NHS Overtime & Unsocial Hours Pay Calculator 2026/27
Nights, Saturdays, Sundays and extra hours all pay more than your basic rate — the question is how much more. Pick your band, enter the hours you work in a month, and see the extra pay your rota earns: Section 2 unsocial enhancements and Section 3 overtime, worked out on the official 2026/27 scales.
Calculate your extra pay
| Your basic hourly rate | £16.40 |
| Saturday / night rate | £21.32 /hr (+30%) |
| Saturday / night enhancement | £196.83 |
| Sunday / public holiday rate | £26.24 /hr (+60%) |
| Sunday / holiday enhancement | £118.10 |
| Overtime (time and a half) | £196.83 |
| Public holiday overtime (double) | £0.00 |
| Total extra per month | £511.76 |
Unsocial enhancements are the extra on top of basic pay, which your salary already covers; overtime is paid in full on top. Never count the same hour twice — where an hour qualifies for both, the higher rate applies. Figures are gross, before pension, tax and National Insurance; enhancements themselves are pensionable.
Unsocial hours rates by band — Section 2
The enhancement depends on your band. Lower bands get a higher percentage, so a Band 2 Sunday hour is enhanced by 83% while a Band 6 Sunday hour is enhanced by 60%. Rates below are at each band's entry step, on England 2026/27 basic pay.
| Band | Salary (entry) | Basic / hour | Saturday & nights | Sunday & public holidays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 (closed) | £25,272 | £12.92 | £19.00 (+47%) | £25.07 (+94%) |
| Band 2 | £25,272 | £12.92 | £18.22 (+41%) | £23.65 (+83%) |
| Band 3 | £25,760 | £13.17 | £17.78 (+35%) | £22.26 (+69%) |
| Band 4 | £28,392 | £14.52 | £18.88 (+30%) | £23.23 (+60%) |
| Band 5 | £32,073 | £16.40 | £21.32 (+30%) | £26.24 (+60%) |
| Band 6 | £39,959 | £20.44 | £26.57 (+30%) | £32.70 (+60%) |
| Band 7 | £49,387 | £25.26 | £32.83 (+30%) | £40.41 (+60%) |
| Band 8a | £57,528 | £29.42 | £38.25 (+30%) | £47.07 (+60%) |
| Band 8b | £66,582 | £34.05 | £44.27 (+30%) | £54.48 (+60%) |
| Band 8c | £79,504 | £40.66 | £52.86 (+30%) | £65.06 (+60%) |
| Band 8d | £94,356 | £48.25 | £62.73 (+30%) | £77.21 (+60%) |
| Band 9 | £112,782 | £57.68 | £74.98 (+30%) | £92.29 (+60%) |
Source: NHS Employers, unsocial hours payments (NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, Section 2), reviewed September 2025. Enhancements are worked out on basic pay only — London weighting (HCAS) is excluded, a long-term recruitment and retention premium is included. Scotland uses the same rates at Bands 4–9; its Bands 1–3 percentages differ, so Scottish staff at those bands should check their board's guidance.
How overtime and unsocial hours work
Two different systems. Unsocial hours payments (Section 2) top up hours inside your contracted week when they fall in unsocial windows: weekday nights 8pm to 6am, all of Saturday, and all of Sunday and public holidays. Overtime (Section 3) pays for hours beyond the full-time week of 37.5 hours, at time and a half — or double time on a public holiday — for Bands 1 to 7.
The details that change the number. If more than half of a weekday evening or night shift falls between 8pm and 6am, the enhancement applies to the whole shift, not just the hours inside the window. You only ever receive one enhancement per hour — where overtime and an unsocial rate could both apply, the higher one is paid. Part-time staff earn plain time plus any unsocial enhancement for extra hours up to 37.5 a week; the overtime rate starts above 37.5. Bands 8 and 9 receive time off in lieu instead of overtime pay.
What this calculator does not cover. On-call availability payments are agreed locally by each trust, so there is no national rate to calculate. Staff on Annex 5 — mainly ambulance staff who regularly work unsocial hours and started before September 2018 — receive an averaged enhancement inside salary rather than shift-by-shift payments. And enhancements are pensionable, taxable pay: the figures here are gross, and your take-home from them follows the same pension, tax and National Insurance rules as the rest of your pay.
Worked example — Band 5 nurse, one month
A Band 5 nurse at entry point (£32,073, basic rate £16.40 an hour) works 40 hours on nights and Saturdays, 12 hours on Sundays, and 8 overtime hours in a month:
| 40 night / Saturday hours — enhancement at +30% | £196.83 |
| 12 Sunday hours — enhancement at +60% | £118.10 |
| 8 overtime hours — paid at time and a half | £196.83 |
| Total extra for the month | £511.76 |
That is about £6,141.13 a year on top of basic pay at the same rota — before pension, tax and National Insurance. Try your own band and rota in the calculator above.
Overtime and unsocial hours — frequently asked questions
What counts as unsocial hours in the NHS?
Under Section 2 of Agenda for Change, unsocial hours are weekday nights from 8pm to 6am, all hours on a Saturday, and all hours on Sundays and public holidays. Enhancements are paid for the hours actually worked inside those windows — and if more than half of a weekday evening or night shift falls between 8pm and 6am, the whole shift is enhanced.
How much extra is a night shift worth?
At Band 5 entry the basic hourly rate is £16.40. A night or Saturday hour pays time plus 30%, which is £21.32 an hour, and a Sunday or public holiday hour pays time plus 60%, £26.24 an hour. Bands 1 to 3 get higher percentages: Band 3 time plus 35% and 69%, Band 2 time plus 41% and 83%.
Is NHS overtime always paid at time and a half?
For Bands 1 to 7, yes: hours worked above 37.5 in a week are paid at time and a half, and overtime on a public holiday is paid at double time. Bands 8 and 9 have no contractual overtime pay — extra hours are taken as time off in lieu instead. Part-time staff are paid plain time (plus any unsocial enhancement) for extra hours up to 37.5 a week; overtime rates only apply above 37.5.
Can I claim overtime and an unsocial hours enhancement for the same hour?
No. You receive one enhancement for each hour worked. Where an hour could attract both — overtime worked on a Sunday night, for example — the higher of the two rates applies, not both added together.
Are unsocial hours payments pensionable?
Yes. Section 2 enhancements are pensionable pay, and they also count towards occupational sick pay and contractual maternity pay. They are worked out on your basic pay only — London weighting (HCAS) and short-term premiums are not included, though a long-term recruitment and retention premium is.
I'm on Annex 5 — does this calculator apply to me?
Not directly. Staff who regularly work unsocial hours — most commonly ambulance staff who started before September 2018 — may be on Annex 5, which pays an averaged enhancement built into salary instead of shift-by-shift Section 2 payments. This calculator uses the Section 2 system, which covers most Agenda for Change staff.
How every figure on this site is calculated and checked: our methodology.