1. Salary and working pattern
2. Paid-leave entitlement
Estimated term-time salary
A term-time NHS contract does not usually pay only for the weeks spent at work. Paid annual leave must also be accounted for, while the remaining non-working periods are generally unpaid. The resulting annual salary may then be divided into equal monthly payments.
The NHS Term-Time Salary Calculator estimates this arrangement using the employee’s full-time salary, contracted weekly hours, weeks worked, annual-leave entitlement and public holidays. It separates worked time from accrued paid leave so users can see how the annual salary proportion is produced.
Results are gross estimates before Income Tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension deductions. The final calculation can differ where an NHS employer uses a local payroll method or applies a different contractual arrangement.
What Does the NHS Term-Time Salary Calculator Work Out?
The calculator begins with the full-time equivalent salary for the role. It then adjusts that figure for both:
- Weekly contracted hours
- The reduced number of weeks worked during the year
Paid leave is accrued from the hours actually worked and added separately. The results show:
- Contracted-hours FTE
- Hours actually worked
- Paid annual-leave hours accrued
- Total paid hours for the year
- Equivalent paid weeks
- Combined salary percentage
- Estimated term-time annual salary
- Smoothed monthly gross salary
- Average weekly gross salary
- Gross hourly rate
This differs from a standard part-time calculation. Part-time work reduces weekly hours but may continue throughout the year, whereas term-time work also includes agreed periods when the employee does not work. A year-round reduction in weekly hours can be checked separately with the NHS Part-Time Salary Calculator.
How to Use and Calculate NHS Term-Time Pay
Enter the full-time equivalent annual salary attached to the role or pay point. Do not enter an already reduced term-time salary, because the calculator applies the reduction itself.
Choose the relevant full-time weekly standard:
- 36 hours: NHS Scotland Agenda for Change standard for 2026/27
- 37.5 hours: Other applicable Agenda for Change contracts
Enter the employee’s contracted weekly hours and the number of weeks they will actually work during the year. Working weeks must exclude paid annual leave and public-holiday weeks.
Next, select the full-time annual-leave entitlement:
- 27 days for less than five years’ service
- 29 days for five to ten years’ service
- 33 days for ten or more years’ service
Enter the applicable public-holiday entitlement, such as eight days, and select Calculate term-time pay.
When your starting pay is given as an hourly or weekly rate, use the NHS Wage Calculator to work out its annual equivalent first.
Worked Example: £35,000 Salary and 39 Working Weeks
The tested calculator example uses:
- Full-time equivalent salary: £35,000
- Full-time standard: 36 hours
- Contracted weekly hours: 36
- Weeks actually worked: 39
- Annual leave: 29 days
- Public holidays: 8 days
Step 1: Calculate Full-Time Annual Paid Hours
Full-time annual hours are calculated using 52.143 weeks:
36 × 52.143 = 1,877.148 hours
Displayed result:
1,877.15 hours
Step 2: Convert Leave Days into Hours
A five-day working-week equivalent is used:
36 ÷ 5 = 7.2 hours per day
Total leave entitlement:
29 annual-leave days + 8 public holidays = 37 days
Full-time leave hours:
37 × 7.2 = 266.40 hours
Step 3: Calculate Full-Time Hours Normally Worked
Full-time annual paid hours minus full-time leave hours:
1,877.148 − 266.40 = 1,610.748 hours
Step 4: Calculate the Paid-Leave Accrual Ratio
266.40 ÷ 1,610.748 = 0.165389
This means each hour actually worked produces approximately 0.165389 hours of paid leave under the calculation.
Step 5: Calculate Hours Actually Worked
36 contracted hours × 39 working weeks:
36 × 39 = 1,404.00 hours
Step 6: Calculate Paid-Leave Hours Accrued
1,404 × 0.165389 = 232.206155 hours
Displayed result:
232.21 paid-leave hours
Step 7: Calculate Total Annual Paid Hours
1,404 + 232.206155 = 1,636.206155 hours
Displayed result:
1,636.21 total paid hours
Step 8: Convert Total Paid Hours into Paid Weeks
1,636.206155 ÷ 36 = 45.450171 weeks
Displayed result:
45.45 paid weeks
This is why 39 working weeks do not produce only 39 weeks of salary. The equivalent paid weeks also include accrued paid leave.
