NHS Pension Calculator 2026/27
An NHS pension calculator answers two questions: what you pay in, and what you get out. In the 2015 scheme — the scheme every NHS employee has been in since April 2022 — you build up 1/54th of your pensionable pay as pension every year, and each year’s amount is revalued by inflation plus 1.5% until you retire. As a guide, someone averaging £36,000 a year for 30 years builds about £25,000 a year of pension in today’s money. Use the NHS pension calculator below for your own figure, then read on for the tiers, the tier cliff and the rules behind the number.
Your NHS Pension contribution is a percentage of your pensionable pay — 5.2% to 12.5% depending on which tier your pay falls in. Find your tier, your monthly cost, and what your employer puts in alongside you.
NHS pension contributions by band — 2026/27
| Band / point | Pensionable pay | Rate | You pay / month | Employer pays / year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 entry | £25,272 | 6.5% | £136.89 | £5,989 |
| Band 3 entry | £25,760 | 6.5% | £139.53 | £6,105 |
| Band 4 entry | £28,392 | 6.5% | £153.79 | £6,729 |
| Band 4 top | £31,157 | 8.3% | £215.50 | £7,384 |
| Band 5 entry | £32,073 | 8.3% | £221.84 | £7,601 |
| Band 5 top | £39,043 | 9.8% | £318.85 | £9,253 |
| Band 6 entry | £39,959 | 9.8% | £326.33 | £9,470 |
| Band 7 top | £56,515 | 10.7% | £503.93 | £13,394 |
| Band 8a entry | £57,528 | 10.7% | £512.96 | £13,634 |
| Band 9 top | £129,783 | 12.5% | £1,351.91 | £30,759 |
Employer contributions are 23.7% of pensionable pay (the rate set for April 2024 to March 2029) — on top of your salary, never deducted from it. Notice Bands 4 and 5 cross a tier boundary part-way up their scales, so two staff in the same band can pay different percentages.
The tier cliff: why a small pay rise can cut your take-home
Unlike income tax, the NHS pension tiers are not marginal: cross a threshold by £1 and the higher rate applies to every pound of your pensionable pay. At the £35,155 boundary the effect is stark — earn £35,155 and you pay 8.3% (£2,917.87 a year); earn £35,156 and you pay 9.8% (£3,445.29). That is £527.42 more in contributions for £1 more pay, and after the tax relief on contributions works through, your take-home pay actually falls by £421.21 a year. The same cliffs sit at £13,259, £28,854, £52,778 and £67,668 — and London weighting counts towards them, which is why inner-London Band 5 staff hit the 9.8% tier sooner than colleagues elsewhere.
It is still worth being in the scheme. For every year of membership the 2015 scheme adds 1/54 of that year’s pensionable pay to your eventual pension — £593.94 a year of pension for a Band 5 at the entry point — and that pot is revalued each year with inflation plus 1.5% while you are an active member, on top of your employer’s 23.7%. You can also buy Added Pension to top the benefit up, or pay extra reduced-rate contributions (ERRBO) to bring the pension’s payment age closer to your state pension age — your pension estimate on your Total Reward Statement shows both. To see your contributions inside a full take-home breakdown, use the NHS Pay Calculator.
Sources: NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook; NHS Employers Agenda for Change pay scales 2026/27; employee tier rates and the 23.7% employer rate as published by the NHS Business Services Authority. Figures are estimates for the 2015 scheme, England & Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland schemes set their own tiers.
How the 2015 CARE scheme builds your pension
CARE stands for career average revalued earnings. Each year, 1/54th of your pensionable pay — about 1.85% — is added to your pension pot for that year. A year on £30,000 adds £555.56 a year of pension. That amount is then revalued every year until retirement by the Treasury Order rate plus 1.5%: in April 2026 the revaluation was 5.3% (CPI 3.8% plus 1.5%). Your final pension is the sum of all those yearly amounts, each grown by every year’s revaluation since it was earned. The normal pension age for the 2015 scheme is your State Pension Age (minimum 65). You can take a tax-free lump sum at retirement by giving up pension at £12 of lump sum for every £1 of yearly pension — so £12,000 of lump sum costs £1,000 a year of pension.
What counts as pensionable pay
Not everything on your payslip counts. Pensionable pay is your basic pay plus any long-term recruitment and retention premium, plus High Cost Area Supplement where it applies. Overtime, short-term recruitment and retention payments, and one-off payments do not count. That distinction matters twice: it decides your contribution tier (which is set on all pensionable pay, not total pay), and it decides how much pension you accrue each year. Unsocial hours enhancements are part of your pay for pension purposes where they are a regular feature of your contract — check your payslip’s pensionable-pay line against the calculator’s figure if the two disagree.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The tier tables differ by nation. In England and Wales the 2015 scheme tiers run from 5.2% to 12.5% of all pensionable pay, and the employer contributes 23.7%. In Scotland, the SPPA scheme has nine tiers — 5.7% up to £13,330, 6.4% up to £28,987, 7.0% up to £34,302, 8.7% up to £43,038, 9.8% up to £45,134, 10.5% up to £54,862, 11.2% up to £59,369, 11.6% up to £83,026, and 12.7% above that — and since 1 October 2023 the tier is set on your actual pay, not your whole-time-equivalent pay, which is good news for part-time staff in Scotland. The Scottish employer rate is 22.5%. Wales follows the England and Wales tiers. Northern Ireland follows the HSC scheme; the calculator above covers England and Wales and Scotland — check the Northern Ireland page for HSC-specific figures.
