Profession · 2026/27
Radiographer Salary 2026/27: NHS Band 6 Take-Home
Newly qualified diagnostic radiographers enter NHS Band 5 (£32,073-£39,043). After 2 years and HCPC re-registration most progress to Band 6 (£39,043-£47,084), the typical career-grade position for hospital radiographers.
Typical pay & take-home
- Median gross
- £43,064
- Typical range
- £39,043–£47,084
- Take-home at median
- £34,526
England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 15% above the UK full-time median (£37,430), placing you in the top 40% of UK earners.
What influences diagnostic radiographer pay
Radiographer Band 6 base pay sits inside the 20% basic-rate band for England + Wales + NI. Most diagnostic radiographers work weekday hours without unsocial-hours premium, so take-home tracks the headline AfC figure tightly.
NHS pension at 9.8% (2026/27 banded rate) is the standard contribution at Band 6. Salary sacrifice into AVCs or NHS Money Purchase AVC is the most common tax-efficient top-up.
Specialist roles - MRI, CT, interventional, mammography, sonography - typically progress to Band 7 (£49,000-£55,500). Reporting radiographers, advanced practitioners and consultant radiographers reach Band 8a (£57,000+).
Career progression
- Band 5 entry: £32,073 (2026/27 England).
- Band 5 top (year 4): £39,043.
- Band 6 entry: £39,043.
- Band 6 mid (year 4): £43,064.
- Band 6 top (year 5): £47,084.
- Band 7 specialist: £49,000-£55,500.
Frequently asked questions
- What is take-home for a Band 6 radiographer?
- On £43,064 gross with 9.8% NHS pension, take-home is approximately £30,800-£31,400 a year after Income Tax (20% basic rate), NI and pension. At Band 6 top of £47,084 the figure rises to ~£33,200.
- Do radiographers get unsocial hours payments?
- Some do. On-call radiographers (CT, MRI, interventional, A&E) receive Section 2 unsocial hours premium at 30-60% on out-of-hours shifts. Day-shift diagnostic radiographers in routine imaging typically work weekday hours without enhancement.
- How does Band 6 compare to a Band 5 entry-grade radiographer?
- Band 5 ranges £32,073-£39,043. Band 6 ranges £39,043-£47,084. Net delta moving from top of Band 5 to top of Band 6 is approximately £5,700/year take-home (about £475/month) after IT, NI and the slightly higher pension banding.