What is take-home for a Band 6 paramedic?

On the £42,170 intermediate point of Band 6, with the 9.8% NHS pension tier, take-home is about £30,576 a year, or £2,548 a month, after Income Tax, National Insurance and the contribution. Band 6 entry, £39,959, is about £29,157 and the £48,117 top of the band about £34,391. Unsocial hours enhancements are paid on top of every one of those, and they are pensionable.

Are unsocial hours payments taxed differently?

No - unsocial hours are taxed as ordinary employment income through PAYE. The payment is pensionable, so it builds CARE accrual at 1/54th and is included in the pay the contribution tier is set on. Enough of it takes a Band 6 paramedic into 40% Income Tax: under the net pay arrangement that starts at £56,294 of gross pensionable pay.

Does the 9.8% NHS pension feel worth it?

For most members, yes. The 2015 CARE scheme accruing at 1/54th gives a paramedic on the £42,170 Band 6 intermediate point about £781 a year of indexed pension for every year worked, and NHS employers pay 23.7% of pensionable pay into the scheme on top of the member's 9.8%, per NHS Employers.

Paramedic Salary 2026/27: NHS Band 6 Take-Home

NHS Health Careers says paramedics are paid on Agenda for Change "typically starting at band 5 and progressing to band 6 after two years", so Band 6 is the career grade rather than the starting one. Band 6 runs £39,959 at entry, £42,170 at the intermediate point and £48,117 at the top for 2026/27. Unsocial hours payments for nights and weekends are paid on top of basic under Section 2 of the AfC handbook.

Typical pay & take-home

Agenda for Change Band 6 intermediate point: £42,170
The three points of Band 6, entry to top: £39,959–£48,117
Take-home on that salary: £30,576 England, after the 9.8% NHS pension contribution, Income Tax and NI.

At £42,170, you earn about 8% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you between the 50th percentile (£39,039) and the 75th percentile (£54,009) of UK full-time earnings.

See exact take-home for £42,170 →

What influences paramedic pay

Every point of Band 6 is taxed at the basic rate. The top of the band, £48,117, is below the £50,270 higher-rate threshold, and the NHS pension pushes the crossover further out again because the contribution is deducted before Income Tax: no Agenda for Change pay is taxed at 40% until gross reaches £56,294. Unsocial hours are what get a paramedic there. Section 2 of the AfC handbook pays time plus 30% for Saturdays and for weekdays between 8pm and 6am, and time plus 60% for Sundays and public holidays.

NHS pension contribution at Band 6 is 9.8% (2026/27 banded rate). The CARE 2015 scheme accrues 1/54th of pensionable earnings each year, and the unsocial hours premium is pensionable, so accrual is built on basic pay plus the enhancement rather than on basic pay alone. Enough of it also moves the contribution tier: 9.8% runs to £52,778 of pensionable pay, and above that the rate is 10.7% on the whole of it.

Progression to a Band 7 specialist or critical care post moves you onto £49,387 to £56,515, so the step from the top of Band 6 is £1,270 at first and £8,398 by the top of Band 7. HEMS, rapid response and air ambulance roles can carry separate enhanced pay on top where a trust pays it.

Career progression

Newly registered, Band 5 entry: £32,073 (2026/27 England).
Band 5 intermediate: £34,592.
Band 5 top: £39,043.
Band 6 entry, typically after two years: £39,959.
Band 6 intermediate: £42,170.
Band 6 top: £48,117.
Band 7 specialist or critical care paramedic: £49,387 to £56,515.

Frequently asked questions

What is take-home for a Band 6 paramedic?: On the £42,170 intermediate point of Band 6, with the 9.8% NHS pension tier, take-home is about £30,576 a year, or £2,548 a month, after Income Tax, National Insurance and the contribution. Band 6 entry, £39,959, is about £29,157 and the £48,117 top of the band about £34,391. Unsocial hours enhancements are paid on top of every one of those, and they are pensionable.
Are unsocial hours payments taxed differently?: No - unsocial hours are taxed as ordinary employment income through PAYE. The payment is pensionable, so it builds CARE accrual at 1/54th and is included in the pay the contribution tier is set on. Enough of it takes a Band 6 paramedic into 40% Income Tax: under the net pay arrangement that starts at £56,294 of gross pensionable pay.
Does the 9.8% NHS pension feel worth it?: For most members, yes. The 2015 CARE scheme accruing at 1/54th gives a paramedic on the £42,170 Band 6 intermediate point about £781 a year of indexed pension for every year worked, and NHS employers pay 23.7% of pensionable pay into the scheme on top of the member's 9.8%, per NHS Employers.

Getting into this job

How to become a paramedic in England

Paramedic is a protected title. The routes to HCPC registration, and the Agenda for Change points the published route actually reaches, with take-home.

All UK professions →

Sources

NHS Employers - Agenda for Change pay scales 2026/27
NHS Employers - NHS Pension Scheme member contribution rates
NHS Employers - NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook
ONS - ASHE 2025 Table 14.7a, annual pay by SOC 2020 occupation (occupational pay)
ONS — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (UK full-time median and percentiles)
HMRC — Rates and thresholds 2026/27
Our full methodology & calculation sources →