HSC Agenda for Change · Northern Ireland · 2025/26
NHS Northern Ireland pay scales
Northern Ireland has not yet had a 2026/27 pay award. The rates below are the 2025/26 ones, and they are what HSC staff are still being paid.
Be careful with pay tables that do not name a nation. Most show the England 2026/27 figures. Nobody in Northern Ireland is being paid those.
Why these are last year’s rates
The 2025/26 award was set out in Circular HSC (AfC) 06/2025, published on 3 December 2025 — for an award that took effect on 1 April 2025, eight months earlier. Northern Ireland pay awards routinely arrive long after the date they apply from, and the arrears follow later still.
For 2026/27 no Agenda for Change pay circular has been issued at all. The Department of Health’s own index of the circulars it has published this year lists none, which is why this page shows 2025/26 and not a figure we have guessed. When the award is made it is expected to be backdated to 1 April, as previous awards have been — but the amount, and the month it reaches a payslip, are not yet set.
Every band, 2025/26
| Band | Entry | Intermediate | Top | Years to top | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 Closed to new entrants. | £24,465 single rate | — | £12.51 | ||
| Band 2 | £24,465 single rate | — | £12.51 | ||
| Band 3 | £24,937 | — | £26,598 | 2 | £12.75–£13.60 |
| Band 4 | £27,485 | — | £30,162 | 3 | £14.06–£15.43 |
| Band 5 | £31,049 | £33,487 | £37,796 | 4 | £15.88–£19.33 |
| Band 6 | £38,682 | £40,823 | £46,580 | 5 | £19.78–£23.82 |
| Band 7 | £47,810 | £50,273 | £54,710 | 5 | £24.45–£27.98 |
| Band 8a | £55,690 | £58,487 | £62,682 | 5 | £28.48–£32.06 |
| Band 8b | £64,455 | £68,631 | £74,896 | 5 | £32.96–£38.30 |
| Band 8c | £76,965 | £81,652 | £88,682 | 5 | £39.36–£45.35 |
| Band 8d | £91,342 | £96,941 | £105,337 | 5 | £46.71–£53.87 |
| Band 9 | £109,179 | £115,763 | £125,637 | 5 | £55.84–£64.25 |
Hourly rates are derived — annual pay ÷ 52.143 weeks ÷ the 37.5-hour standard week — because this circular publishes annual salaries only.
How far behind England that leaves you
England moved to its 2026/27 rates on 1 April 2026. Until Northern Ireland’s award is made, the same job pays between £807 and £3,603 a year less here — £807 at band 2, £3,603 at band 9.
| Band | Northern Ireland now | England now | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | £24,465 | £25,272 | −£807 |
| Band 2 | £24,465 | £25,272 | −£807 |
| Band 3 | £24,937 | £25,760 | −£823 |
| Band 4 | £27,485 | £28,392 | −£907 |
| Band 5 | £31,049 | £32,073 | −£1,024 |
| Band 6 | £38,682 | £39,959 | −£1,277 |
| Band 7 | £47,810 | £49,387 | −£1,577 |
| Band 8a | £55,690 | £57,528 | −£1,838 |
| Band 8b | £64,455 | £66,582 | −£2,127 |
| Band 8c | £76,965 | £79,504 | −£2,539 |
| Band 8d | £91,342 | £94,356 | −£3,014 |
| Band 9 | £109,179 | £112,782 | −£3,603 |
Entry step only, annual salary before tax. This is a gap in timing, not in the rate Northern Ireland has agreed to pay.
Pay parity is intact
For the year it has actually awarded, Northern Ireland pays exactly what England pays: all 30 pay points match the England 2025/26 figures to the pound. The one difference is presentational — England prints band 2 as two steps at the same salary, Northern Ireland as a single spot rate. So the gap above is entirely a question of when the award lands, not of Northern Ireland settling for less.
Unsocial hours
These come from section 3 of the same circular, not from England’s handbook. They match the England structure because the Northern Ireland circular says they follow it — which is a different thing from us assuming they do.
| Band | Saturday, and weekdays 8pm–6am | Sunday and public holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | +47% | +94% |
| Band 2 | +41% | +83% |
| Band 3 | +35% | +69% |
| Bands 4–9 | +30% | +60% |
A percentage added to your hourly rate for those hours, on top of basic pay.
How Northern Ireland’s rates compare with the other nations, and the rules for which hours qualify.
On-call and sleep-in
Paid on top of basic pay when you are on-call or sleeping in. Northern Ireland sets these nationally, and they rise with the pay award.
| Allowance | Rate | Paid per | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep-in allowance | £41.50 | a night | £40.06 |
| On-call availability allowance | £31.85 | a session | £30.74 |
From HSC (AfC) 06/2025, Annex A section 2. Transcribed as published, never worked out from the award percentage.
What is not on this page
No London weighting. High Cost Area Supplement is an England payment and does not apply in Northern Ireland, so none is shown — that is an absence with a reason, not a gap in our data.
These are basic salaries before income tax, National Insurance and pension. See the methodology and the source register.
Sources for the Northern Ireland figures
- Circular HSC (AfC) 06/2025 — Agenda for Change Pay Arrangements 2025/26 (Annex A: pay bands, on-call, unsocial hours) Department of Health (Northern Ireland), Workforce Policy Directorate · 2025-26 · Effective · checked · independently checked Also relied on: Workforce policy guidance 2026 — the Department's own index of circulars issued this year, which lists no Agenda for Change pay award NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, version 21 — Section 2 (Northern Ireland), Table 2: unsocial hours payments Verified