What is the take-home pay for an NHS Band 3 Entry in 2026/27?

An NHS Band 3 on the entry step has a basic salary of £25,760. After the Tier 2 · 6.5% NHS pension contribution (£1,674), £2,303 PAYE income tax and £1,055 Class 1 National Insurance, the net take-home is £20,727 per year — £1,727.27 per month.

How much more does Band 3 earn with London weighting?

On top of the £25,760 basic, Inner London adds a £5,794 HCAS supplement (20%, clamped to the statutory floor/cap) and Outer London adds £4,870 (15%). That lifts the monthly take-home to £2,012 (Inner) and £1,962 (Outer) respectively — though a larger HCAS can push pensionable pay into a higher cliff-edge pension tier.

Which NHS pension tier applies to Band 3 Entry?

At a pensionable gross of £25,760, an NHS Band 3 Entry falls in Tier 2 · 6.5%. The NHS scheme is a Net Pay Arrangement, so the contribution is deducted before PAYE — granting immediate tax relief — while National Insurance is still charged on the full gross.

NHS · Agenda for Change · FY 2026/27 Calc-engine routed

NHS Band 3 entry step.

Penny-accurate take-home for an NHS Band 3 on the entry step — basic pay of £25,760, the cliff-edge Tier 2 · 6.5% NHS pension as a Net Pay Arrangement, and Inner / Outer London HCAS side by side.

Engine note · `computeNhsBreakdown()` — HCAS floor/cap clamp, cliff-edge pension on the whole gross, NI on full gross, PAYE on the post-pension base. Integer pence, no float drift.

Basic (national): £25,760
Net monthly: £1,727
Effective rate: 19.5%

National

No HCAS supplement

Monthly take-home

£1,727

Annual take-home: £20,727
Pensionable gross: £25,760
HCAS supplement: —

Outer London

15% HCAS · floor / cap clamped

Monthly take-home

£1,962

Annual take-home: £23,539
Pensionable gross: £30,630
HCAS supplement: +£4,870

Inner London

20% HCAS · floor / cap clamped

Monthly take-home

£2,012

Annual take-home: £24,143
Pensionable gross: £31,554
HCAS supplement: +£5,794

Deduction stack · NHS Band 3 Entry

Standard tax code 1257L, no student loan. NHS pension is a Net Pay Arrangement (deducted before PAYE); NI is charged on the full pensionable gross. Layer pension tiers, HCAS and student loans live in the NHS calculator.

Line item	National	Outer London	Inner London
Pensionable gross	£25,760	£30,630	£31,554
HCAS supplement	£0	£4,870	£5,794
NHS pension	£1,674	£2,542	£2,619
Income tax (PAYE)	£2,303	£3,104	£3,273
National Insurance	£1,055	£1,445	£1,519
Annual take-home	£20,727	£23,539	£24,143
Monthly take-home	£1,727	£1,962	£2,012

Reference · 2026/27 FROZEN

The Tier 2 · 6.5% NHS pension and HMRC thresholds driving the national column above.

Basic salary £25,760
NHS pension tier Tier 2 · 6.5%
Pension contribution £1,674
Inner London HCAS £5,794
Outer London HCAS £4,870
Personal Allowance £12,570

Step through the pay grid

Adjacent steps in this band and the same step on neighbouring bands — plus the interactive tool for pension, HCAS and student-loan overlays.