Which Jobs Are Band 5?
77 nationally profiled job titles are matched to Band 5, across families including Ambulance Service, ES, Anatomical pathology, Biomedical scientists clinical support workers. Individual posts are banded locally, so an employer may band a job differently from the national profile.
What Are the Requirements to Reach the Next Band?
There is no national answer. Agenda for Change does not publish promotion criteria — each vacancy sets its own person specification and the post is banded by job evaluation, not by the person filling it. The national job profiles show the responsibilities roles at the next band are scored against.
Does Band 5 Pay Differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Each nation negotiates its own award, and Scotland also has a shorter standard working week — 36 hours from April 2026 against 37.5 elsewhere. The comparison table on this page shows all four.