Band 5 covers staff nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers and many other registered professionals in NHS Scotland. Scotland pays its own Agenda for Change rates — higher than England’s at every point. The three points below are the official rates from 1 April 2026 (confirmed 3.75% uplift, circular PCS(AFC)2026/1). Unsocial hours are not included.
If your gross pay is £43,039 a year, after Scottish income tax, National Insurance and this pension contribution your take-home is about £31,080 a year — that’s £2,590 a month, £598 a week.
| Year | Month | Week | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £43,039 | £3,587 | £828 |
| Income tax (Scottish rates) | −£5,304 | −£442 | −£102 |
| National Insurance | −£2,438 | −£203 | −£47 |
| Pension contribution (SPPA) | −£4,218 | −£351 | −£81 |
| Take-home pay | £31,080 | £2,590 | £598 |
Effective deduction rate: 28% of gross, leaving 72p in every pound. Marginal rate: 37%, so an extra £100 pay rise or overtime puts about £63 in your pocket.
NHS Scotland pension contributions (SPPA) are tiered by pay — nine tiers from 5.7% to 12.7%, and the tier applies to your whole salary. At £43,039 the 2026/27 member rate is 9.8%, which is what the table above deducts. Scotland’s tiers differ from NHS England’s — most online calculators use the English rates for everyone and get Scotland wrong.
Your SPPA contribution comes off your pay before income tax — a net pay arrangement — so relief is automatic at your top Scottish rate and there is nothing to claim back. The £4,218 contribution above cuts your tax bill by £886, so its real cost to your take-home is £3,332 a year. Calculators that tax your whole salary and then subtract the pension understate your take-home by that £886.
Scotland vs England: the same point in England pays £39,043 gross (about £28,570 take-home). In Scotland you earn £3,996 more gross and, after Scottish income tax and the SPPA pension, keep about £2,511 more a year.
NHS Scotland’s standard full-time week is 36 hours (England’s is 37.5), so the per-hour figure above is based on a 36-hour week — another reason Scottish and English figures aren’t directly comparable.
Figures based on the official NHS Scotland Agenda for Change pay rates from 1 April 2026 (circular PCS(AFC)2026/1) and the SPPA NHS Pension Scheme (Scotland) contribution tiers from 1 April 2026 (NHS Circular 2026/03), with Scottish income tax at 2026/27 rates. Actual take-home depends on your exact tax code, student loan plan, and whether you pay into the pension. Sources: PCS(AFC)2026/1 pay circular · SPPA contribution circular 2026/03
Your actual take-home may differ because of your tax code, student loan, unsocial-hours enhancements or pension opt-out. Put your real numbers into our free salary calculator — it handles Scottish tax bands — nothing is recorded.
Band 5 Nurse (Scotland) pay points
Jump straight to another point:
Band 5 – Point 1 · Band 5 – Point 2
Other NHS Scotland bands
Band 2 NHS (Scotland) · Band 3 NHS (Scotland) · Band 4 NHS (Scotland) · Band 6 Nurse (Scotland) · Band 7 Nurse (Scotland) · Band 8a NHS (Scotland)
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