Answers · UK 2025/26
What is a Band 6 midwife's salary and take-home pay in the UK?
An NHS Band 6 midwife in England typically earns around £39,000 a year on the Agenda for Change pay scale. On £39,000 in 2026/27, take-home pay after Income Tax (£5,286) and National Insurance (£2,114.40) is £31,599.60 a year, or about £2,633.30 a month, before the NHS Pension Scheme deduction.
Full answer
NHS Band 6 covers experienced midwives who have moved beyond the newly qualified Band 5 grade, typically with salaries in England starting around £37,000 and rising with experience points toward the low £40,000s, reflecting greater clinical responsibility and, in many cases, a caseload or specialist role. Taking a representative salary of £39,000 for 2026/27: taxable income after the £12,570 Personal Allowance is £26,430, entirely within the 20% basic rate band, giving £5,286 Income Tax. National Insurance is 8% of £26,430, which is £2,114.40. Combined deductions of £7,400.40 leave £31,599.60 take-home a year, around £2,633.30 a month, before pension deductions. Nearly all NHS midwives are automatically enrolled in the NHS Pension Scheme, with employee contribution rates for Band 6 typically around 7% to 8% of pensionable pay, deducted before Income Tax is calculated on a net pay basis, which reduces the effective cost of the contribution. Midwives working night shifts and weekends receive unsocial hours enhancements on top of basic pay, taxed in the normal way, which can meaningfully increase take-home pay in months with a heavier rota of unsocial shifts compared with a typical daytime-only month.
Try the calculator
More answers
This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.