UK Junior Doctor Salary 2026/27: Pay Scales & Take-Home
Resident (junior) doctor pay in England 2026/27: all 10 nodal points FY1 to ST8, take-home after tax, NI and NHS pension, and London weighting.
Overview of UK junior doctor pay
"Junior doctor" is the long-standing name for every NHS doctor in training below consultant level, from the first day of Foundation Year 1 (FY1) to the end of specialty training. Government and BMA pay documents now use "resident doctor" for the same group, as in the DHSC offer to the BMA resident doctors committee (June 2026). In England these doctors are employed on the 2016 terms and conditions of service for doctors and dentists in training; the BMA notes that resident doctors in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remain on the 2002 contract.
Under the 2016 contract, basic pay is set at a nodal pay point linked to the doctor's stage of training, not years of service, and covers an average 40-hour week (Schedule 2, paragraphs 1-2). For 2026/27 the government accepted the DDRB recommendation of a 3.5% increase from 1 April 2026, and, following agreement with the BMA, restructured the scale from five nodal points to ten (NHS Employers M&D circular 1/2026 R2, paragraph 3). Because the restructure sits on top of the award, the rise differs by point: between 3.5% and 7.14% this year.
Pay scale by nodal point (England)
Full-time basic annual pay at each nodal point. The 2026/27 column applies from 1 April 2026. In 2025/26 ST1 and ST2 shared one point, and ST3 to ST5 another; they are now split into lettered sub-points.
| Nodal point | Training grade | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FY1 | £38,831 | £41,226 | +6.2% |
| 2 | FY2 | £44,439 | £47,610 | +7.1% |
| 3a | ST1 / CT1 | £52,656 | £55,355 | +5.1% |
| 3b | ST2 / CT2 | £52,656 | £55,355 | +5.1% |
| 4a | ST3 / CT3 | £65,048 | £67,325 | +3.5% |
| 4b | ST4 / CT4 | £65,048 | £67,998 | +4.5% |
| 4c | ST5 | £65,048 | £67,998 | +4.5% |
| 5a | ST6 | £73,992 | £76,582 | +3.5% |
| 5b | ST7 | £73,992 | £77,348 | +4.5% |
| 5c | ST8 | £73,992 | £77,348 | +4.5% |
Source: NHS Employers - Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 1/2026 R2, Annex A Section 1 (resident doctor nodal scale); 2025/26 figures from the DHSC, offer to the BMA UK resident doctors committee, June 2026. Basic pay only; the extras below are paid on top.
Pay on top of basic salary (England, 2016 contract)
The 2016 contract does not use banding. Instead, each element of out-of-hours work is paid separately, set out in the doctor's work schedule and paid in equal monthly instalments (2016 TCS, Schedule 2):
- Additional rostered hours above the 40-hour average, paid at the basic hourly rate (1/40th of weekly basic pay) (paragraph 4).
- Night enhancement of 37% of the hourly basic rate on hours worked between 21:00 and 07:00 (paragraph 16).
- Weekend allowance for rotas with weekend work at least 1 in 8, from 3% of basic salary (1 in 8) to 15% (1 weekend in 2) (paragraph 5).
- On-call availability allowance based on 8% of full-time basic salary for the grade (paragraph 10).
- Less-than-full-time allowance of £1,000 a year for doctors training less than full-time (paragraph 7).
- Flexible pay premia for eligible training programmes. From 2026/27 the GP premium is renamed the General Practice Registrar Enhancement (M&D circular 1/2026 R2, paragraph 5).
- London weighting, a fixed annual sum (paragraphs 65-66): £2,162 in the London zone, £527 for extra-territorially managed units and £149 in the fringe zone, at the non-resident rates in M&D circular 1/2026 R2, Annex A section 10. It is paid pro rata to less-than-full-time doctors.
