Pay scales
NHS bands, teacher pay ranges, the NJC spine and Civil Service grades, with what has and has not been confirmed for 2026/27.
Armed forces pay
Starting pay in the British armed forces for 2026/27, how the 3.6% rise was set, and what affects pay after training, including X-Factor and pension.
Civil Service grades and pay
Civil Service grades run from administrative assistant to the Senior Civil Service, and each department sets its own pay. The 2026/27 remit.
Converting hourly pay to an annual salary
The formula public sector employers use to turn an hourly rate into a yearly salary and back, why it uses 52.143 weeks, and worked examples.
Doctors' pay in the NHS
Doctors in England get 3.5% from April 2026. Resident doctors start on £41,226 at FY1 and consultants on £113,565. Scales, the new deal and pension.
Firefighter pay
Firefighters get 3.8% from 1 July 2026: £31,539 in development and £40,358 once competent. Crew and watch manager rates and on-call pay.
FTE salary vs actual salary
Why public sector adverts quote a full-time equivalent salary that is higher than what part-time and term-time staff are actually paid, with examples.
How pay progression works in the NHS
Agenda for Change bands have up to three pay points, and you move up after two or three years if you meet set standards. Timings and what delays a step.
How term-time-only pay is calculated
Term-time-only staff are paid for weeks worked plus holiday, spread over 12 months. The NJC formula, a worked example and why figures differ.
How to read the salary on a public sector job advert
What the salary line on an NHS, school, council or Civil Service advert means: ranges, pro rata, grades, SCPs, HCAS and where you will actually start.
Local government pay award 2026/27
Council and school support staff on NJC terms get 3.3% from 1 April 2026, backdated, and SCP 2 has gone. What the deal is worth in cash.
London weighting across the public sector
How London weighting works for NHS staff, teachers, police, council workers and civil servants in 2026/27, with the rates and zones that apply.
Market supplements and recruitment premiums
How councils, the NHS, schools and the Civil Service pay extra on top of the grade for hard-to-fill jobs, and the terms that come with it.
National Living Wage and minimum wage rates 2026
The legal minimum hourly rates from 1 April 2026 for every age band and apprentices, what they mean as an annual salary and how public sector pay compares.
NHS Agenda for Change pay bands 2026/27
Every Agenda for Change band from 2 to 9 with its 2026/27 pay points in England, how steps work, and which parts of the pay picture are still unsettled.
NHS band 2 pay and jobs
Band 2 pays £25,272 a year in England from 1 April 2026, with a single pay point. The jobs at this band, London rates and how to move up to band 3.
NHS band 3 pay and jobs
Band 3 pays £25,760 rising to £27,476 in England from April 2026. The jobs at this level, the two-year step and what a move up from band 2 is worth.
NHS band 4 pay and jobs
Band 4 pays £28,392 rising to £31,157 in England from April 2026. Who works at band 4, such as assistant practitioners, and how to get there.
NHS band 5 pay and jobs
Band 5 starts at £32,073 in England from April 2026 and reaches £39,043 after four years. The steps, London rates and the roles that start at band 5.
NHS band 6 pay and jobs
Band 6 runs from £39,959 to £48,117 in England from April 2026. The specialist and senior roles at this band, its steps, and London and Scottish pay.
NHS band 7 pay and jobs
Band 7 pays £49,387 to £56,515 in England from April 2026. Ward managers and advanced roles, London rates, and how tax changes once pay passes £50,270.
NHS band 8a pay and jobs
Band 8a pays £57,528 to £64,750 in England from April 2026. The managers and senior clinicians at 8a, how the steps work, and pay in London and Scotland.
NHS band 9
Band 9 is the top of Agenda for Change, paying £112,782 to £129,783 in England from April 2026. Who is on it, the steps, and how tax works at this level.
NHS bands 8b, 8c and 8d
Bands 8b to 8d pay £66,582 to £108,814 in England from April 2026. The posts at each level, the steps, Scottish rates and the tax points that apply.
NHS London weighting (high cost area supplement)
NHS staff in and around London get 20%, 15% or 5% extra, within set minimums and maximums. The 2026/27 rates and how to work out your own supplement.
NHS pay award 2026/27: what we know
NHS staff in England got 3.3% from 1 April 2026, already paid. Where Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland stand, and what is still being negotiated.
NJC pay spine for council and school support staff 2026/27
The NJC pay spine from 1 April 2026 runs from £25,614 at SCP 3 to £56,293 at SCP 43. Every point, hourly rates and how grades map onto it.
Nurse pay in the UK
NHS nurses are paid on Agenda for Change bands 5 to 8. See the 2026/27 England pay points, the Scottish rates, London supplements and what is still unconfirmed.
Paramedic pay
Paramedics start on NHS band 5 at £32,073 in England and move to band 6 as they gain experience. See the 2026/27 pay points, Scottish rates and extras.
Police pay scales
Police constables in England and Wales earn £32,255 to £52,015 from 1 September 2026. The seven pay points, London allowances and PCSO pay.
Public sector vs private sector pay
How public sector pay packages compare with private sector jobs: salary structures, pension contributions, sick pay, holiday and job security.
School leadership pay range
England's leadership range runs from £53,586 to £148,829 outside London from September 2026. How school groups and individual ranges set your pay.
SEN allowance for teachers
The SEN allowance in England is £2,885 to £5,690 a year from September 2026. Which teaching posts qualify and how schools fix the spot value.
Social worker pay
How council social workers are paid: grades built on the NJC pay spine, the ASYE year, senior and team manager posts, and market supplements.
Spine points explained
What a spinal column point is, how grades are built from points on the NJC spine, and how NHS, teacher and police pay points compare.
Teacher pay award 2026/27
England's 3.5% teacher pay award is agreed but waits on the 2026 pay document. Where Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland stand on pay this year.
Teacher pay in London and the fringe
From September 2026, Inner London teachers start on £41,729 and Outer London on £39,196. Full ranges for inner, outer and fringe schools.
Teacher pay in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland teachers are still on 2025/26 scales: M2 is £32,916 and the upper scale tops out at £50,876. No 2026/27 offer has been made.
Teacher pay in Scotland
Scottish teachers are paid on a separate SNCT scale. See the 2026 figures for probationers, main grade, chartered, principal and head teachers, and what the deal covers.
Teacher pay scales in England 2026/27
Teachers in England get 3.5% from 1 September 2026, so M1 is £34,069 outside London. Main, upper and leading practitioner ranges, and when schools pay.
Teaching assistant pay explained
Most teaching assistants are on the NJC spine, from £25,614 full time, but term-time and hours cut actual pay. How to read TA salaries.
The Real Living Wage vs the National Living Wage
The Real Living Wage is £14.10 an hour, or £15.45 in London, and is voluntary. How it differs from the legal National Living Wage of £12.71.
TLR payments for teachers
TLR values in England from September 2026: TLR1 £10,531 to £17,819, TLR2 £3,651 to £8,913, TLR3 £727 to £3,600. Who qualifies and how it is set.
Unqualified teacher pay
Unqualified teachers in England earn £23,732 to £36,494 outside London from September 2026. London rates, who is paid this way and what QTS changes.
What pro rata salary means
Pro rata means the advertised full-time salary is cut in proportion to your hours or weeks. Worked examples for NHS, council and school jobs.