Physiotherapist Salary 2026/27 — From Rotational to Consultant Physio

The physiotherapist pay ladder — England 2026/27

Full-time, NHS Pension member, no London weighting or student loan. Take-home figures are generated by our verified calculator — run your own exact position on the homepage calculator.

How physiotherapist pay progresses

After HCPC registration most physiotherapists start on a Band 5 rotational post, rotating through musculoskeletal outpatients, respiratory, neurology, orthopaedics and community services while building generalist experience. Band 6 posts are specialist — a chosen clinical area, often with student supervision and service responsibilities — and Band 7 covers advanced practice, clinical specialist and team lead roles, including First Contact Practitioner posts in GP practices, which are commonly banded at 7 or 8a. Consultant physiotherapists sit at Band 8a and above. Agenda for Change pay is national, so the same step pays the same basic salary in any trust. In Scotland the same ladder runs on higher scales: a newly qualified physiotherapist starts at £34,544 (£2,167.21 a month take-home) and a Band 6 specialist at £43,231 (£2,600.13 a month).

On-call, weekends and evening clinics

Basic salary is only the starting point. Respiratory physiotherapists cover night and weekend on-call rotas, and many musculoskeletal services run evening and Saturday clinics. Hours in unsocial windows are enhanced under Section 2 of Agenda for Change — time plus 30% for Saturdays and weekday nights (8pm to 6am) and time plus 60% for Sundays and public holidays at Bands 4 to 9 — while the availability payment for being on call is agreed locally with your trust. Work out what your rota adds with the overtime & unsocial hours calculator. Student physiotherapists on placement are supernumerary and not salaried.

Worked example — newly qualified physiotherapist, Band 5 entry

Gross pay of £32,073.00 a year becomes £2,040.21 a month in your bank account: pension £2,662.06 (8.3%), income tax £3,368.19 and National Insurance £1,560.24 come off across the year first. On-call and weekend enhancements, where your rota earns them, are paid on top of this figure.

Physiotherapist pay part-time, in London and in Scotland

Working 22.5 hours a week (0.6 of full-time), a Band 5 physiotherapist at entry point is paid £19,243.80 gross and takes home £1,364.54 a month — part-time pay is the same hourly rate pro-rata, and because pension tiers are set by your actual pay, the contribution rate can drop too. In Inner London the same Band 5 post takes home £2,351.10 a month: the High Cost Area Supplement is added to basic pay before pension and tax, which lifts both your take-home and your pension. Leave is pro-rata as well — 27 days plus bank holidays on full-time hours, rising with service; check your exact hours with the annual leave calculator. In Scotland, a Band 5 physiotherapist starts on £34,544 and takes home £2,167.21 a month on the 36-hour week — see NHS Scotland pay for the full Scottish scales.

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