NJC pay scales and council pay calculator 2026/27
Take-home pay for council and school support staff on the NJC pay spine from 1 April 2026. Pick your spine point and hours, add term-time, overtime or sleep-ins, and see what you keep.
Your council or school job
Your SCP is on your contract or payslip. Pay from 1 April 2026, after the 3.3% award. Councils in London use their own pay spine.
Add to your pay
Deductions and tax
In the LGPS all your pay counts for your pension, including overtime and allowances. Your rate is set by what you actually earn, so part-time staff often pay less.
See take-home for every pay period
- Annually
- £25,643.09
- Monthly
- £2,136.92
- 4-weekly
- £1,972.55
- Fortnightly
- £986.27
- Weekly
- £493.14
- Daily (5-day week)
- £98.63
Nearby spine points
Take-home a month with everything you entered above.
| SCP | Full-time salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | £31,525 | £2,048.19 |
| 17 | £32,046 | £2,077.19 |
| 18 | £32,578 | £2,106.81 |
| 19 | £33,119 | £2,136.92 |
| 20 | £33,673 | £2,167.76 |
| 21 | £34,237 | £2,199.16 |
| 22 | £34,811 | £2,231.11 |
See what your pay leaves after bills with the take-home pay calculator.
The NJC pay spine 2026/27
| Point | Salary | Hourly | Pension | Monthly take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCP 3 to 12 | ||||
| SCP 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 | 5.8% | £1,731.10 |
| SCP 4 | £26,016 | £13.48 | 5.8% | £1,753.66 |
| SCP 5 | £26,427 | £13.70 | 5.8% | £1,776.74 |
| SCP 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 | 5.8% | £1,800.31 |
| SCP 7 | £27,274 | £14.14 | 5.8% | £1,824.28 |
| SCP 8 | £27,709 | £14.36 | 5.8% | £1,848.70 |
| SCP 9 | £28,153 | £14.59 | 5.8% | £1,873.62 |
| SCP 10 | £28,608 | £14.83 | 5.8% | £1,899.16 |
| SCP 11 | £29,071 | £15.07 | 6.5% | £1,911.59 |
| SCP 12 | £29,542 | £15.31 | 6.5% | £1,937.80 |
| SCP 13 to 22 | ||||
| SCP 13 | £30,023 | £15.56 | 6.5% | £1,964.58 |
| SCP 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 | 6.5% | £1,991.97 |
| SCP 15 | £31,015 | £16.08 | 6.5% | £2,019.80 |
| SCP 16 | £31,525 | £16.34 | 6.5% | £2,048.19 |
| SCP 17 | £32,046 | £16.61 | 6.5% | £2,077.19 |
| SCP 18 | £32,578 | £16.89 | 6.5% | £2,106.81 |
| SCP 19 | £33,119 | £17.17 | 6.5% | £2,136.92 |
| SCP 20 | £33,673 | £17.45 | 6.5% | £2,167.76 |
| SCP 21 | £34,237 | £17.75 | 6.5% | £2,199.16 |
| SCP 22 | £34,811 | £18.04 | 6.5% | £2,231.11 |
| SCP 23 to 32 | ||||
| SCP 23 | £35,570 | £18.44 | 6.5% | £2,273.36 |
| SCP 24 | £36,581 | £18.96 | 6.5% | £2,329.64 |
| SCP 25 | £37,563 | £19.47 | 6.5% | £2,384.31 |
| SCP 26 | £38,510 | £19.96 | 6.5% | £2,437.02 |
| SCP 27 | £39,481 | £20.46 | 6.5% | £2,491.08 |
| SCP 28 | £40,444 | £20.96 | 6.5% | £2,544.68 |
| SCP 29 | £41,177 | £21.34 | 6.5% | £2,585.49 |
| SCP 30 | £42,123 | £21.83 | 6.5% | £2,638.15 |
| SCP 31 | £43,149 | £22.37 | 6.5% | £2,695.26 |
| SCP 32 | £44,253 | £22.94 | 6.5% | £2,756.72 |
| SCP 33 to 43 | ||||
| SCP 33 | £45,529 | £23.60 | 6.5% | £2,827.75 |
| SCP 34 | £46,579 | £24.14 | 6.5% | £2,886.20 |
| SCP 35 | £47,665 | £24.71 | 6.8% | £2,937.12 |
| SCP 36 | £48,738 | £25.26 | 6.8% | £2,996.63 |
| SCP 37 | £49,817 | £25.82 | 6.8% | £3,056.48 |
| SCP 38 | £50,908 | £26.39 | 6.8% | £3,120.19 |
| SCP 39 | £51,928 | £26.92 | 6.8% | £3,181.86 |
| SCP 40 | £53,051 | £27.50 | 6.8% | £3,249.77 |
| SCP 41 | £54,143 | £28.06 | 6.8% | £3,312.61 |
| SCP 42 | £55,224 | £28.62 | 6.8% | £3,361.18 |
| SCP 43 | £56,293 | £29.18 | 6.8% | £3,409.22 |
Full time, 37 hours a week, tax code 1257L, LGPS main section, no student loan. Yearly rates from 1 April 2026.
