NHS Wales Pay Calculator

Use the NHS Wales Pay Calculator above to estimate your Agenda for Change gross salary for 2026/27. Select your NHS pay band, contractual pay point and weekly working hours to calculate estimated annual, monthly, weekly and hourly basic pay.

The calculator uses the official NHS Wales pay scales effective from 1 April 2026. It is suitable for Agenda for Change employees, including nurses, midwives, healthcare support workers, paramedics, porters and allied health professionals. Doctors, dentists and some senior managers use separate pay arrangements.

NHS Wales Pay Bands for 2026/27

NHS Wales uses the Agenda for Change band structure, but Welsh pay rates are published separately. The 2026/27 pay circular applies a 3.3% increase from 1 April 2026, with separate treatment for pay points affected by the earlier Living Wage adjustment.

The principal gross basic salary ranges are:

• Band 1: £26,300
• Band 2: £26,300
• Band 3: £26,300 to £27,890
• Band 4: £28,819 to £31,626
• Band 5: £32,557 to £39,631
• Band 6: £40,559 to £48,841
• Band 7: £50,129 to £57,365
• Band 8a: £58,379 to £65,723
• Band 8b: £67,583 to £78,530
• Band 8c: £80,698 to £92,984
• Band 8d: £95,773 to £110,448
• Band 9: £114,475 to £131,732

Band 1 is closed to new entrants. Some bands contain an entry and top point, while Bands 5 to 9 include an intermediate point.

You can verify these figures in the official NHS Wales 2026/27 pay circular.

How to Use the NHS Wales Pay Calculator

Select the band shown in your contract or payslip. The pay-point menu will then display the available salaries within that band.

Enter your contracted weekly hours between 1 and 37.5. The calculator will show:

• Gross annual basic pay
• Gross monthly basic pay
• Gross weekly basic pay
• Basic hourly rate
• Full-time annual salary
• Full-time equivalent percentage

The result is an estimate of basic gross pay. It does not include Income Tax, National Insurance, NHS pension deductions, student loan repayments, overtime, unsocial-hours enhancements or other allowances.

NHS Wales Full-Time and Part-Time Pay

The standard full-time Agenda for Change working week used by the calculator is 37.5 hours.

Part-time pay is calculated using:

Contracted weekly hours ÷ 37.5 × full-time annual salary

For example, consider an employee at the Band 5 entry point working 30 hours each week.

The full-time annual salary is £32,557.

30 ÷ 37.5 = 0.8 FTE

£32,557 × 0.8 = £26,045.60 annual gross pay

The estimated monthly gross pay is:

£26,045.60 ÷ 12 = £2,170.47

The employee’s annual and monthly salary reduces according to their hours, but their underlying basic hourly rate remains approximately £16.70 before additional payments.

Employees comparing different part-time patterns can also use the NHS Part-Time Salary Calculator.

How NHS Wales Pay Points Work

Your pay point is not selected only according to how many years you have worked. NHS pay progression depends on your contractual pay-step date and completion of the applicable progression requirements.

The 2026/27 pay circular shows:

• Band 2 has an entry and top point at the same salary
• Bands 3 and 4 have entry and top points
• Bands 5 to 9 have entry, intermediate and top points

Always select the point confirmed by your employer. Choosing “Top” simply because you have worked in the NHS for several years could produce an incorrect estimate if your payroll record shows a different contractual point.

For a broader explanation of the structure, use the NHS Pay Bands Overview.

Example Band 5 NHS Wales Salary

A full-time Band 5 employee at the intermediate point has a basic salary of £35,114.

The approximate gross figures are:

• Annual basic pay: £35,114
• Monthly basic pay: £2,926.17
• Weekly basic pay: £675.27
• Basic hourly rate: £18.01
• Full-time equivalent: 100%

These are gross estimates. The amount reaching the employee’s bank account will be lower after deductions.

NHS Wales Take-Home Pay

The NHS Wales pay calculator on this page calculates gross salary. Take-home pay depends on personal circumstances and payroll deductions, including:

• Income Tax
• National Insurance
• NHS pension contributions
• Student loan repayments
• Salary sacrifice
• Tax code
• Additional taxable earnings
• Previous earnings in the tax year

Wales follows the main UK Income Tax rates and thresholds applicable to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but individual tax codes and deductions can still produce different results between employees earning the same basic salary.

Use the NHS Take-Home Pay Calculator for a separate estimate of pay after deductions.

Additional Payments Not Included

Actual earnings may be higher than the basic salary shown by the calculator. Depending on the role and shifts worked, a payslip may include:

• Overtime payments
• Night-shift enhancements
• Saturday and Sunday enhancements
• Public-holiday enhancements
• On-call payments
• Recruitment and retention payments
• Additional contracted hours

These payments should only be added when they are supported by the employee’s rota, contract or payslip. The calculator does not assume that every employee receives enhancements.

NHS Wales Sick Pay Entitlement

NHS Wales sick pay entitlement is a separate calculation from basic salary. It may depend on reckonable service, previous sickness absence, the length of the current absence and the employee’s contractual position.

A search for NHS Wales sick pay entitlement 2025 may relate to an earlier absence or leave year. Do not assume that a salary figure alone determines how much sick pay will be received.

Use the NHS Sick Pay Entitlement Calculator for a separate estimate and confirm the final decision with your NHS employer.

Common Calculation Mistakes

Common mistakes include:

• Selecting an incorrect pay point
• Reusing England’s pay rates for an NHS Wales employee
• Entering monthly hours instead of weekly hours
• Treating gross pay as take-home pay
• Adding overtime that has not been worked
• Assuming sick pay is the same as normal basic salary
• Ignoring a change in contracted hours
• Using outdated 2025/26 salary figures

Check the effective date, band, pay point and weekly hours before relying on the result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:1 What is the NHS Wales pay rise for 2026/27?
A: The official NHS Wales circular applies a 3.3% increase from 1 April 2026, with separate treatment for points covered by the earlier Living Wage adjustment.

Q:2 What is NHS Wales Band 5 pay in 2026/27?
A: Band 5 pays £32,557 at entry, £35,114 at the intermediate point and £39,631 at the top point.

Q:3 How many hours are full-time in NHS Wales?
A: The calculator uses the standard 37.5-hour full-time Agenda for Change working week.

Q:4 Can part-time NHS Wales employees use this calculator?
A: Yes. Enter contracted weekly hours and the calculator will calculate the appropriate full-time proportion.

Q:5 Does the calculator show take-home pay?
A: No. It shows gross basic pay before tax, National Insurance, pension and other deductions.

Q:6 Does it include overtime and unsocial-hours payments?
A: No. These depend on the shifts actually worked and the applicable employment terms.

Q:7 Does the calculator determine NHS Wales sick pay?
A: No. Sick pay entitlement is a separate calculation based on contractual rules and individual absence records.

Q:8 Is the result an official payroll figure?
A: No. It is an estimate. Your contract, payslip and NHS Wales employer determine your official pay.