NHS Pension Contributions Calculator
Enter your pensionable pay and see your contribution tier, what you pay, and what your employer pays on top. It does not project a future pension — it answers what comes out of your pay now.
What You Pay In
Change anything and the figures update.
Where do you work?
Basic salary plus unsocial hours and other qualifying allowances. Not overtime beyond whole-time hours, and not expenses.
You pay a month
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What Counts as Pensionable Pay
Your tier is set by your pensionable pay, which is not the same as your gross pay. It includes basic salary and qualifying allowances — and that includes unsocial hours payments, which is the part people most often forget.
It excludes travel expenses, one-off bonuses, and overtime worked beyond whole-time hours. If you regularly work nights or weekends, your pensionable pay is meaningfully higher than your basic salary, and your tier may be higher than you expect. The take-home calculator works out your pensionable pay for you from your band, hours and rota.
The Tier Is Set on Your Actual Pay, Not Full-Time Equivalent
This is the rule most often got wrong, and it favours part-time staff. Your tier follows what you are actually paid, in all three nations. A calculator that uses the whole-time equivalent of your post will place you in a higher tier than you belong in and overstate what you pay.
The Tier Tables in Full
Three administrators, three different tables. Scotland runs 9 tiers where England, Wales and Northern Ireland run 6. Northern Ireland shares England's thresholds for 2026/27 but charges more at every tier above the lowest.
| Tier | Pensionable Pay | You Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | £0 to £13,259 | 5.2% |
| Tier 2 | £13,260 to £28,854 | 6.5% |
| Tier 3 | £28,855 to £35,155 | 8.3% |
| Tier 4 | £35,156 to £52,778 | 9.8% |
| Tier 5 | £52,779 to £67,668 | 10.7% |
| Tier 6 | £67,669 and above | 12.5% |
Employer contribution: 23.7%. Source: pension-eng_wal.
| Tier | Pensionable Pay | You Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | £0 to £13,330 | 5.7% |
| Tier 2 | £13,331 to £28,987 | 6.4% |
| Tier 3 | £28,988 to £34,302 | 7% |
| Tier 4 | £34,303 to £43,038 | 8.7% |
| Tier 5 | £43,039 to £45,134 | 9.8% |
| Tier 6 | £45,135 to £54,862 | 10.5% |
| Tier 7 | £54,863 to £59,369 | 11.2% |
| Tier 8 | £59,370 to £83,026 | 11.6% |
| Tier 9 | £83,027 and above | 12.7% |
Employer contribution: 22.5%. Source: SPPA — NHS Circular 2026/03, Employee contribution tier bandings from 1 April 2026 (checked 2026-08-08).
| Tier | Pensionable Pay | You Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| Tier 5 | £52,779 to £67,668 | 10.9% |
| Tier 6 | £67,669 and above | 12.7% |
Employer contribution: 23.2%. Source: HSC Pension Service — Membership, Contributions and Pay, rates from 1 April 2026 (checked 2026-08-08).
Every one of these tables was read against its own source in August 2026, and four of the ten nation-years we checked were wrong. Two of those errors came from administrator summary pages that had not caught up with amendments to their own regulations. Where consolidated statutory text exists, that is what these figures now come from. The corrections log records what was wrong and who it affected.
What This Does Not Tell You
This page answers what leaves your pay. It does not project what your pension will be worth — for that, and for what a year of membership buys, see the pension calculator.
It also assumes a steady pensionable pay across the year. If your pay changes mid-year your tier may be reassessed, and Scotland assesses continuing members on prior-year earnings using a slightly different table from the one shown here. Your payslip is the authoritative record.
Common Questions
What Counts as Pensionable Pay for NHS Pension Contributions?
Basic salary plus qualifying allowances, including unsocial hours payments. It excludes non-pensionable items such as travel expenses, one-off bonuses and overtime worked beyond whole-time hours. Unsocial hours pay is the one people most often forget, which leads them to underestimate their pensionable pay and therefore their tier.
Is My Contribution Tier Based on My Full-Time Equivalent Salary?
No. The tier is set by your actual annualised pensionable pay, not the whole-time equivalent of your post. This applies in all three nations. If you work part time, your tier follows what you are actually paid.
Does Scotland Have Different NHS Pension Contribution Rates?
Yes. Scotland runs 9 tiers where England, Wales and Northern Ireland run 6, and the thresholds and rates differ. Northern Ireland uses the same thresholds as England but higher rates at most tiers. Any table showing a single set of rates for "the NHS pension" is wrong for a large part of the UK.
How Much Does My Employer Contribute to My NHS Pension?
NHS Business Services Authority (England & Wales): 23.7%. Scottish Public Pensions Agency: 22.5%. HSC Pension Service (Northern Ireland): 23.2%. This is paid on top of your own contribution and does not come out of your pay.