NHS Pay Scales 2020/21
The final year of the 2018 deal. Bands 2 to 4 and 8a to 9 reached their new shape; bands 5, 6 and 7 kept one transitional point each until April 2021.
Band 5 in England ran from £24,907 to £30,615 in 2020/21. These are England’s figures; see below for the other nations.
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What Changed in 2020/21
- Restructuring finished for bands 2 to 4 and 8a to 9, with further points removed from the bottom of each.
- Transitional points: bands 5, 6 and 7 each kept one point (£27,416 in band 5, £33,779 in band 6, £41,723 in band 7) that ceased on 1 April 2021. Staff on them moved up to the top step that day.
- Top points rose 1.67% in bands 2 to 8b. Band 8c’s published top point rose £1,067 (1.5%), and bands 8d and 9 received the same £1,067 cash increase rather than a percentage.
- One-off consolidated payments were added to two points in each of bands 8a to 9, paid in monthly instalments. Values are below.
Pay Scales, England 2020/21
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 | £18,005 | £1,500 | £9.21 |
| Band 1 closed | 1+ years | £18,005 same as above | £1,500 | £9.21 |
| Band 2 | Less than 1 year | £18,005 | £1,500 | £9.21 |
| Band 2 | 1-2 years | £18,005 same as above | £1,500 | £9.21 |
| Band 2 | 2-3 years | £19,337 | £1,611 | £9.89 |
| Band 2 | 3-4 years | £19,337 same as above | £1,611 | £9.89 |
| Band 2 | 4-5 years | £19,337 same as above | £1,611 | £9.89 |
| Band 2 | 5-6 years | £19,337 same as above | £1,611 | £9.89 |
| Band 2 | 6+ years | £19,337 same as above | £1,611 | £9.89 |
| Band 3 | Less than 1 year | £19,737 | £1,645 | £10.09 |
| Band 3 | 1-2 years | £19,737 same as above | £1,645 | £10.09 |
| Band 3 | 2-3 years | £21,142 | £1,762 | £10.81 |
| Band 3 | 3-4 years | £21,142 same as above | £1,762 | £10.81 |
| Band 3 | 4-5 years | £21,142 same as above | £1,762 | £10.81 |
| Band 3 | 5-6 years | £21,142 same as above | £1,762 | £10.81 |
| Band 3 | 6+ years | £21,142 same as above | £1,762 | £10.81 |
| Band 4 | Less than 1 year | £21,892 | £1,824 | £11.20 |
| Band 4 | 1-2 years | £21,892 same as above | £1,824 | £11.20 |
| Band 4 | 2-3 years | £21,892 same as above | £1,824 | £11.20 |
| Band 4 | 3-4 years | £24,157 | £2,013 | £12.35 |
| Band 4 | 4-5 years | £24,157 same as above | £2,013 | £12.35 |
| Band 4 | 5-6 years | £24,157 same as above | £2,013 | £12.35 |
| Band 4 | 6+ years | £24,157 same as above | £2,013 | £12.35 |
| Band 5 | Less than 1 year | £24,907 | £2,076 | £12.74 |
| Band 5 | 1-2 years | £24,907 same as above | £2,076 | £12.74 |
| Band 5 | 2-3 years | £26,970 | £2,248 | £13.79 |
| Band 5 | 3-4 years | £26,970 same as above | £2,248 | £13.79 |
| Band 5 | 4-5 years | £27,416 | £2,285 | £14.02 |
| Band 5 | 5-6 years | £27,416 same as above | £2,285 | £14.02 |
| Band 5 | 6-7 years | £30,615 | £2,551 | £15.66 |
| Band 5 | 7+ years | £30,615 same as above | £2,551 | £15.66 |
| Band 6 | Less than 1 year | £31,365 | £2,614 | £16.04 |
| Band 6 | 1-2 years | £31,365 same as above | £2,614 | £16.04 |
| Band 6 | 2-3 years | £33,176 | £2,765 | £16.97 |
| Band 6 | 3-4 years | £33,176 same as above | £2,765 | £16.97 |
| Band 6 | 4-5 years | £33,176 same as above | £2,765 | £16.97 |
| Band 6 | 5-6 years | £33,779 | £2,815 | £17.28 |
| Band 6 | 6-7 years | £33,779 same as above | £2,815 | £17.28 |
| Band 6 | 7-8 years | £37,890 | £3,158 | £19.38 |
| Band 6 | 8+ years | £37,890 same as above | £3,158 | £19.38 |
| Band 7 | Less than 1 year | £38,890 | £3,241 | £19.89 |
| Band 7 | 1-2 years | £38,890 same as above | £3,241 | £19.89 |
| Band 7 | 2-3 years | £40,894 | £3,408 | £20.91 |
| Band 7 | 3-4 years | £40,894 same as above | £3,408 | £20.91 |
| Band 7 | 4-5 years | £40,894 same as above | £3,408 | £20.91 |
| Band 7 | 5-6 years | £41,723 | £3,477 | £21.34 |
| Band 7 | 6-7 years | £41,723 same as above | £3,477 | £21.34 |
| Band 7 | 7-8 years | £44,503 | £3,709 | £22.76 |
| Band 7 | 8+ years | £44,503 same as above | £3,709 | £22.76 |
