ST1-2 Specialty Trainee Salary 2026/27
ST1-2 is the first two years of specialty training after foundation. Basic pay in England is £55,355 for 2026 to 2027, the same at nodal points 3a and 3b, so ST1 and ST2 are paid alike on basic. Rota supplements for nights, weekends and on-call are paid on top.
Typical pay & take-home
- Median gross
- £55,355
- Typical range
- £55,355–£55,355
- Take-home at median
- £42,663 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 42% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 24% of UK earners.
What influences st1-2 specialty trainee doctor pay
Basic pay is the same at ST1 and ST2 - £55,355 at nodal points 3a and 3b. Progression comes at ST3, which moves to £67,325. What differs between posts at this stage is the rota, not the basic.
Basic pay looks to be over the £50,270 higher-rate threshold but is not taxed as though it is. The 10.7% pension contribution comes off before Income Tax, bringing taxable pay to £49,432, so basic alone stays in the 20% band. Rota supplements are what carry taxable pay over the threshold, and from that point the marginal rate is 42% - 40% Income Tax plus 2% National Insurance.
The NHS pension contribution on £55,355 is 10.7%, the tier covering pensionable pay from £52,779 to £67,668 in 2026/27. Rota supplements are pensionable, and enough of them pushes the whole salary into the 12.5% tier above £67,668 - the tier applies to all pensionable pay, not just the slice above the threshold.
Career progression
- FY1 £41,226, FY2 £47,610.
- ST1 and ST2 (nodal points 3a and 3b): £55,355.
- ST3 £67,325, ST4 and ST5 £67,998.
- ST6 £76,582, ST7 and ST8 £77,348.
- Consultant (2003 contract): £113,565 rising to £150,569.
Frequently asked questions
- What does an ST1-2 doctor actually take home 2026/27?
- On £55,355 basic with the 10.7% NHS pension tier, take-home is about £38,942 a year or £3,245 a month, after £5,923 pension, £7,372 Income Tax and £3,118 National Insurance. Rota supplements are paid on top of that and taxed at 42% at the margin.
- Does the 40% tax band hit at ST1-2?
- Not on basic pay. £55,355 is above the £50,270 threshold, but the NHS pension is a net pay arrangement, so the 10.7% contribution is deducted before Income Tax and leaves £49,432 of taxable pay - just under it. Rota supplements take you over, and every pound above the threshold is taxed at 42%.