How council take-home pay is worked out
Someone on SCP 19 earns £33,119 full time. They pay 6.5% into the Local Government Pension Scheme, which is £2,152.74 a year taken before tax. Income Tax is £3,679.25 and National Insurance is £1,643.92, leaving £25,643.09 a year, or £2,136.92 a month.
The spine is national, but grades are not. Each council or school decides which points make up each grade, so a job at grade 5 in one council can be paid differently from grade 5 in the next. Your contract or payslip shows your spine point. Most staff move up one point a year until they reach the top of their grade.
The hourly rate is the yearly salary divided by 52.143 weeks and then by 37 hours. Part-time staff are paid the same hourly rate for the hours they work.
LGPS contribution rates 2026/27
| Actual yearly pensionable pay | You pay |
|---|---|
| Up to £18,400 | 5.5% |
| £18,401 to £29,000 | 5.8% |
| £29,001 to £47,300 | 6.5% |
| £47,301 to £59,800 | 6.8% |
| £59,801 to £84,000 | 8.5% |
| £84,001 to £119,100 | 9.9% |
| £119,101 to £140,400 | 10.5% |
| £140,401 to £210,700 | 11.4% |
| £210,701 or more | 12.5% |
These are the England and Wales rates from 1 April 2026, set on your actual pensionable pay, which includes overtime. The whole of your pay is charged at one rate: someone on £47,300 pays 6.5%, but £1 more moves the whole salary to 6.8%, which costs about £113 a year in take-home pay. The 50/50 section halves the rate.
What is not included
- London councils. Inner and outer London boroughs use their own London pay spine with London weighting built in.
- Pay above SCP 43. Senior posts are paid on locally agreed points above the national spine.
- Scotland. Scottish councils have their own pay structure and pension scheme.
Work out your pension with the LGPS pension calculator.
Common questions
How much do council workers take home a month?
On the lowest point, SCP 3 (£25,614), a full-time council worker takes home about £1,731 a month after tax, NI and the LGPS from April 2026. On SCP 19 (£33,119) it is about £2,137.
What is the NJC pay rise for 2026/27?
3.3% on every point of the NJC pay spine from 1 April 2026, agreed in August 2026 and backdated to April. Allowances such as the sleep-in payment rose by 3.3% too.
What is the lowest hourly rate on the NJC pay spine?
£13.28 an hour at SCP 3 from April 2026, based on a 37-hour week. Spine point 2 was deleted on 1 April 2026, so SCP 3 is now the bottom of the spine.
How much do council staff pay into the LGPS?
Between 5.5% and 12.5% of actual pensionable pay in England and Wales, depending on what you earn. Someone on £33,119 pays 6.5%, which is £179.39 a month, but it only reduces take-home by about £143.52 because it comes off before tax.
What is the LGPS 50/50 section?
You pay half your normal contribution rate and build half the pension, while keeping full life and ill-health cover. It is meant for short periods when money is tight, and your employer moves you back to the main section at your next re-enrolment date.
Does every council use the NJC pay spine?
Most councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland do, and so do schools for support staff. Each council decides which spine points go with each grade. London councils use a separate London pay spine, and a few councils have their own pay structures.