NHS Pay Scales 2018/19
The first year of the 2018 three-year pay deal, which replaced annual increments with pay points based on years of experience and began deleting the overlaps between bands.
Band 5 in England ran from £23,023 to £29,608 in 2018/19. These are England’s figures; see below for the other nations.
All years · 2019/20 → · Download CSV
What Changed in 2018/19
- Pay points became years of experience. From 2018/19 each point is described by the years in the band needed to reach it; the old spine point numbers were retired.
- The bottom of each band was cut. The lowest overlapping point was removed from every band, and the bottom three from band 2.
- A minimum rate of £17,460 was introduced, which is why bands 1 and 2 start at the same figure.
- Top points rose 3% in bands 2 to 8c. Bands 8d and 9 received the same cash increase as band 8c rather than a percentage.
- Band 1 closed to new starters from 1 December 2018.
The rates applied from 1 April 2018. NHS Employers published this poster on 13 July 2018.
Pay Scales, England 2018/19
Annual basic pay at each point, by years of experience in the band. Find your band, then the row for how long you had been in it on 1 April.
| Band | Years of Experience in Band | Annual | Monthly (Gross) | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 closed | Less than 1 year | £17,460 | £1,455 | £8.93 |
| Band 1 closed | 1+ years | £17,460 same as above | £1,455 | £8.93 |
| Band 2 | Less than 1 year | £17,460 | £1,455 | £8.93 |
| Band 2 | 1-2 years | £17,460 same as above | £1,455 | £8.93 |
| Band 2 | 2-3 years | £17,460 same as above | £1,455 | £8.93 |
| Band 2 | 3-4 years | £17,460 same as above | £1,455 | £8.93 |
| Band 2 | 4-5 years | £17,460 same as above | £1,455 | £8.93 |
| Band 2 | 5-6 years | £17,787 | £1,482 | £9.10 |
| Band 2 | 6+ years | £18,702 | £1,559 | £9.56 |
| Band 3 | Less than 1 year | £17,787 | £1,482 | £9.10 |
| Band 3 | 1-2 years | £17,787 same as above | £1,482 | £9.10 |
| Band 3 | 2-3 years | £18,429 | £1,536 | £9.42 |
| Band 3 | 3-4 years | £18,608 | £1,551 | £9.52 |
| Band 3 | 4-5 years | £19,122 | £1,594 | £9.78 |
| Band 3 | 5-6 years | £19,700 | £1,642 | £10.07 |
| Band 3 | 6+ years | £20,448 | £1,704 | £10.46 |
| Band 4 | Less than 1 year | £20,150 | £1,679 | £10.30 |
| Band 4 | 1-2 years | £20,150 same as above | £1,679 | £10.30 |
| Band 4 | 2-3 years | £20,859 | £1,738 | £10.67 |
| Band 4 | 3-4 years | £21,582 | £1,799 | £11.04 |
| Band 4 | 4-5 years | £22,238 | £1,853 | £11.37 |
| Band 4 | 5-6 years | £22,460 | £1,872 | £11.49 |
| Band 4 | 6+ years | £23,363 | £1,947 | £11.95 |
| Band 5 | Less than 1 year | £23,023 | £1,919 | £11.77 |
| Band 5 | 1-2 years | £23,023 same as above | £1,919 | £11.77 |
| Band 5 | 2-3 years | £23,951 | £1,996 | £12.25 |
| Band 5 | 3-4 years | £24,915 | £2,076 | £12.74 |
| Band 5 | 4-5 years | £25,934 | £2,161 | £13.26 |
| Band 5 | 5-6 years | £26,963 | £2,247 | £13.79 |
| Band 5 | 6-7 years | £28,050 | £2,338 | £14.35 |
| Band 5 | 7+ years | £29,608 | £2,467 | £15.14 |
| Band 6 | Less than 1 year | £28,050 | £2,338 | £14.35 |
| Band 6 | 1-2 years | £28,050 same as above | £2,338 | £14.35 |
| Band 6 | 2-3 years | £29,177 | £2,431 | £14.92 |
| Band 6 | 3-4 years | £30,070 | £2,506 | £15.38 |
| Band 6 | 4-5 years | £31,121 | £2,593 | £15.92 |
| Band 6 | 5-6 years | £32,171 | £2,681 | £16.45 |
| Band 6 | 6-7 years | £33,222 | £2,769 | £16.99 |
| Band 6 | 7-8 years | £34,403 | £2,867 | £17.59 |
| Band 6 | 8+ years | £36,644 | £3,054 | £18.74 |
