Answers · UK 2025/26

What is the take-home pay for an NHS Band 1 role in 2026/27?

NHS Band 1 is the lowest point on the Agenda for Change pay scale, covering entry-level roles such as porters, domestics and catering assistants, with pay typically just above the National Living Wage. On a representative £22,383 salary, take-home pay for 2026/27 is around £19,635.36 a year after £1,962.60 Income Tax and £785.04 National Insurance -- about £1,636.28 a month.

Last updated: 10 July 2026Last reviewed: 10 July 2026How we verify

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NHS Band 1 sits at the bottom of the Agenda for Change pay structure used across most of the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and covers entry-level support roles such as domestic assistants, porters and catering staff. Band 1 has effectively been phased out or absorbed into Band 2 in many trusts following successive Agenda for Change pay uplifts designed to keep the lowest bands comfortably above the National Living Wage, so relatively few staff are still employed on a pure Band 1 rate today. Using an illustrative salary of £22,383 close to where Band 1 has historically sat, Income Tax for 2026/27 after the £12,570 Personal Allowance comes to £1,962.60, and National Insurance to £785.04, leaving take-home pay of around £19,635.36 a year, or about £1,636.28 a month. NHS staff on Agenda for Change bands also benefit from the NHS Pension Scheme, a valuable defined benefit pension with employer contributions well above the private-sector auto-enrolment minimum, though this is deducted from gross pay before the take-home figures above. Because pay scales and exact points are reviewed annually and can vary by nation and by trust, always check your specific payslip or the current Agenda for Change pay circular for your exact band and point. Use the NHS take-home pay calculator to check your own band and point.