1. Current working pattern
2. Reduction basis
Estimated reduced working week
NHS Scotland’s Agenda for Change working week reduced to 36 hours from 1 April 2026 without a corresponding loss of overall earnings. This changes the value of each contracted hour and also affects the weekly hours of eligible part-time staff.
The NHS Reduced Working Week Calculator compares the previous working-week standard with the new 36-hour arrangement. It shows the revised contracted hours, time saved over a week and year, and the estimated change in hourly pay while keeping the entered annual salary unchanged.
This calculator is designed around the NHS Scotland policy. It should not be used to claim that the national full-time working week in England, Wales or Northern Ireland has also changed to 36 hours.
What Does the NHS Reduced Working Week Calculator Work Out?
The calculator provides two comparisons:
- The 37-hour week against the 36-hour standard effective from 1 April 2026
- The original 37.5-hour week against the completed 36-hour standard
Using the annual salary and contracted hours entered, it calculates:
- Current full-time equivalent proportion
- New contracted weekly hours
- Weekly hours saved
- Current and new annual working hours
- Total annual hours saved
- Current estimated hourly rate
- New estimated hourly rate
- Percentage increase in hourly value
- Monthly and annual salary retained
Enter the employee’s current annual earnings in the salary field. Part-time staff should provide their actual yearly salary and contracted weekly hours, rather than the corresponding full-time figures.
Employees considering a voluntary adjustment to their working hours that is not covered by this NHS Scotland arrangement should use the NHS Part-Time Salary Calculator, as a standard reduction in contracted hours can also lower their salary.
How to Use and Calculate the Reduced Working Week
Enter your current annual basic salary before tax, pension or other deductions.
Next, enter the weekly hours stated in your current working arrangement. For example, use 37 if you are a full-time employee comparing the position immediately before and after the April 2026 reduction.
Choose the relevant comparison:
- 37 to 36 hours: This measures the final one-hour reduction effective from 1 April 2026.
- 37.5 to 36 hours: This shows the overall change from the original full-time standard to the completed 36-hour week.
Select Calculate reduction to view the revised hours and hourly-value comparison. Use Reset before entering another working pattern.
The calculator uses the following method for a part-time employee:
Current FTE = current contracted hours ÷ previous full-time standard
New contracted hours = current FTE × 36
This retains the same proportion of a full-time post while reducing the contracted week in line with the selected comparison.
Annual working hours are estimated using 52.143 weeks:
Weekly contracted hours × 52.143
The hourly rate is then estimated as:
Annual salary ÷ annual working hours
The result is a gross hourly-value comparison. Tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension deductions are not included. Anyone reviewing the effect on money received after deductions can assess that separately with the NHS Take Home Pay Calculator.
Worked Example: £35,000 Salary and 37 Weekly Hours
The calculator’s primary example uses:
- Current annual salary: £35,000
- Current contracted hours: 37 per week
- Selected comparison: 37 to 36 hours
Step 1: Calculate current FTE
37 ÷ 37 = 1.00 FTE
The employee is therefore working full time under the previous 37-hour standard.
Step 2: Calculate the new contracted week
1.00 × 36 = 36 hours per week
The weekly reduction is:
37 − 36 = 1 hour
Step 3: Compare annual working hours
Current annual hours:
37 × 52.143 = 1,929.29 hours
New annual hours:
36 × 52.143 = 1,877.15 hours
Estimated annual time saved:
1,929.29 − 1,877.15 = 52.14 hours
Step 4: Calculate the current hourly rate
£35,000 ÷ 1,929.291 = approximately £18.14 per hour
Step 5: Calculate the new hourly rate
£35,000 ÷ 1,877.148 = approximately £18.65 per hour
Step 6: Calculate the hourly-value increase
(£18.65 − £18.14) ÷ £18.14 × 100 = approximately 2.78%
The calculator uses unrounded amounts for this percentage and rounds only the displayed result.
Example Result
- Current FTE: 1.00
- New contracted weekly hours: 36.00
- Weekly hours saved: 1.00
- Annual hours saved: 52.14
- Current annual working hours: 1,929.29
- New annual working hours: 1,877.15
- Current estimated hourly rate: £18.14
- New estimated hourly rate: £18.65
- Hourly-rate increase: 2.78%
- Monthly salary: £2,916.67
- Annual salary after the reduction: £35,000.00
The annual and monthly salary remain unchanged in this example. Only the contracted hours and corresponding hourly value change.
If you need to establish an annual salary from an hourly or weekly figure before making this comparison, the NHS Wage Calculator provides the appropriate conversion.
How the 2026 NHS Scotland Change Affects Staff
The Scottish Government’s reduced working week policy states that Agenda for Change staff move to a 36-hour working week from 1 April 2026 without loss of overall earnings.
The policy followed an earlier reduction from 37.5 to 37 hours. This calculator therefore lets users examine either the final 37-to-36-hour step or the complete 37.5-to-36-hour transition.
For a full-time employee moving from 37 to 36 hours, the weekly reduction is one hour. A part-time employee receives a proportional reduction rather than automatically losing a complete hour.
For example, someone working 30 hours against a 37-hour full-time standard would have revised hours calculated as:
30 ÷ 37 × 36 = 29.19 hours per week
Their estimated weekly reduction would be:
30 − 29.19 = 0.81 hours
The annual salary entered remains unchanged because the calculator models the national NHS Scotland reduction. It does not model unpaid leave, a voluntary decrease in FTE or a new part-time contract.
The practical arrangement of the reduced hours may vary. A local NHS Board could alter daily finishing times, shift lengths, rotas or another element of the working pattern. The calculator estimates the numerical change but cannot determine how an individual service will roster it.
Employees can compare other NHS pay and working-pattern tools through the NHS Salary Calculators homepage.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not enter a full-time salary with part-time contracted hours. Part-time staff should use their own actual annual salary so that the hourly comparison reflects their position.
Select the correct starting standard. Use 37 hours for the April 2026 change alone and 37.5 hours only when examining the complete transition.
Do not subtract the saved hours from salary. Under the policy modelled here, overall earnings are retained while contracted working time decreases.
The result should not be treated as confirmation of a particular rota. Local implementation determines when and how the reduced hours are taken.
Finally, do not apply the NHS Scotland 36-hour policy automatically to a contract governed by another UK nation’s arrangements.
FAQs
Q1: When did the NHS Scotland working week reduce to 36 hours?
A: The 36-hour working week applies to NHS Scotland Agenda for Change staff from 1 April 2026, subject to implementation through the relevant NHS Board.
Q2: Does the reduced working week lower annual salary?
A: No. The calculator models the NHS Scotland policy as a reduction in contracted hours without a corresponding loss of overall earnings.
Q3: How are part-time hours reduced?
A: Part-time hours are reduced proportionately. The calculator divides current hours by the previous full-time standard and multiplies that FTE proportion by 36.
Q4: Can I compare 37.5 hours directly with 36 hours?
A: Yes. Select the complete-transition option to compare the original 37.5-hour standard with the final 36-hour working week.
Q5: Does the calculator show take-home pay?
A: No. It compares gross annual salary, contracted time and hourly value. Income Tax, National Insurance and pension deductions are not calculated.
Q6: Can NHS staff in England use the 36-hour calculation?
A: Not as confirmation of their contractual hours. The calculator’s 36-hour policy basis applies to NHS Scotland. Staff elsewhere should check their own contract and national terms.
Q7: Will everyone receive the saved time in the same way?
A: Not necessarily. The numerical reduction is national, but its practical effect on shifts, rotas or daily hours can depend on local implementation and service requirements.