Only some of this counts for the pension. Hours up to 40 a week at the basic rate, London weighting and pay protection are pensionable; additional hours above 40, night enhancements, weekend, on-call and LTFT allowances and flexible pay premia are not (2016 TCS, Schedule 2, paragraphs 68-69). All of it is taxed and subject to National Insurance through PAYE in the normal way.
Banding: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (2002 contract)
According to the BMA, banding affects resident doctors on the 2002 contract in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. A band is a percentage supplement on basic salary set by the intensity of the rota:
| Band (full-time) | Supplement on basic salary |
|---|---|
| Band 3 | 100% |
| Band 2A | 80% |
| Band 2B | 50% |
| Band 1A | 50% |
| Band 1B | 40% |
| Band 1C | 20% |
| No band | 0% |
The supplement is not pensionable: the 2002 model contract states that "pay supplements over and above base salary are non-pensionable", so the NHS Pension contribution and tier are based on basic salary only. Basic pay scales in the devolved nations are set separately and are not the England figures on this page.
Take-home at each nodal point (England, basic pay)
Full-time basic pay only, England Income Tax, 2026/27. The NHS Pension contribution is taken at the 2026/27 tier for that basic pay. Because the scheme is a net pay arrangement, the contribution reduces Income Tax but not National Insurance, which is charged on the full gross (HMRC NIM02365). No student loan is deducted.
| Grade | Gross | Pension | Income Tax | NI | Annual take-home | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY1 (1) | £41,226 | £4,040 (9.8%) | £4,923 | £2,292 | £29,970 | £2,498 |
| FY2 (2) | £47,610 | £4,666 (9.8%) | £6,075 | £2,803 | £34,066 | £2,839 |
| ST1 / CT1 (3a) | £55,355 | £5,923 (10.7%) | £7,372 | £3,118 | £38,942 | £3,245 |
| ST2 / CT2 (3b) | £55,355 | £5,923 (10.7%) | £7,372 | £3,118 | £38,942 | £3,245 |
| ST3 / CT3 (4a) | £67,325 | £7,204 (10.7%) | £11,480 | £3,357 | £45,284 | £3,774 |
| ST4 / CT4 (4b) | £67,998 | £8,500 (12.5%) | £11,231 | £3,371 | £44,896 | £3,741 |
| ST5 (4c) | £67,998 | £8,500 (12.5%) | £11,231 | £3,371 | £44,896 | £3,741 |
| ST6 (5a) | £76,582 | £9,573 (12.5%) | £14,236 | £3,542 | £49,231 | £4,103 |
| ST7 (5b) | £77,348 | £9,669 (12.5%) | £14,504 | £3,558 | £49,618 | £4,135 |
| ST8 (5c) | £77,348 | £9,669 (12.5%) | £14,504 | £3,558 | £49,618 | £4,135 |
Actual pay is usually higher than these figures once additional hours, enhancements and allowances are added, and those extras can move pensionable pay (and so the contribution tier) only where they are pensionable. For your own rota, use the NHS take-home calculator.
Income Tax by nation at the same gross
The table holds gross pay at the England ST3 basic of £67,325, with the same 10.7% pension contribution, so that it shows only the difference in Income Tax. It is not a pay comparison: doctors in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are paid on their own scales.
| Tax rules | Gross | Income Tax | NI | Take-home | Difference vs England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | £67,325 | £11,480 | £3,357 | £45,284 | - |
| Scotland | £67,325 | £13,233 | £3,357 | £43,531 | -£1,752 |
| Wales | £67,325 | £11,480 | £3,357 | £45,284 | +£0 |
| Northern Ireland | £67,325 | £11,480 | £3,357 | £45,284 | +£0 |
Scotland sets its own bands: the 21% intermediate rate applies above £29,526, the 42% higher rate above £43,662 and the 45% advanced rate above £75,000 (thresholds shown for someone with the standard Personal Allowance). After the pension deduction, this ST3's top pound of taxable pay is taxed at 42% in Scotland against 40% in England, which is why Scottish take-home is lower at the same gross. Wales sets Welsh rates of Income Tax, which for this year give the same result as England, and Northern Ireland uses the same rates as England. National Insurance is UK-wide.
