Agenda for Change
NHS pay bands and pay scales
A newly qualified allied health professional in England starts on band 5, at £32,073 in 2026/27, rising to £39,043 at the top of the band. The same band starts at £34,544 in Scotland (2026/27) and £31,049 in Northern Ireland (2025/26) — the four nations negotiate separately. Every figure below is the published Agenda for Change annual rate, labelled with the nation and the pay year it comes from.
How Agenda for Change works
Agenda for Change (AfC) is the national pay structure that covers almost every NHS job apart from doctors, dentists and very senior managers. Every allied health post sits in a band from 2 to 9, and the band is set by the job description rather than by the employer, so the same job pays the same in a district general hospital as it does in a teaching trust. That is the single most useful thing to understand about NHS pay: you do not negotiate a salary, you apply for a banded post, and the money follows the band.
Within a band you move up a small number of pay points. Progression is time-served rather than competitive — you move to the next point after the stated period, subject to your appraisal being signed off — so the top of the band is a realistic figure for someone who stays put, not a best case. In England in 2026/27, band 5 runs from £32,073 to £39,043, and the whole of that range is reached by staying in the same job. Moving up a band is different: it needs a vacancy at the higher band, and you apply for it in open competition like any other post.
The scales are uplifted each April. The uplift is recommended by the NHS Pay Review Body and then agreed separately by each of the four governments, which is why the nations drift apart and why the pay years on this page are not all the same. The uplifts recorded here are 3.3% in England for 2026/27, 3.6% in Northern Ireland for 2025/26, 3.75% in Scotland for 2026/27 and 3.3% in Wales for 2026/27. A figure on this page is the annual full-time rate before London weighting, before unsocial hours enhancements, and before pension and tax.
The allied health career ladder
Four rungs cover most allied health careers in the NHS. The figures are the England scale for 2026/27; the equivalent bands in the other nations are on the nation pages below.
| Band | Stage | Starting | Top of band | What the post is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 5 | Newly qualified | £32,073 | £39,043 | First post after registration, usually rotational. |
| Band 6 | Specialist | £39,959 | £48,117 | Typically two to four years in; a defined clinical specialty. |
| Band 7 | Advanced or team lead | £49,387 | £56,515 | Clinical leadership, complex caseload, supervision. |
| Band 8a | Consultant or service lead | £57,528 | £64,750 | Service-wide responsibility or consultant practice. |
Band 8b and above exist and are shown in the full scales below, but they are consultant, head-of-service and director posts: there are very few of them, and most allied health careers top out at band 7 or 8a.
The full scales, nation by nation
Annual full-time rates. Each table is labelled with the nation and the pay year it comes from — the four scales are not interchangeable and should never be read as one UK scale.
England — 2026/27
Uplifted by 3.3% for 2026/27 · effective from 1 April 2026
| Band | Starting | Point 2 | Point 3 | Top of band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £25,272 | £25,272 | £25,272 | |
| Band 3 | £25,760 | £27,476 | £27,476 | |
| Band 4 | £28,392 | £31,157 | £31,157 | |
| Band 5 Entry level | £32,073 | £34,592 | £39,043 | £39,043 |
| Band 6 | £39,959 | £42,170 | £48,117 | £48,117 |
| Band 7 | £49,387 | £51,932 | £56,515 | £56,515 |
| Band 8a | £57,528 | £60,417 | £64,750 | £64,750 |
| Band 8b | £66,582 | £70,896 | £77,368 | £77,368 |
| Band 8c | £79,504 | £84,346 | £91,609 | £91,609 |
| Band 8d | £94,356 | £100,140 | £108,814 | £108,814 |
| Band 9 | £112,782 | £119,583 | £129,783 | £129,783 |
Northern Ireland — 2025/26
Uplifted by 3.6% for 2025/26 · effective from 1 April 2025
| Band | Starting | Point 2 | Point 3 | Top of band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £24,465 | £24,465 | ||
| Band 3 | £24,937 | £26,598 | £26,598 | |
| Band 4 | £27,485 | £30,162 | £30,162 | |
| Band 5 Entry level | £31,049 | £33,487 | £37,796 | £37,796 |
| Band 6 | £38,682 | £40,823 | £46,580 | £46,580 |
| Band 7 | £47,810 | £50,273 | £54,710 | £54,710 |
| Band 8a | £55,690 | £58,487 | £62,682 | £62,682 |
| Band 8b | £64,455 | £68,631 | £74,896 | £74,896 |
| Band 8c | £76,965 | £81,652 | £88,682 | £88,682 |
| Band 8d | £91,342 | £96,941 | £105,337 | £105,337 |
| Band 9 | £109,179 | £115,763 | £125,637 | £125,637 |
Scotland — 2026/27
Uplifted by 3.75% for 2026/27 · effective from 1 April 2026
| Band | Starting | Point 2 | Point 3 | Top of band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £26,696 | £28,988 | £28,988 | |
| Band 3 | £29,103 | £31,409 | £31,409 | |
| Band 4 | £31,537 | £34,303 | £34,303 | |
| Band 5 Entry level | £34,544 | £36,911 | £43,039 | £43,039 |
| Band 6 | £43,231 | £45,135 | £52,679 | £52,679 |
| Band 7 | £52,845 | £54,863 | £61,466 | £61,466 |
| Band 8a | £65,125 | £70,303 | £70,303 | |
| Band 8b | £76,888 | £82,251 | £82,251 | |
| Band 8c | £90,808 | £97,338 | £97,338 | |
| Band 8d | £107,810 | £112,426 | £112,426 | |
| Band 9 | £127,521 | £133,044 | £133,044 |
Wales — 2026/27
Uplifted by 3.3% for 2026/27 · effective from 1 April 2026
| Band | Starting | Point 2 | Point 3 | Top of band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £26,300 | £26,300 | £26,300 | |
| Band 3 | £26,300 | £27,890 | £27,890 | |
| Band 4 | £28,819 | £31,626 | £31,626 | |
| Band 5 Entry level | £32,557 | £35,114 | £39,631 | £39,631 |
| Band 6 | £40,559 | £42,805 | £48,841 | £48,841 |
| Band 7 | £50,129 | £52,712 | £57,365 | £57,365 |
| Band 8a | £58,379 | £61,317 | £65,723 | £65,723 |
| Band 8b | £67,583 | £71,952 | £78,530 | £78,530 |
| Band 8c | £80,698 | £85,611 | £92,984 | £92,984 |
| Band 8d | £95,773 | £101,643 | £110,448 | £110,448 |
| Band 9 | £114,475 | £121,377 | £131,732 | £131,732 |
London weighting: high cost area supplements
If you work in or around London your basic pay is topped up by a high cost area supplement (HCAS). It is a percentage of basic salary with a floor and a ceiling, so at the bottom of the scale you get the minimum cash amount and at the top you get the maximum, not the percentage.
