ST6-8 Senior Trainee Salary 2026/27
ST6-8 covers the final years of specialty training, senior registrar grade in many specialties. Basic pay in England for 2026 to 2027 is £76,582 at ST6 (nodal point 5a) and £77,348 at ST7 and ST8 (5b and 5c). Rota supplements are paid on top.
Typical pay & take-home
- Basic pay, nodal points 5b and 5c (ST7 and ST8)
- £77,348
- Basic pay, nodal points 5a to 5c (ST6 to ST8)
- £76,582–£77,348
- Take-home on that salary
- £49,618 England, after the 12.5% NHS pension contribution, Income Tax and NI.
At £77,348, you earn about 98% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), which is above the 90th percentile of UK full-time earnings (£76,903), the highest point ONS publishes.
What influences st6-8 senior specialty trainee pay
Basic pay at this grade is £76,582 at ST6 and £77,348 at ST7 and ST8. The whole grade is in the 12.5% NHS pension tier, the top contribution band, which applies to all pensionable pay above £67,668.
At ST7 and ST8 basic the 12.5% contribution leaves adjusted net income of about £67,680, £32,320 short of the £100,000 point where the personal allowance starts tapering at £1 for every £2 and the effective marginal rate reaches 62%. Rota supplements are pensionable, so each pound of them adds only 87.5p to adjusted net income.
On training pay alone the pension annual allowance is rarely reached. The £60,000 allowance is tested against the growth in the promised pension, not the contribution paid, and the 2015 scheme builds 1/54th of pensionable pay each year: about £1,432 a year of pension at ST7 and ST8 basic. It becomes a question in a year with a large jump in pensionable pay, such as arrears or the move to consultant pay.
Career progression
- FY1 £41,226, FY2 £47,610.
- ST1 and ST2: £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 across five thresholds, since 2a and 2b are separate steps.
Frequently asked questions
- What does an ST6-8 doctor take home 2026/27?
- At ST6 on £76,582 with the 12.5% pension tier, take-home is about £49,231 a year or £4,103 a month. At ST7 and ST8 on £77,348 it is about £49,618. Rota supplements are paid on top and taxed at 42% at the margin.
- Should I pay more into my pension before CCT?
- That depends on the marginal rate, which on ST7 and ST8 basic is 40% Income Tax plus 2% National Insurance: £77,348 leaves adjusted net income of about £67,680 after the contribution, inside the higher-rate band and well short of the £100,000 taper. NHS pension contributions are a net pay arrangement, not salary sacrifice, so they get Income Tax relief but save no National Insurance. Consultant pay starts higher: threshold 1, £113,565, leaves about £99,369 of adjusted net income after the 12.5% contribution.
Related professions
- 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
- ST1-2 Specialty Trainee Doctor
Basic pay, nodal points 3a and 3b (ST1 and ST2): £55,355
- NHS Band 8b Directorate Manager
Agenda for Change Band 8b intermediate point: £70,896
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 →