The older schemes and the McCloud remedy
If you joined before 2015 you may also have service in the 1995 Section or the 2008 Section. The 1995 Section accrues at 1/80th of final pensionable pay per year (best of the last 3 years), with a normal pension age of 60 and an automatic lump sum of three times the annual pension — so £45,000 × 20 years gives £11,250 a year plus a £33,750 lump sum. The 2008 Section accrues at 1/60th of final pensionable pay (best 3 of the last 10 years), with a normal pension age of 65 and no automatic lump sum — the same £45,000 × 20 years gives £15,000 a year, with lump sum available only by commutation. The McCloud remedy covers service between 2015 and 2022: affected members choose at retirement whether that service counts under the legacy scheme or the 2015 CARE scheme. Retiring before your normal pension age reduces the pension — roughly 5% a year early as a rule of thumb, with the exact factor set by the scheme.
Opting out, rejoining and checking your statement
Opting out raises your take-home pay today — by the full contribution, since the net-pay arrangement means the real cost after tax relief is lower than the headline rate — but it gives up the employer contribution (23.7% in England and Wales) and the pension build-up for every year you are out. You can rejoin at any time, and most staff who opt out for a short period rejoin within a year. The figure that matters is on your Annual Benefit Statement from NHS Pensions (or SPPA in Scotland): it shows your accrued 2015 pension, any legacy pension, and your projected pension at normal pension age. Compare it with the NHS pension calculator above — if they disagree, the usual causes are a pensionable-pay difference (see the section above) or service that has not yet been updated on your record.
Pension tiers by nation and working pattern
Contribution tiers differ by nation. England and Wales share six tiers, from 5.2% to 12.5% of pensionable pay. Scotland’s scheme has nine tiers, from 5.7% to 12.7%. Northern Ireland uses the same thresholds as England and Wales with higher rates, from 5.2% to 12.7% — its second tier is 6.7%, not 6.5%.
Your tier is set by your actual pensionable pay — basic pay plus London weighting where it applies, scaled by your full-time equivalent. A Band 5 nurse at the top of the scale (£39,043) working 60% of full-time hours has pensionable pay of £23,425.80 and sits in the 6.5% tier, not the 9.8% tier the full-time salary would suggest. Use the FTE field above to see your own tier.
London weighting counts as pensionable pay in England and is scaled by your full-time equivalent for part-time staff, just like basic pay. Your employer contributes 23.7% of pensionable pay in England and Wales, 22.5% in Scotland, and 23.2% in Northern Ireland — on top of your salary, not taken from it.
Pension questions
How much NHS pension do I pay?
It depends on your pensionable pay. In England and Wales the 2015 scheme tiers run from 5.2% to 12.5% of all your pensionable pay; in Scotland there are nine tiers from 5.7% to 12.7%. The calculator above works out your exact rate and monthly amount.
Which pension tier am I in?
The tier is set by your total pensionable pay for the year — basic pay plus long-term RRP plus HCAS. In Scotland since October 2023 it is your actual pay, not your whole-time-equivalent pay, so part-time staff may sit in a lower tier than their full-time point suggests.
Does overtime count towards my NHS pension?
No. Overtime, short-term recruitment and retention payments and one-off payments are not pensionable. Basic pay, long-term RRP and HCAS are.
How does part-time working affect my NHS pension?
You accrue 1/54th of your actual pensionable pay each year, so part-time pension builds up more slowly — but your contribution tier is also set on your actual pay, which can put you in a lower tier. In Scotland this has applied since October 2023.
How much does my employer contribute to my NHS pension?
23.7% of pensionable pay in England and Wales, and 22.5% in Scotland. It never appears on your payslip, but it is part of your total reward — and it is lost for every year you opt out.
When can I retire on the NHS pension?
The normal pension age for the 2015 scheme is your State Pension Age (minimum 65). The 1995 Section’s normal pension age is 60 and the 2008 Section’s is 65. Retiring early reduces the pension, roughly 5% a year as a rule of thumb.
What is the McCloud remedy?
It covers NHS pension service between 2015 and 2022. Members affected can choose at retirement whether that service counts under their legacy scheme (1995 or 2008 Section) or under the 2015 CARE scheme, whichever gives the better outcome.
Can I take a lump sum from my NHS pension?
Yes, by commutation: £12 of tax-free lump sum for every £1 of yearly pension you give up. The 1995 Section also pays an automatic lump sum of three times the annual pension; the 2008 and 2015 schemes do not.
Does the calculator cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Choose your nation above the band field: Scotland uses its nine-tier SPPA table, Northern Ireland uses the HSC table, and Wales shares the England and Wales tiers. London weighting applies in England only and is disabled for other nations.
Does London weighting count towards my pension?
Yes, in England. London weighting (HCAS) is pensionable pay, so it raises both your pensionable pay and your contribution — and it is scaled by your full-time equivalent for part-time staff, just like basic pay. It does not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.