NHS Band 4 Salary 2026/27 — Pay & Take-Home by Step
Band 4 pays £28,392 to £31,157 in England for 2026/27 — and £31,537 to £34,303 in Scotland. After NHS pension, income tax and National Insurance, a full-time Band 4 at entry point takes home £1,873.79 a month. Every step, both nations, London weighting and part-time figures are below.
Last updated November 2026 · Figures checked against NHS Employers and the Scottish Government in November 2026. Next scheduled check: the April 2027 pay award.
Band 4 take-home calculator
| Gross pay | £28,392.00 |
| NHS pension | |
| Income tax | |
| National Insurance | |
| Take-home pay (year) |
Gross hourly rate for this step: . Estimates only — unsocial hours, overtime and bank pay are not included.
Band 4 pay at every step — England
| Step | Salary | Hourly | Pension | Income tax | NI | Take-home / year | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £28,392 | £14.52 | £1,845.48 (6.5%) | £2,795.30 | £1,265.76 | £22,485.46 | £1,873.79 |
| Top of band | £31,157 | £15.93 | £2,586.03 (8.3%) | £3,200.19 | £1,486.96 | £23,883.82 | £1,990.32 |
| Top | £31,157 | £15.93 | £2,586.03 (8.3%) | £3,200.19 | £1,486.96 | £23,883.82 | £1,990.32 |
Full-time (37.5 hours), NHS Pension member, no London weighting or student loan, standard tax code 1257L. Source: NHS Employers 2026/27.
Band 4 in Scotland
| Point | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / year | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point 1 | £31,537 | £16.80 | £24,499.83 | £2,041.65 |
| Point 2 | £34,303 | £18.27 | £25,851.99 | £2,154.33 |
Full-time (36 hours), Scottish income tax bands and SPPA pension tiers applied. Source: Scottish Government 2026/27.
Band 4 with London weighting
At the entry step in England, London weighting (HCAS) lifts Band 4 pay — and because it is pensionable, your pension builds on the higher amount too:
| Inner London — HCAS £5,794.00, gross £34,186.00 | Take-home £2,155.30/mo |
| Outer London — HCAS £4,870.00, gross £33,262.00 | Take-home £2,104.97/mo |
| London Fringe — HCAS £1,419.60, gross £29,811.60 | Take-home £1,917.04/mo |
| No weighting — gross £28,392 | Take-home £1,873.79/mo |
Band 4 part-time
Part-time pay is the same band and step, pro-rata. At 22.5 hours a week (0.6 WTE) on the entry step, gross pay is £17,035.20, giving take-home of £1,241.59 a month. Use the calculator above with your own hours for your exact figures.
Moving up from Band 3
The top of Band 3 (£27,476) pays take-home of £1,822.80 a month. Promotion to Band 4 entry (£28,392) adds £916 a year in gross pay — £50.99 a month in take-home on day one, with headroom to £1,990.32 a month at the top of Band 4. Compare all bands on the pay bands page.
Which jobs are Band 4?
Band 4 covers skilled support and associate roles: nursing associates, associate practitioners, pharmacy technicians, dental nurses, senior healthcare support workers in specialist areas and senior therapy assistants. For staff without a registration-based degree it is often the top band — which is why the routes into Band 5 registration (including the nursing associate top-up to registered nurse) matter, and are covered in the questions below.
Worked example — Band 4 entry point, full-time (England)
Gross pay of £28,392.00 a year becomes £1,873.79 a month in your bank account. Across the year, NHS pension £1,845.48 (6.5%), income tax £2,795.30 and National Insurance £1,265.76 come off, leaving £22,485.46 of take-home pay. London weighting, part-time hours and student loans change the picture — the calculator above runs your exact position.
How Band 4 take-home pay is worked out
The method is the same for every band. Start with gross pay, plus any London weighting. Your NHS pension contribution comes off first and reduces the pay that income tax is charged on. Income tax is then charged above the £12,570 personal allowance — 20% up to £50,270 and 40% above it, with the allowance itself reducing by £1 for every £2 earned over £100,000. National Insurance is charged on your full pay at 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above that — the pension does not reduce NI. Student loan repayments, if you have one, are worked out on pay before the pension deduction. The full method, with sources, is on our methodology page.
Band 4 — frequently asked questions
How much is Band 4 NHS pay in 2026/27?
Band 4 in England runs from £28,392 at entry point to £31,157 at the top. In Scotland, Band 4 starts at £31,537. Figures are the 2026/27 Agenda for Change scales.
What is the take-home pay for Band 4?
A full-time Band 4 at entry point in England takes home £1,873.79 a month (£22,485.46 a year) after NHS pension, income tax and National Insurance. At the top step it is £1,990.32 a month.
What jobs are Band 4 in the NHS?
Nursing associates, associate practitioners, pharmacy technicians, dental nurses, senior healthcare support workers in specialist areas and senior therapy assistants are commonly Band 4.
How do I progress from Band 4 to Band 5?
Most Band 5 roles require a professional registration (nursing, therapies, radiography and similar), which usually means a degree or degree apprenticeship. Nursing associates can complete a shortened top-up to become registered nurses. Band 4 itself tops out at £31,157, so registration is the usual route up.
What is Band 4 hourly pay?
£14.52 an hour at entry point in England, rising to £15.93 at the top step. Scotland's Band 4 starts at £16.80 an hour.
How every figure on this site is calculated and checked: our methodology.