Your On-Call Pay Estimate
Your selected availability arrangement will appear here.
Gross estimate only—on-call rules vary locally; check your employer’s policy and payslip. NHS on-call guidance.
Being available outside normal working hours can produce more than one type of NHS payment. An employee may receive an availability enhancement for remaining on call and a separate payment when they are required to perform work.
The NHS On-Call Pay Calculator estimates both parts of the payment. It uses annual basic salary, full-time weekly hours, calculation period, on-call frequency and the number of hours worked after being called.
The output is an estimate. Protected arrangements, locally agreed systems and individual contracts can produce a different payment, so confirm the final amount with your NHS employer.
What is the NHS On-Call Pay Calculator?
The NHS On-Call Pay Calculator is an online tool for estimating Agenda for Change on-call availability pay and payment for work completed during an on-call period.
The calculator considers:
- full-time annual basic salary;
- full-time weekly hours;
- selected calculation period;
- average on-call frequency;
- ordinary call-out and work hours;
- public-holiday call-out and work hours.
It displays estimated availability pay, payment for ordinary call-out work, payment for public-holiday work and the combined gross on-call amount.
The calculation is intended for eligible Agenda for Change employees. Doctors, dentists, consultants and staff covered by different contractual arrangements should use the terms applying to their employment.
What Do You Need to Use the Calculator?
Before starting, check your full-time annual basic salary. Enter basic salary before HCAS, overtime, recruitment and retention payments or other supplements.
Check the standard full-time weekly hours applying to your contract. The calculator uses this figure to derive an estimated basic hourly rate.
You will also need the on-call frequency stated in your rota or agreement. The available options represent how often you are required to provide on-call cover.
Finally, enter the hours of work actually completed while on call. Include paid travel time only when your local agreement allows it.
How to Use the NHS On-Call Pay Calculator
Enter your full-time annual basic salary and full-time weekly hours.
Choose whether you want to calculate an estimated weekly, monthly or annual payment. The calculation period controls how the annual availability enhancement is displayed.
Select the on-call availability arrangement matching your rota:
- one in three or more frequently: 9.5%;
- one in six or more but less than one in three: 4.5%;
- one in nine or more but less than one in six: 3%;
- one in twelve or more but less than one in nine: 2%;
- less frequently than one in twelve: local agreement.
Enter ordinary call-out and work hours separately from public-holiday hours. Press Calculate to view the result, or use Reset to start another calculation.
How is NHS On-Call Availability Pay Calculated?
On-call availability pay recognises the requirement to remain available outside normal working hours. It is separate from payment for work performed after being called.
The annual availability calculation is:
Annual basic salary × availability percentage
For a monthly result:
Annual availability payment ÷ 12
For a weekly result:
Annual availability payment ÷ 52.143
The full-time basic hourly rate is estimated using:
Annual basic salary ÷ 52.143 ÷ full-time weekly hours
Employees who need a general conversion between annual, weekly and hourly earnings can use the NHS Wage Calculator.
Payment for Work Completed While On Call
Being available on call and performing work while on call are different.
Under the national interim Agenda for Change provisions used by this calculator, ordinary work completed during an on-call period is estimated at time-and-a-half:
Basic hourly rate × ordinary work hours × 1.5
Work performed on a general public holiday is estimated at double time:
Basic hourly rate × public-holiday work hours × 2
The ordinary-work field can include eligible travel time when the applicable local arrangement treats that travel as paid time.
Do not enter hours when you were only available but did not perform work. Those periods are covered by the availability percentage.
Example: Monthly NHS On-Call Pay Calculation
Consider an employee entering the calculator’s example values:
- annual basic salary: £39,043;
- full-time weekly hours: 37.5;
- calculation period: one month;
- availability arrangement: one in three or more frequently;
- ordinary call-out and work hours: 4;
- public-holiday work hours: 2.
The selected availability rate is 9.5%.
