Band 5 is where most newly qualified nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers and ODPs start on the Agenda for Change scale. The base is £32,073 at Step 1 (2026/27), but in London you also get the High Cost Area Supplement — +20% Inner London, +15% Outer London, +5% London Fringe — on top of base. Because London weighting is pensionable, it lifts both your take-home and your NHS Pension contributions. Below the calculator we've compared all four weighting tiers for a Step 1 Band 5 so you can see exactly what "London pay" is worth.
Estimated annual £ value of night/weekend enhancements + overtime.
£
Annual Take-Home Pay (Band 5 · Inner London)
£0
Monthly: £0
|
Weekly: £0
|
Effective rate: 0%
Base salary
£0
NHS pension rate
0%
Pension contribution
£0
Overtime tier jump: Your unsocial hours / overtime pay has pushed your total
pensionable pay into a higher NHS Pension contribution tier. The higher rate applies to your
whole pensionable pay, not just the extra — so the marginal benefit of the extra
earnings is reduced. Consider whether the additional work is worth it.
Where Your Money Goes
0%
Take-home
Annual Breakdown (Band 5 London)
NHS Pension Insights (Band 5 London)
NHS Pension Tiers (2026/27)
Pensionable pay range
Rate
Your contribution
Source: NHS Business Services Authority — 2026/27 employee contribution tiers, indexed 3.8% from 1 April 2026. Employer contributes ~14.4% (employer pension scheme).
Band 5 Step 1: Inner vs Outer vs Fringe vs no London weighting
The table below uses our calculator for a Step 1 Band 5, England, no unsocial hours, Plan 2 loan under each London supplement. The weighting is added to base before tax, NI and the NHS Pension contribution (5.2% at this pay level), so the gap in take-home is smaller than the gross gap suggests.
Area (Step 1)
Base salary
London weighting
Gross total
Take-home / year
Take-home / month
Inner London (+20%)
£32,073
+£6,415
£38,488
£28,213
£2,351
Outer London (+15%)
£32,073
+£4,811
£36,884
£27,184
£2,265
London Fringe (+5%)
£32,073
+£1,604
£33,677
£25,531
£2,128
No weighting
£32,073
£0
£32,073
£24,483
£2,040
Inner London is worth about £3,730 more take-home per year than no weighting (£2,351 vs £2,040 a month) for a Step 1 Band 5 — but rent in Inner London usually outweighs that. The weighting also raises your pensionable pay, so a slightly bigger NHS Pension contribution comes off too. Model your own shift pattern and unsocial hours with the calculator above.
Figures generated with the same engine as this calculator (HMRC 2026/27 rates, AfC 2026/27, NHS Pension tiers from 1 April 2026). For illustration only — not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions about Band 5 in London
Is the London weighting (HCAS) pensionable?
Yes. The High Cost Area Supplement is added to your pensionable pay, so it lifts both your take-home and your NHS Pension contributions. On a Step 1 Band 5 the employee rate is 5.2%, so the extra pension deduction on Inner London (+20%) is modest — most of the weighting still lands in your pocket.
Inner vs Outer London — which should I pick?
That's a postcode question, not a choice you make. Inner London trusts pay +20%, Outer London +15%. Inner gives ~£1,029 more take-home a year than Outer at Step 1 (£2,351 vs £2,265/month) — but Inner London rent is typically far higher, so the "real" gain depends on where you can actually live.
Do nights and unsocial hours change the London picture?
They're paid on top of base + weighting, so they widen the gap between London and non-London Band 5s further. Unsocial hours (nights, evenings, weekends) are also pensionable. Use the calculator's "Unsocial hours" field to model a typical rota.
How do I get from Band 5 to Band 6 in London?
Band 6 is the usual promotion step (more responsibility / specialist role). Base Band 6 starts at £37,338 for 2026/27, with the same London weightings applied — see the full NHS Salary Calculator to compare. Many London Band 5s target Band 6 within 1–2 years.
Which student loan plan applies to a new Band 5?
Most new NHS Band 5s who started their course from 2023 are on Plan 5 (threshold £25,000). The calculator defaults to Plan 2 (older courses, £29,385 threshold) — switch it if your plan differs. Either way the loan comes off after tax but before pension.