NHS Pension Scheme 2015
Resident doctors employed by the NHS are members of the NHS Pension Scheme 2015 unless they opt out. It is a career average (CARE) defined benefit scheme: each year builds pension of 1/54th of that year's pensionable pay, revalued each year at CPI plus 1.5% (NHSBSA).
Member contributions are tiered by pensionable pay. The 2026/27 table (NHS Employers):
| Pensionable pay | Member contribution |
|---|---|
| Up to £13,259 | 5.2% |
| £13,260 to £28,854 | 6.5% |
| £28,855 to £35,155 | 8.3% |
| £35,156 to £52,778 | 9.8% |
| £52,779 to £67,668 | 10.7% |
| £67,669 and above | 12.5% |
The employer pays 23.7% of pensionable pay plus a 0.08% administration levy, 23.78% in total (NHSBSA GP Locum A form, 2026/27). For an FY2 on £47,610 basic, 23.7% is about £11,284 a year. It is calculated on pensionable pay only, so non-pensionable extras (and banding under the 2002 contract) do not attract it.
Contributions are taken under a net pay arrangement: they come off pay before Income Tax, so relief is given automatically at the member's marginal rate, but National Insurance is charged on the full gross with no equivalent relief (HMRC NIM02365). Every take-home figure on this page is calculated that way.
The McCloud remedy concerns service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022. For members in scope, that remedy-period service was rolled back into the 1995/2008 Scheme from 1 October 2023, and they choose at retirement whether to take legacy or 2015 Scheme benefits for it (NHSBSA). Doctors who were never in the 1995/2008 Scheme are not affected.
Career progression: FY1 to consultant
Take-home at selected points on the England scale and at consultant threshold 1, 2026/27, full-time basic pay only, with the NHS Pension contribution at each point's tier under the net pay arrangement.
| Grade | Gross | Pension | Income Tax | NI | Take-home | Top rate of Income Tax | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY1 | £41,226 | £4,040 (9.8%) | £4,923 | £2,292 | £29,970 | 20% | Nodal point 1 |
| FY2 | £47,610 | £4,666 (9.8%) | £6,075 | £2,803 | £34,066 | 20% | Nodal point 2 |
| ST1 / CT1 | £55,355 | £5,923 (10.7%) | £7,372 | £3,118 | £38,942 | 20% | Nodal point 3a |
| ST3 / CT3 | £67,325 | £7,204 (10.7%) | £11,480 | £3,357 | £45,284 | 40% | Nodal point 4a |
| ST6 | £76,582 | £9,573 (12.5%) | £14,236 | £3,542 | £49,231 | 40% | Nodal point 5a |
| ST8 | £77,348 | £9,669 (12.5%) | £14,504 | £3,558 | £49,618 | 40% | Nodal point 5c |
| Consultant, threshold 1 | £113,565 | £14,196 (12.5%) | £27,180 | £4,282 | £67,908 | 40% | 2003 contract |
FY1 to FY2 adds £6,384 gross and £4,096 take-home; after the pension deduction FY2's top pound is still taxed at 20%, plus National Insurance. FY2 to ST1 adds £7,745 gross and £4,876 take-home, and ST1's top pound is taxed at 20%. ST1 to ST3 adds £11,970 gross and £6,342 take-home. ST8 to consultant threshold 1 adds £36,217 gross and £18,290 take-home; the higher contribution tier takes part of the rise, and at threshold 1 the top pound of taxable pay is taxed at 40%.
Consultant pay in England is on the 2003 contract, with five thresholds (1, 2a, 2b, 3 and 4) running from £113,565 to £150,569; threshold 4 is reached after 14 years (NHS Employers M&D circular 1/2026 R2). See the UK NHS consultant doctor pay page for the full scale, and the doctors' pay scales 2026/27 page for specialty doctor, specialist and salaried GP pay.