Step 1: Calculate the Basic Hourly Rate
£39,043 ÷ 52.143 ÷ 37.5 = approximately £19.97
Step 2: Calculate Monthly Availability Pay
Annual availability payment:
£39,043 × 9.5% = £3,709.09
Monthly availability payment:
£3,709.09 ÷ 12 = £309.09
Step 3: Calculate Ordinary Call-Out Work
Ordinary work is estimated at time-and-a-half:
£19.97 × 4 × 1.5 = approximately £119.80
Step 4: Calculate Public-Holiday Work
Public-holiday work is estimated at double time:
£19.97 × 2 × 2 = approximately £79.87
Step 5: Calculate Total Gross On-Call Pay
£309.09 + £119.80 + £79.87 = approximately £508.76
The estimated monthly gross on-call payment is £508.76 before payroll deductions.
The calculator keeps the underlying values unrounded and rounds displayed results to two decimal places. A manual calculation using rounded hourly rates may differ by a penny.
NHS On-Call Pay and Overtime Are Different
On-call availability does not automatically mean overtime. Availability pay compensates an employee for remaining available outside normal hours, while overtime usually relates to authorised hours worked beyond contractual hours.
Work completed after being called may be paid according to the applicable on-call provisions rather than an ordinary overtime multiplier.
Do not enter the same working hours in both calculators. When additional hours are paid as contractual overtime rather than work done on call, use the NHS Overtime Pay Calculator.
On-Call Work During Unsocial Hours
A call-out may occur at night, on a weekend or during a public holiday. Do not automatically add an unsocial-hours enhancement to a payment already calculated under the on-call work provisions.
The correct treatment depends on the employee’s contract and applicable local arrangement. Public-holiday work has a separate calculator field because the calculation uses double time.
For ordinary contracted shifts completed during nights or weekends, rather than work triggered by an on-call arrangement, use the NHS Unsocial Hours & Enhancements Calculator.
Official NHS On-Call Provisions
The NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook explains the national availability percentages and payment principles for work completed while on call.
NHS Employers also provides official on-call guidance and examples, including the difference between remaining available and performing work.
Since April 2011, organisations may use locally agreed on-call arrangements consistent with the applicable handbook principles. Protected historical arrangements may also apply.
Gross On-Call Pay and Take-Home Pay
The calculator displays gross on-call pay. The final payslip amount may be reduced by:
- Income Tax;
- National Insurance;
- pension contributions where applicable;
- student loan repayments;
- other payroll deductions.
The calculator does not determine whether every component is pensionable. Confirm pension treatment with payroll or the pension team.
Common Mistakes While Calculating On-Call Pay
A common mistake is entering total salary including HCAS, overtime or supplements instead of basic salary.
Another mistake is counting every hour of availability as work completed. Availability is covered by the percentage enhancement; only enter hours actually worked.
Do not place public-holiday hours in the ordinary-work field. The applicable multipliers differ.
Avoid counting the same hours as on-call work, overtime and unsocial-hours work. This would overstate the estimated payment.
Finally, check whether a local or protected arrangement replaces the national assumptions used by the calculator.
FAQs
Q:1- what does the NHS On-Call Pay Calculator estimate?
A:- It estimates availability pay, ordinary call-out work, public-holiday work and the combined gross on-call payment.
Q:2- what is the highest national availability percentage?
A:- The calculator applies 9.5% when on-call cover averages one in three defined periods or more frequently.
Q:3- is being available the same as performing work?
A:- No. Availability pay covers remaining available. Work completed after being called is calculated separately.
Q:4- how is ordinary on-call work calculated?
A:- The calculator estimates ordinary call-out and work hours at time-and-a-half.
Q:5- how is public-holiday work calculated?
A:- Eligible public-holiday call-out and work hours are estimated at double time.
Q:6- can part-time staff use the calculator?
A:- The calculator uses full-time salary and weekly hours. Part-time availability payments may require an adjustment under the applicable arrangements, so confirm the final figure with payroll.
Q:7- does the result show take-home pay?
A:- No. It shows gross estimated pay before tax, National Insurance and other deductions.
Q:8- is the result an official payroll figure?
A:- No. Your contract, local agreement, rota and employer’s payroll determine the official payment.