Profession · 2026/27
ST6-8 Senior Trainee Salary 2026/27
ST6-8 covers the final years of specialty training (senior registrar grade in many specialties). Basic pay £73,992 (BMA 2016 contract nodal point 5, England).
Typical pay & take-home
- Median gross
- £73,992
- Typical range
- £73,992–£73,992
- Take-home at median
- £53,473
England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 98% above the UK full-time median (£37,430), placing you in the top 5% of UK earners.
What influences st6-8 senior specialty trainee pay
ST6-8 sits at nodal point 5 on the 2016 contract, £73,992 basic. Senior registrars in high-intensity specialties (general surgery, obstetrics, anaesthetics) frequently push total gross over £100,000 with rota uplifts, crossing the £100k Personal Allowance taper.
Doctors approaching £100,000 should actively consider salary-sacrifice or NHS AVC contributions to keep adjusted net income below the taper - every pound between £100,000 and £125,140 is taxed at 62% effective marginal, making pension sacrifice extremely tax-efficient at this grade.
NHS pension at the senior trainee tier reaches 12.5-13.5%. Annual allowance pension-input-amount calculations become important: high-pensionable-pay years (e.g. mid-rotation registrar in surgical specialty) can trigger AA breaches that produce one-off tax charges.
Career progression
- ST6: £73,992 basic.
- ST7: £73,992.
- ST8 (final trainee year): £73,992.
- CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training): qualifies for consultant appointment.
- Consultant entry: £109,725 (threshold 1, England 2003 contract).
Frequently asked questions
- What does an ST6-8 doctor take home 2026/27?
- Basic £73,992 with 12.5-13.5% NHS pension gives about £45,000-£46,000 before rota uplift. With high-intensity on-call rota uplift, total gross often £95-110k and take-home in the £58-68k range - watch out for the £100k taper if rota uplift pushes you across.
- Should I lock in pension sacrifice before CCT?
- Often yes - the year before consultant appointment is frequently the highest-marginal-rate year of a doctor career (rota-heavy senior registrar pay just under the £100k taper). Sacrificing the marginal pounds avoids 42-62% IT+NI and lands in the pension at full value.