NHS Band 9 salary 2026/27
NHS Band 9 pays £112,782 to £129,783 a year in England from 1 April 2026, about £5,626 a month after tax, National Insurance and pension at entry and £6,115 at the top. That is £57.68 an hour rising to £66.37. Scotland pays £127,521 at entry on a 36-hour week.
Band 9 pay points and take-home
| England 2026/27 | Salary | Take-home a month | Take-home a week | Per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £112,782 | £5,626 | £1,298 | £57.68 |
| After 2 years | £119,583 | £5,835 | £1,347 | £61.16 |
| After 5 years | £129,783 | £6,115 | £1,411 | £66.37 |
Full time on 37.5 hours, NHS Pension member, tax code 1257L, no student loan, before shift pay. You move up a step after 2 and 5 years in the band, as long as you meet the usual appraisal standards.
Where a Band 9 salary goes
| Band 9 entry, each year | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | £112,782 |
| NHS Pension (12.5%) | £14,098 |
| Income Tax | £26,906 |
| National Insurance | £4,266 |
| Take-home | £67,512 |
Jobs on Band 9
Agenda for Change bands the job, not the profession, so very different roles share the same pay. Typical Band 9 roles include:
- Director of a service below the trust board
- Director of estates and facilities
- Senior finance or operations director
- Podiatric consultant (surgery)
- Most senior clinical scientist or psychologist roles
Band 9 and the 60% tax trap
HMRC tests your income after NHS Pension contributions. At 12.5%, the trap starts at a gross salary of about £114,286, so Band 9 entry (£112,782) sits just below it. The intermediate and top points are inside it:
| Band 9 point | Gross | Income after pension | Personal Allowance lost | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £112,782 | £98,684 | £0 | £5,626 |
| After 2 years | £119,583 | £104,635 | £2,318 | £5,835 |
| After 5 years | £129,783 | £113,560 | £6,780 | £6,115 |
That is why the £6,801 step to the intermediate point adds only £209 a month, about 37p in the pound. Paying the excess into your pension, through additional contributions or salary sacrifice, recovers the lost allowance: each £1 you put in within the 60% zone costs you about 40p. If you have children, the same test decides whether you can keep tax-free childcare and 30 hours of free childcare, which stop once adjusted income passes £100,000. See the 60% tax trap.
Re-earnable pay and the annual allowance
Under the 2018 framework, part of the top point at bands 8c, 8d and 9 can be re-earnable each year, depending on performance. Band 9 is also where the NHS Pension annual allowance is most likely to matter, if a promotion or big pay jump grows your pension a lot in one year. The NHS Business Services Authority sends a pension savings statement if you go over.
Band 9 pay in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
| Nation | Full-time week | Salary range | Take-home a month at entry | Per hour at entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 37.5 hours | £112,782 to £129,783 | £5,626 | £57.68 |
| Scotland | 36 hours | £127,521 to £133,044 | £5,699 | £67.93 |
| Wales | 37.5 hours | £114,475 to £131,732 | £5,695 | £58.54 |
| Northern Ireland | 37.5 hours | £109,179 to £125,637 | £5,463 | £55.84 |
Scotland has its own pay scales and a 36-hour week from April 2026, so its hourly rate is the highest. Northern Ireland figures are 2025/26 rates while its 2026/27 award waits for approval. Scottish take-home uses Scottish Income Tax.
Shifts, London weighting and overtime on Band 9
In England, Band 9 gets time plus 30% for nights (8pm to 6am) and Saturdays, and time plus 60% for Sundays and bank holidays. On a typical ward-style rota of about 8 night or Saturday hours and 4 Sunday hours a week, Band 9 entry grosses £127,218 and takes home about £6,045 a month. Band 9 does not get paid overtime under the national terms: extra hours are usually taken back as time off.
| High Cost Area Supplement | Gross a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Inner London (20%) | £121,528 | £5,888 |
| Outer London (15%) | £118,919 | £5,817 |
| Fringe (5%) | £115,052 | £5,710 |
Part-time Band 9 pay
Pay is pro rata to your contracted hours. On 22.5 hours, Band 9 entry pays £67,669 a year, about £3,728 a month after deductions. On 30 hours, Band 9 entry pays £90,226 a year, about £4,677 a month after deductions. The NHS part-time calculator works it out for any hours.
Other bands: Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 6, Band 7, Band 8a, Band 8b, Band 8c, Band 8d. For every band in one calculator, use the NHS pay calculator.
Common questions
What is the Band 9 NHS salary in 2026/27?
In England, Band 9 pays £112,782 to £129,783 a year full time from 1 April 2026. Scotland pays £127,521 to £133,044.
How much does Band 9 take home a month?
About £5,626 a month at entry in England after Income Tax, National Insurance and the NHS Pension, rising to £6,115 at the top of the band. Shift pay and London weighting are extra.
What is the Band 9 hourly rate?
£57.68 an hour at entry in England, based on a 37.5-hour week, and £66.37 at the top.
How long does it take to reach the top of Band 9?
5 years in England, with a step after 2 years on the way. Moving up depends on meeting the normal appraisal standards.
Are NHS executive directors on Band 9?
Usually not. Chief executives and executive directors on trust boards are normally paid under the very senior manager pay framework, not Agenda for Change. Band 9 covers senior roles below board level.
How much tax does Band 9 pay in the 60% zone?
At the intermediate point (£119,583) your income after pension is about £104,635, so you lose about £2,318 of your Personal Allowance. Each extra pound in that zone costs 60% in tax plus 2% NI.