A newly qualified nurse on Band 5 starts on £32,073 a year, and nurse salary after tax at that point is £2,217.68 a month. Band 5 tops out at £2,635.88 a month, Band 6 runs from £2,690.84 to £3,180.32 a month, and Band 7 runs from £3,256.52 to £3,611.34 a month, after tax and National Insurance only.
Nursing pay in England follows Agenda for Change, which groups NHS jobs into bands by skill and responsibility. Most registered nurses sit in Bands 5, 6 and 7. Band 5 is where newly qualified nurses start. Band 6 covers senior and specialist nurses. Band 7 covers advanced practitioners, ward managers and team leaders. Staff move up one pay point each year when they meet the required standard. This guide sets out the current gross salary for each band and what it leaves in your pocket each month, using the 2026/27 tax rates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with the standard 1257L tax code. This guide answers the nurse salary after tax question for all three bands. The band salaries come from the Agenda for Change pay award of 3.3 percent from 1 April 2026, recommended by the NHS Pay Review Body and accepted by the government.
What do NHS Bands 5, 6 and 7 pay in 2026/27?
In the 2026/27 tax year, Band 5 pays from £32,073 at entry level to £39,043 at the top of the band, with a middle point of £34,592. Band 6 pays from £39,959 at entry level to £48,117 at the top, with a middle point of £42,170. Band 7 pays from £49,387 at entry level to £56,515 at the top, with a middle point of £51,932. These are gross salaries before any deductions, for full time posts on a 37.5 hour week. Payments for nights, weekends and bank holidays can add more, as explained later in this guide.
What is nurse salary after tax at Band 5?
At the Band 5 starting salary of £32,073, you pay £3,900.60 in income tax and £1,560.24 in National Insurance over the year, leaving £26,612.16 for the year. That works out at £2,217.68 a month or £511.77 a week in your pocket. The first £12,570 is tax free thanks to the personal allowance set by HMRC, and earnings above it up to £50,270 are taxed at the 20 percent basic rate, with National Insurance at 8 percent in the same range. At the top of Band 5, on £39,043, you pay £5,294.60 in income tax and £2,117.84 in National Insurance, leaving £31,630.56 for the year, which is £2,635.88 a month or £608.28 a week. The top of Band 5 sits almost on the UK median full time salary of £39,039, reported by the Office for National Statistics in its Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is nurse salary after tax at Band 6?
At the Band 6 starting salary of £39,959, you pay £5,477.80 in income tax and £2,191.12 in National Insurance, leaving £32,290.08 for the year. That is £2,690.84 a month or £620.96 a week. At the top of Band 6, on £48,117, you pay £7,109.40 in income tax and £2,843.76 in National Insurance, leaving £38,163.84 for the year, which is £3,180.32 a month or £733.92 a week. The step from the top of Band 5 to the bottom of Band 6 is small, only £916 a year in gross pay, adding about £54.96 a month. The real gain from Band 6 comes over time, as you progress through the band and take on specialist work. Our £40,000 after tax page shows the full breakdown for a salary just above Band 6 entry level, and you can work out your exact take home pay with our free UK salary calculator if your hours or supplements differ.
What is nurse salary after tax at Band 7?
At the Band 7 starting salary of £49,387, you pay £7,363.40 in income tax and £2,945.36 in National Insurance, leaving £39,078.24 for the year. That is £3,256.52 a month or £751.50 a week. At the top of Band 7, on £56,515, you pay £10,038.00 in income tax and £3,140.90 in National Insurance, leaving £43,336.10 for the year, which is £3,611.34 a month or £833.39 a week. Band 7 crosses the higher rate threshold of £50,270, so pay above that line is taxed at 40 percent for income tax and 2 percent for National Insurance. Even so, a nurse at the top of Band 7 takes home about £1,393.66 a month more than a nurse starting on Band 5. To understand the thresholds behind these numbers, read how UK income tax bands work.
How does nurse salary after tax change in Scotland?