| Zone | Percentage of basic pay | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 20% | £5,794 | £8,746 |
| Outer London | 15% | £4,870 | £6,137 |
| Fringe | 5% | £1,346 | £2,270 |
The supplement is paid on basic salary only and is pensionable. It applies to posts in England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have no equivalent zone system. The band pages work the uplifted figure out for you and show the arithmetic.
Pay by band
One page per band, comparing every nation that publishes it and listing the professions that typically sit there.
Band 2
£25,272 to £25,272 in England, 2026/27.
Band 3
£25,760 to £27,476 in England, 2026/27.
Band 4
£28,392 to £31,157 in England, 2026/27.
Band 5
£32,073 to £39,043 in England, 2026/27.
Band 6
£39,959 to £48,117 in England, 2026/27.
Band 7
£49,387 to £56,515 in England, 2026/27.
Band 8a
£57,528 to £64,750 in England, 2026/27.
Band 8b
£66,582 to £77,368 in England, 2026/27.
Band 8c
£79,504 to £91,609 in England, 2026/27.
Band 8d
£94,356 to £108,814 in England, 2026/27.
Band 9
£112,782 to £129,783 in England, 2026/27.
Pay by profession
The band is set by the job, not the profession, so the scale is identical across allied health. What differs is the band you start on and how far the ladder realistically goes in that service. Most professions here start at band 5 or 6.
Art therapist pay
Usually starts on band 6, £39,959 in England (2026/27).
Diagnostic radiographer pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Dietitian pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Dramatherapist pay
Usually starts on band 6, £39,959 in England (2026/27).
Music therapist pay
Usually starts on band 6, £39,959 in England (2026/27).
Occupational therapist pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Operating department practitioner pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Orthoptist pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Osteopath pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Paramedic pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Physiotherapist pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Podiatrist pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Prosthetist/orthotist pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Speech and language therapist pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
Therapeutic radiographer pay
Usually starts on band 5, £32,073 in England (2026/27).
What the numbers do not show
Basic pay is not take-home pay and it is not total earnings. Two things move the figure in opposite directions. Upwards: unsocial hours payments, which matter enormously if you work nights or weekends — paramedics and radiographers on a 24-hour rota can add a substantial percentage this way — plus on-call availability payments and any high cost area supplement. Downwards: the NHS pension contribution, which is tiered by earnings and comes out before you see it, along with income tax and National Insurance.
The pension is worth reading as pay rather than as a deduction. It is a defined benefit career-average scheme with a substantial employer contribution, and it is one of the main reasons an NHS salary compares better with a private-sector offer than the headline numbers suggest. The ladder itself is worth understanding too: the distance from a band 5 start at £32,073 to a band 8a start at £57,528 is a career, not a few years, and most people spend the largest part of it at band 6 or 7.
Outside the NHS the picture is different again. Private practice, local authority services, schools and the charity sector often benchmark against Agenda for Change without matching it exactly, which is why AfC is quoted in job adverts that are not NHS jobs at all. Where an employer says "band 6 equivalent", it is telling you the level, not guaranteeing the scale or the pension.
Next
- NHS job market — Vacancies by profession and region
- Funding and bursaries — What training costs before you earn
- All professions — What each job actually is
- Approved courses — Where the training happens
Scales by nation
- England pay scale — 2026/27
- Northern Ireland pay scale — 2025/26
- Scotland pay scale — 2026/27
- Wales pay scale — 2026/27
Where this page’s data comes from
Pay values are the numeric rates published in each nation's Agenda for Change circular. Only the figures are reused; the circular text and tables are not reproduced.
- Agenda for Change pay scales and NHS terms and conditions handbookNHS Employers (NHS Confederation) · No open licence stated; NHS Employers copyright · checked 3 September 2026
- health-ni.gov.ukCited page
- bso.hscni.netCited page
- publications.scot.nhs.ukCited page
- nhs.walesCited page