NHS salary sacrifice calculator
Salary sacrifice swaps part of your pay for a benefit before tax and National Insurance. See what a scheme really costs you each month.
Your NHS job
Add to your pay
Deductions and tax
More optionsSalary sacrifice, lease car, band change, mileage
London weighting, unsocial hours, on-call and part-time extra hours count towards your pension tier. Overtime for full-time staff does not.
Your pay steps in Band 5
Take-home a month at each step, with everything you entered above.
| Step | Salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | £32,073 | £2,004.21 |
| Intermediate | £34,592 | £2,141.41 |
| Top | £39,043 | £2,344.80 |
| Band 6 entry | £39,959 | £2,393.77 |
Buying a home? See how much you could borrow on this pay with the mortgage affordability calculator.
Compare with another NHS job
How much salary sacrifice saves
Because the money comes out before tax and NI, a sacrifice costs you less than its face value. A Band 5 sacrificing £50 a month for a bike only sees take-home fall by about £36.00. A Band 8a, paying 40% tax, sees it fall by about £29.00.
Common NHS schemes
- Cycle to work. A bike and safety kit paid back over 12 months or more.
- Lease cars. Many trusts offer electric cars through salary sacrifice. You still pay tax on the taxable benefit, which is low for electric cars. Enter it in the calculator from your scheme quote.
- Buying annual leave. Some trusts let you buy extra days, paid for out of gross pay.
- Childcare vouchers. Closed to new joiners since October 2018. Tax-Free Childcare replaced them.
Things to check first
Salary sacrifice lowers your contractual pay. That can reduce statutory maternity pay, the income lenders see for a mortgage, and sometimes your pension. Your pay after sacrifice also cannot drop below the National Minimum Wage.
Common questions
Does salary sacrifice affect my NHS Pension?
It can. Ask your trust whether pension is worked out on your pay before or after the sacrifice, as arrangements differ.
Can I still join the NHS childcare voucher scheme?
No. Childcare vouchers closed to new joiners in October 2018. If you joined before then you can stay in while you remain with the same employer.
Is a lease car through the NHS worth it?
Often, for electric cars, because the taxable benefit is low and you save tax and NI on the payments. Compare the after-tax cost in the calculator with buying or leasing privately.