Scotland sets its own income tax bands. On the same gross figures, a Band 5 starting salary gives about £2,218.86 a month in Scotland, almost identical to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. At the top of Band 5 the Scottish figure is about £2,631.26 a month, a little below the £2,635.88 in the rest of the UK. The gap widens higher up, since Scotland charges 42 percent on earnings between £43,662 and £75,000, against 40 percent above £50,270 elsewhere. At the top of Band 6 the Scottish monthly figure is about £3,090.17, compared with £3,180.32 elsewhere, and at the top of Band 7 it is about £3,471.31, compared with £3,611.34. Treat these as a tax comparison on the same gross pay.
Do unsocial hours, overtime and London weighting change the picture?
Yes, often by a meaningful amount. Under Agenda for Change, Saturday work is paid at time plus 30 percent, and Sunday and bank holiday work at time plus 60 percent, and night work also attracts an enhancement. These payments are taxed like basic pay. Overtime beyond 37.5 hours a week is normally paid at time and a half for Bands 5, 6 and 7, although local arrangements vary. Staff in London and high cost areas also receive a High Cost Area Supplement, a percentage of basic salary subject to a minimum and a maximum, with different inner London, outer London and fringe zone rates. That supplement is taxable, so it lifts monthly take home pay too.
What about pension and student loan deductions?
The figures in this guide are after income tax and National Insurance only. Two further deductions usually appear on a nurse payslip. The first is the NHS pension, with a large employer contribution on top of your own. Your own contribution rises in tiers as your salary rises, so payslip take home pay will be lower once pension is taken. The second is a student loan, if you have one. With a Plan 2 loan you repay 9 percent of earnings above £29,385 a year. At the top of Band 5 that comes to £72.43 a month, reducing monthly take home pay from £2,635.88 to £2,563.45. At the top of Band 6 it comes to £140.49 a month, reducing monthly take home pay from £3,180.32 to £3,039.83. To compare two salaries side by side, use our salary comparison tool.
Is a nurse salary enough to live on?
That depends a lot on where you live, so anyone checking nurse salary after tax should weigh rent first. A Band 5 nurse starting on £2,217.68 a month, before pension, will find life comfortable in much of the North and the Midlands, but tight in London, where average rents were £2,280 a month in early 2026. A Band 7 nurse at the top of the band takes home £3,611.34 a month before pension, which supports renting alone in most cities. Across the UK, the average private rent was £1,400 a month in August 2026, about 63 percent of a Band 5 starting monthly take home pay before pension, but only about 39 percent of a Band 7 top monthly take home pay. See our take home pay tables for the wider picture.
How do you move from Band 5 to Band 7?
Progression inside a band is mostly a matter of time and meeting the required standard. Moving to a higher band means applying for a more senior post, such as a specialist nurse role, a team leader post or a ward manager job, which asks for extra qualifications and experience in a specialty. Many nurses reach Band 6 within a few years of qualifying, and Band 7 after further study and experience. From Band 5 entry to Band 7 top, gross pay rises by £24,442 a year, and monthly take home pay rises by £1,393.66. In short, nurse salary after tax grows steadily with each band and each pay point, and the biggest jumps come with promotion rather than with annual increments alone.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a newly qualified nurse take home each month?
A newly qualified nurse starting on Band 5 at £32,073 takes home £2,217.68 a month after income tax and National Insurance in 2026/27, before pension and any student loan.
What is the monthly take home pay at the top of Band 6?
At the top of Band 6, on £48,117, monthly take home pay is £3,180.32 after income tax and National Insurance, before pension and student loan.
Do nurses get paid extra for nights and weekends?
Yes. Saturday work is paid at time plus 30 percent, and Sunday and bank holiday work at time plus 60 percent, and night work also attracts an enhancement.
Is Band 7 a good salary for a nurse?
Yes. Band 7 runs from £49,387 to £56,515 gross, giving £3,256.52 to £3,611.34 a month after tax and National Insurance, well above the UK median of £39,039.