Related pay pages
- NHS consultant doctor pay - the five consultant thresholds and the NHS pension at consultant level.
- GP pay - salaried GP range, partner income and locum work after GP training.
- Police officer pay - federated police pay scales, London weighting, Police Pension 2015.
- Experienced teacher (UPS) - upper pay range teacher pay.
- NHS Band 7 nurse - advanced nurse practitioner pay on Agenda for Change.
- All UK professions - browse the full directory.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a junior doctor earn in England in 2026/27?
Basic pay on the resident doctor scale in England runs from £41,226 for FY1 to £77,348 for ST7 and ST8, from 1 April 2026 (DHSC offer to the BMA resident doctors committee, June 2026). That is basic pay for an average 40-hour week. Additional hours, night enhancements, weekend and on-call allowances, London weighting and any flexible pay premia are paid on top.
What is the difference between a junior doctor and a resident doctor?
They are the same doctors: everyone in foundation or specialty training below consultant level. "Resident doctor" is the term now used in government and BMA pay documents, including the DHSC 2026 offer to the BMA resident doctors committee. The England contract itself is still titled the terms and conditions of service for doctors and dentists in training (England) 2016.
Do junior doctors in England get banding?
No. Banding belongs to the 2002 contract, which the BMA says still applies to resident doctors in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England the 2016 contract pays basic salary plus separately calculated extras: additional hours at the basic hourly rate, a 37% enhancement on night hours, a weekend allowance of 3% to 15% of basic pay and an on-call availability allowance of 8%. Under the 2002 contract banding supplements run from 20% (band 1C) to 100% (band 3) and are non-pensionable.
Do junior doctors get London weighting?
Yes. The 2016 contract pays London weighting as a fixed annual sum, set out in the NHS Employers pay circular: £2,162 in the London zone, £527 for extra-territorially managed units and £149 in the fringe zone (non-resident rates). It is paid pro rata to less-than-full-time doctors and is pensionable. High Cost Area Supplements are an Agenda for Change payment, not part of the doctors' contract.
What does a junior doctor pay into the NHS Pension Scheme?
Member contributions are tiered by pensionable pay, from 5.2% to 12.5% in 2026/27. On basic pay alone, FY1 and FY2 pay 9.8%, ST1 to ST3 pay 10.7% and ST4 to ST8 pay 12.5%. The scheme is a net pay arrangement: the contribution comes off before Income Tax, but National Insurance is still charged on the full gross.
What does the employer contribute to the NHS Pension Scheme?
The employer rate is 23.7% of pensionable pay, plus a 0.08% administration levy (23.78% in total, per the NHSBSA 2026/27 GP Locum A form). For an FY2 on £47,610 basic that is about £11,284 a year before the levy, which does not appear in take-home pay.
Is junior doctor pay different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Pay for resident doctors is devolved, and the BMA says doctors in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remain on the 2002 contract with banding supplements rather than the England 2016 contract. The scale on this page is England only. Scotland also has its own Income Tax rates, so the same gross produces a different take-home there.
When does a junior doctor become a consultant, and what is consultant pay?
After completing specialty training and gaining a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), a doctor can apply for consultant posts. Consultant pay in England (2003 contract, 2026/27) has five thresholds, from £113,565 at threshold 1 to £150,569 at threshold 4, reached after 14 years as a consultant (NHS Employers M&D circular 1/2026 R2).
Is overtime taxable for junior doctors, and is it pensionable?
Yes, it is taxable. Additional rostered hours are paid at the basic hourly rate (1/40th of weekly basic pay) through PAYE, with Income Tax and National Insurance deducted like any other pay. Under the 2016 contract, hours up to 40 a week and London weighting are pensionable; hours above 40, night enhancements, weekend, on-call and LTFT allowances and flexible pay premia are not.