Step 9: Calculate the Salary Percentage
1,636.206155 ÷ 1,877.148 × 100 = 87.164473%
Displayed result:
87.16% of the full-time annual salary
Step 10: Calculate Annual and Monthly Salary
Estimated annual salary:
£35,000 × 0.8716447265 = £30,507.57
Smoothed monthly gross salary:
£30,507.5654 ÷ 12 = £2,542.30
Average weekly gross salary across the complete year:
£30,507.5654 ÷ 52.143 = £585.07
Gross hourly rate:
£35,000 ÷ 1,877.148 = £18.65
Example Result Summary
- Contracted-hours FTE: 1.00
- Hours actually worked: 1,404.00
- Paid-leave hours accrued: 232.21
- Total annual paid hours: 1,636.21
- Equivalent paid weeks: 45.45
- Combined salary percentage: 87.16%
- Estimated term-time annual salary: £30,507.57
- Smoothed monthly gross salary: £2,542.30
- Average weekly gross salary: £585.07
- Gross hourly rate: £18.65
The calculator retains unrounded numbers throughout the calculation and rounds only the displayed results.
Working Weeks, Paid Leave and Monthly Salary Explained
A reduced working year is an arrangement containing agreed periods when the employee does not work. A term-time contract is one example. Salary is reduced proportionately, but payment may continue during the non-working parts of the year because the annual amount is spread across the payroll year.
The official NHS Scotland Flexible Work Pattern Policy Guide explains that calculations should account for paid annual leave and compare the reduced working year with a year-round employee.
Working weeks and paid weeks must not be treated as the same input:
- Working weeks refer to the weeks during which you carry out your contracted duties.
- Paid-leave hours are worked out independently from your actual working time.
- Equivalent paid weeks represent your worked hours together with the paid leave earned from those hours.
- Unpaid non-working periods account for the remaining part of the year.
Monthly smoothing does not increase the annual salary. It simply divides the calculated annual amount into 12 payments. The amount received after employee deductions can be reviewed separately with the NHS Take Home Pay Calculator.
Local employers may use payroll factors, rounding conventions or contractual terms that differ from this estimate. Employees should therefore compare the result with their written contract or a calculation supplied by payroll.
Other NHS pay and working-pattern tools are available from the NHS Salary Calculators homepage.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not enter paid-leave weeks as part of the working-weeks figure. The calculator accrues and adds paid leave separately, so including it twice would overstate salary.
Use the full-time equivalent salary rather than an existing term-time salary. Otherwise, the reduced-working-year percentage would be applied for a second time.
Select the correct full-time weekly standard. The 36-hour option applies to the relevant NHS Scotland arrangement, while 37.5 hours may apply under other Agenda for Change contracts.
Part-time employees should enter their actual weekly contracted hours, but the salary field must still contain the full-time equivalent salary.
Do not interpret smoothed monthly pay as payment for work completed within that particular month. Each payment represents one-twelfth of the estimated annual term-time salary.
Finally, treat the result as an estimate. Local annual-leave treatment, public holidays, payroll factors and contractual terms can alter the final amount.
FAQs
Q1: Are 39 working weeks the same as 39 paid weeks?
A: No. Working weeks cover the time spent working. Paid annual leave accrued from those hours is added separately, producing a higher number of equivalent paid weeks.
Q2: Is term-time salary normally paid only during working months?
A: The reduced annual salary may be smoothed across 12 monthly payments, including months containing non-working periods. Check the employer’s payroll arrangement for confirmation.
Q3: Can a part-time employee use the calculator?
A: Yes. Enter the full-time equivalent salary, select the applicable full-time standard and then enter the employee’s actual weekly contracted hours.
Q4: Does the calculator include public holidays?
A: Yes. Enter the full-time public-holiday entitlement separately. The calculator combines it with the selected annual-leave entitlement when calculating paid-leave accrual.
Q5: Does it calculate tax, pension or take-home pay?
A: No. The results are gross salary estimates before Income Tax, National Insurance, NHS Pension contributions and other deductions.
Q6: Why might payroll calculate a different term-time salary?
A: An NHS employer may use a local calculation method, different payroll factor, contractual leave arrangement or rounding convention. The employer’s confirmed calculation determines actual pay.
Q7: Can the 36-hour option be used for every NHS employee?
A: No. It reflects the NHS Scotland Agenda for Change standard for 2026/27. Employees covered by another arrangement should select the applicable standard and check their contract.