| Band 7 | Less than 1 year | £33,222 | £2,769 | £16.99 |
| Band 7 | 1-2 years | £33,222 same as above | £2,769 | £16.99 |
| Band 7 | 2-3 years | £34,403 | £2,867 | £17.59 |
| Band 7 | 3-4 years | £36,111 | £3,009 | £18.47 |
| Band 7 | 4-5 years | £37,161 | £3,097 | £19.00 |
| Band 7 | 5-6 years | £38,344 | £3,195 | £19.61 |
| Band 7 | 6-7 years | £39,656 | £3,305 | £20.28 |
| Band 7 | 7-8 years | £41,034 | £3,420 | £20.99 |
| Band 7 | 8+ years | £43,041 | £3,587 | £22.01 |
| Band 8a | Less than 1 year | £42,414 | £3,535 | £21.69 |
| Band 8a | 1-2 years | £42,414 same as above | £3,535 | £21.69 |
| Band 8a | 2-3 years | £44,121 | £3,677 | £22.56 |
| Band 8a | 3-4 years | £45,827 | £3,819 | £23.44 |
| Band 8a | 4-5 years | £47,798 | £3,983 | £24.44 |
| Band 8a | 5+ years | £49,969 | £4,164 | £25.55 |
| Band 8b | Less than 1 year | £49,242 | £4,104 | £25.18 |
| Band 8b | 1-2 years | £49,242 same as above | £4,104 | £25.18 |
| Band 8b | 2-3 years | £51,737 | £4,311 | £26.46 |
| Band 8b | 3-4 years | £54,625 | £4,552 | £27.94 |
| Band 8b | 4-5 years | £57,515 | £4,793 | £29.41 |
| Band 8b | 5+ years | £59,964 | £4,997 | £30.67 |
| Band 8c | Less than 1 year | £59,090 | £4,924 | £30.22 |
| Band 8c | 1-2 years | £59,090 same as above | £4,924 | £30.22 |
| Band 8c | 2-3 years | £61,105 | £5,092 | £31.25 |
| Band 8c | 3-4 years | £63,966 | £5,331 | £32.71 |
| Band 8c | 4-5 years | £68,256 | £5,688 | £34.91 |
| Band 8c | 5+ years | £71,243 | £5,937 | £36.43 |
| Band 8d | Less than 1 year | £70,206 | £5,851 | £35.90 |
| Band 8d | 1-2 years | £70,206 same as above | £5,851 | £35.90 |
| Band 8d | 2-3 years | £73,132 | £6,094 | £37.40 |
| Band 8d | 3-4 years | £76,707 | £6,392 | £39.23 |
| Band 8d | 4-5 years | £80,606 | £6,717 | £41.22 |
| Band 8d | 5+ years | £85,333 | £7,111 | £43.64 |
| Band 9 | Less than 1 year | £84,507 | £7,042 | £43.22 |
| Band 9 | 1-2 years | £84,507 same as above | £7,042 | £43.22 |
| Band 9 | 2-3 years | £88,563 | £7,380 | £45.29 |
| Band 9 | 3-4 years | £92,814 | £7,735 | £47.47 |
| Band 9 | 4-5 years | £97,269 | £8,106 | £49.74 |
| Band 9 | 5+ years | £102,506 | £8,542 | £52.42 |
Years of experience are measured from the anniversary of appointment to the band. “Same as above” marks a point whose value equals the one before it: the old pay point was deleted in the restructure, so staff on it received the higher rate. Hourly = annual ÷ (37.5 × 52.143). Source: NHS Employers — NHS terms and conditions pay poster 2018/19 [Archived], cross-checked against the handbook archive table. Checked 2026-09-17.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The tables on this page are England’s. Each nation published its own scales for these years and they differ, so England’s figures should not be used for a post elsewhere. We have not yet checked the other nations’ tables for these years against their circulars, so we do not reproduce them. They are published by the Scottish Government’s NHS circulars archive (PCS(AFC) series), NHS Wales pay and conditions, and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland’s workforce policy guidance for each year.
Later Years and Your Pay Today
The full tables for all four nations from 2022/23 onwards, with take-home pay, are on the pay scales hub. If you are owed money from one of these years — a missed step or unpaid arrears — your employer’s payroll team holds the records; the increment dates guide explains how the step rules work and what to ask for.