| Band 8a | Less than 1 year | £45,753 | £3,813 | £23.40 |
| Band 8a | 1-2 years | £45,753 same as above | £3,813 | £23.40 |
| Band 8a | 2-3 years | £45,753 same as above | £3,813 | £23.40 |
| Band 8a | 3-4 years | £45,753* same as above | £3,813 | £23.40 |
| Band 8a | 4-5 years | £45,753* same as above | £3,813 | £23.40 |
| Band 8a | 5+ years | £51,668 | £4,306 | £26.42 |
| Band 8b | Less than 1 year | £53,168 | £4,431 | £27.19 |
| Band 8b | 1-2 years | £53,168 same as above | £4,431 | £27.19 |
| Band 8b | 2-3 years | £53,168 same as above | £4,431 | £27.19 |
| Band 8b | 3-4 years | £53,168* same as above | £4,431 | £27.19 |
| Band 8b | 4-5 years | £53,168* same as above | £4,431 | £27.19 |
| Band 8b | 5+ years | £62,001 | £5,167 | £31.71 |
| Band 8c | Less than 1 year | £63,751 | £5,313 | £32.60 |
| Band 8c | 1-2 years | £63,751 same as above | £5,313 | £32.60 |
| Band 8c | 2-3 years | £63,751 same as above | £5,313 | £32.60 |
| Band 8c | 3-4 years | £63,751* same as above | £5,313 | £32.60 |
| Band 8c | 4-5 years | £63,751* same as above | £5,313 | £32.60 |
| Band 8c | 5+ years | £73,664 | £6,139 | £37.67 |
| Band 8d | Less than 1 year | £75,914 | £6,326 | £38.82 |
| Band 8d | 1-2 years | £75,914 same as above | £6,326 | £38.82 |
| Band 8d | 2-3 years | £75,914 same as above | £6,326 | £38.82 |
| Band 8d | 3-4 years | £75,914* same as above | £6,326 | £38.82 |
| Band 8d | 4-5 years | £75,914* same as above | £6,326 | £38.82 |
| Band 8d | 5+ years | £87,754 | £7,313 | £44.88 |
| Band 9 | Less than 1 year | £91,004 | £7,584 | £46.54 |
| Band 9 | 1-2 years | £91,004 same as above | £7,584 | £46.54 |
| Band 9 | 2-3 years | £91,004 same as above | £7,584 | £46.54 |
| Band 9 | 3-4 years | £91,004* same as above | £7,584 | £46.54 |
| Band 9 | 4-5 years | £91,004* same as above | £7,584 | £46.54 |
| Band 9 | 5+ years | £104,927 | £8,744 | £53.66 |
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). * Points with an additional one-off consolidated payment in 2020/21 — see below. Source: NHS Employers — Annual pay scales 2020/21 [Archived], cross-checked against the handbook archive table. Checked 2026-09-17.
Band 8 and 9 Consolidated Payments, 2020/21
Points marked * in the table above attracted an additional one-off consolidated payment in 2020/21, so staff on them were paid more than the basic figure shows.
| Band | Years of Experience | Basic Pay + Payment | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 8a | 4 | £45,753 + £765 | £46,518 |
| Band 8a | 5 | £45,753 + £2,766 | £48,519 |
| Band 8b | 4 | £53,168 + £2,282 | £55,450 |
| Band 8b | 5 | £53,168 + £5,215 | £58,383 |
| Band 8c | 4 | £63,751 + £1,180 | £64,931 |
| Band 8c | 5 | £63,751 + £5,534 | £69,285 |
| Band 8d | 4 | £75,914 + £1,949 | £77,863 |
| Band 8d | 5 | £75,914 + £5,907 | £81,821 |
| Band 9 | 4 | £91,004 + £3,209 | £94,213 |
| Band 9 | 5 | £91,004 + £7,732 | £98,736 |
Handbook Annex 3, Table 10(b) and paragraph 22: paid in monthly instalments, pro rata to the date of moving to the marked point.
Compared with 2019/20
| Band | Lowest Point | Top Point | Top Point Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £17,652 → £18,005 | £19,020 → £19,337 | 1.7% |
| Band 3 | £18,813 → £19,737 | £20,795 → £21,142 | 1.7% |
| Band 4 | £21,089 → £21,892 | £23,761 → £24,157 | 1.7% |
| Band 5 | £24,214 → £24,907 | £30,112 → £30,615 | 1.7% |
| Band 6 | £30,401 → £31,365 | £37,267 → £37,890 | 1.7% |
| Band 7 | £37,570 → £38,890 | £43,772 → £44,503 | 1.7% |
| Band 8a | £44,606 → £45,753 | £50,819 → £51,668 | 1.7% |
| Band 8b | £52,306 → £53,168 | £60,983 → £62,001 | 1.7% |
| Band 8c | £61,777 → £63,751 | £72,597 → £73,664 | 1.5% |
| Band 8d | £73,936 → £75,914 | £86,687 → £87,754 | 1.2% |
| Band 9 | £89,537 → £91,004 | £103,860 → £104,927 | 1.0% |
The lowest point often rose by far more than the headline percentage between 2018 and 2021, because overlapping points at the bottom of each band were deleted rather than uprated.
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.