Quick answer
Estimate take-home pay from an NHS Agenda for Change salary for 2026/27 after income tax, National Insurance and standard NHS pension contributions. It uses the rates and thresholds HMRC has published for 2026/27 (NHS Pension Scheme contributions are deducted before income tax is calculated (relief at source via net pay arrangement), but National Insurance is charged on gross pay before pension deduction). Worked example: with annual nhs salary (agenda for change or medical pay) £42,000, nhs pension scheme contribution rate 9.3 %, the result is estimated annual net pay £30,635 and nhs pension scheme contribution £3,906. Free to use, no sign-up, from LimitedCompany.Accountants (ICAEW-regulated ACCOTAX).
For NHS staff who also run a limited company on the side, for example a locum or consultant with private work, understanding NHS take-home pay clearly separates employed income from company profits. Enter your NHS salary to see the likely net pay.
The nhs salary take-home calculator runs on the rates and thresholds HMRC has published for the 2026/27 tax year, so the figures you see reflect the position your company is actually filing on rather than a historic set of bands. Change any input and the result recalculates immediately, with no sign-up and nothing sent anywhere.
If you are a director of a UK limited company, use it as a first look before a decision rather than as the decision itself. NHS Pension Scheme contributions are deducted before income tax is calculated (relief at source via net pay arrangement), but National Insurance is charged on gross pay before pension deduction. Real company positions bring in other income, reliefs, group structures and prior year adjustments that a single page of inputs cannot see, which is why the workings are written out below under payroll, paye & employment. Read those, then check the numbers against your own accounts, and speak to us if anything looks materially different from what you expected.
Last checked against HMRC rates: 12 September 2026 (2026/27 tax year). Reviewed by Waqas Sagar, Member of ICAEW, Fellow of ACCA, Fellow of AAT.
Result, 2026/27
Estimated annual net pay
NHS Pension Scheme contribution
9.3%Income tax
Employee National Insurance
Illustration only, figures are based on the rates you have selected and the information entered. Please check your own position with us before acting.
Estimates for the 2026/27 tax year using published GOV.UK rates. Switch between 2026/27 and 2025/26 above.
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Book a free general call WhatsApp usBook technical advice (paid)This calculator deducts the NHS Pension Scheme contribution from gross salary first, since NHS pension contributions receive tax relief through the net pay arrangement, reducing taxable income directly rather than through a separate relief claim. Income tax is then calculated on the reduced figure using the standard 2026/27 bands.
National Insurance, unlike income tax, is calculated on gross salary before the pension deduction, since NIC relief is not given on pension contributions in the same way, so this calculator applies employee NIC to the full salary at 8.0% between the primary threshold and the upper earnings limit, and 2% above it.
The result is an estimate of net take-home pay from the NHS role alone. It does not include NHS pension growth, annual allowance considerations, or any student loan deduction, all of which can affect actual net pay for some staff.
The NHS Pension Scheme uses tiered contribution rates, meaning higher earners pay a higher percentage of salary into the scheme, which is unusual compared with many private sector defined contribution schemes that use a flat percentage. This tiering means take-home pay does not scale in a simple straight line with gross salary once pension deductions are included.
Because contributions reduce taxable income immediately through the net pay arrangement, higher-rate taxpayers effectively receive tax relief at their marginal rate automatically, without needing to claim anything back through self-assessment for the employment income itself.
Many NHS clinicians also run a limited company for private work, locum sessions or consultancy. NHS salary and company dividends are taxed entirely separately, but they interact through the personal allowance taper above £100,000 of total income and the higher and additional rate thresholds, both of which use combined income from all sources.
It is worth reviewing NHS pay alongside company income each year, particularly around the £100,000 personal allowance taper point and pension annual allowance limits, since NHS pension growth counts towards the same annual allowance as any personal pension contributions.
Treat the result as a planning figure for the 2026/27 tax year. If it changes what you were about to do, take a director's salary, a dividend, a large asset purchase or a filing decision, check it against your own accounts first. We can review the position with you and confirm the tax treatment before you commit.
Before tax. Contributions are deducted from gross pay through the net pay arrangement, so income tax is calculated on salary after the pension deduction, giving automatic tax relief at your marginal rate.
The NHS Pension Scheme uses tiered contribution rates based on actual pensionable pay, so higher earners pay a higher percentage into the scheme than lower earners, unlike a flat-rate workplace pension.
Indirectly, yes. NHS salary counts towards total income for determining which income tax and dividend tax bands apply, and towards the £100,000 threshold at which the personal allowance starts to taper away.
No, it estimates take-home pay only. Pension growth in a defined benefit scheme like the NHS Pension Scheme is measured differently for annual allowance purposes and would need a separate calculation.
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