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
- Basic pay, nodal points 3a and 3b (ST1 and ST2)
- £55,355
- One published value for both points, not a range
- £55,355–£55,355
- Take-home on that salary
- £38,942 England, after the 10.7% NHS pension contribution, Income Tax and NI.
At £55,355, you earn about 42% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you between the 75th percentile (£54,009) and the 90th percentile (£76,903) of UK full-time earnings.
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. Taxable pay after the contribution is £838 below the £50,270 higher-rate threshold, so the first supplements are still taxed at 20% (plus 2% National Insurance, as basic pay is already above the upper earnings limit); beyond that the rate is 40% plus 2%.
- 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%.
Related professions
- Junior Doctor (F1)
Basic pay, nodal point 1 (FY1): £41,226
- ST3-5 Specialty Trainee Doctor
Basic pay, nodal points 4b and 4c (ST4 and ST5): £67,998
- Senior NHS Consultant
Consultant basic pay, threshold 2b (4 to 7 years): £123,672
- NHS Band 7 Advanced Nurse
Agenda for Change Band 7 intermediate point: £51,932
Sources
- NHS Employers - Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 1/2026 R2
- DHSC, offer to the BMA UK resident doctors committee, June 2026
- NHS Employers - NHS Pension Scheme member contribution rates
- 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 →