What is the take-home pay for an NHS Band 8b Top in 2026/27?

An NHS Band 8b on the top step has a basic salary of £77,368. After the Tier 6 · 12.5% NHS pension contribution (£9,671), £14,511 PAYE income tax and £3,558 Class 1 National Insurance, the net take-home is £49,628 per year — £4,135.69 per month.

How much more does Band 8b earn with London weighting?

On top of the £77,368 basic, Inner London adds a £8,746 HCAS supplement (20%, clamped to the statutory floor/cap) and Outer London adds £6,137 (15%). That lifts the monthly take-home to £4,504 (Inner) and £4,394 (Outer) respectively — though a larger HCAS can push pensionable pay into a higher cliff-edge pension tier.

Which NHS pension tier applies to Band 8b Top?

At a pensionable gross of £77,368, an NHS Band 8b Top falls in Tier 6 · 12.5%. 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 8b top step.

Penny-accurate take-home for an NHS Band 8b on the top step — basic pay of £77,368, the cliff-edge Tier 6 · 12.5% 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): £77,368
Net monthly: £4,136
Effective rate: 35.9%

National

No HCAS supplement

Monthly take-home

£4,136

Annual take-home: £49,628
Pensionable gross: £77,368
HCAS supplement: —

Outer London

15% HCAS · floor / cap clamped

Monthly take-home

£4,394

Annual take-home: £52,727
Pensionable gross: £83,505
HCAS supplement: +£6,137

Inner London

20% HCAS · floor / cap clamped

Monthly take-home

£4,504

Annual take-home: £54,045
Pensionable gross: £86,114
HCAS supplement: +£8,746

Deduction stack · NHS Band 8b Top

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	£77,368	£83,505	£86,114
HCAS supplement	£0	£6,137	£8,746
NHS pension	£9,671	£10,438	£10,764
Income tax (PAYE)	£14,511	£16,659	£17,572
National Insurance	£3,558	£3,681	£3,733
Annual take-home	£49,628	£52,727	£54,045
Monthly take-home	£4,136	£4,394	£4,504

Reference · 2026/27 FROZEN

The Tier 6 · 12.5% NHS pension and HMRC thresholds driving the national column above.

Basic salary £77,368
NHS pension tier Tier 6 · 12.5%
Pension contribution £9,671
Inner London HCAS £8,746
Outer London HCAS £6,137
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.