If you have left the job

What that wording does and does not mean

It is a recommendation to employers, not a rule that pays you automatically, and this site cannot tell you whether your former employer will follow it or whether your contract changes anything. What it does tell you is that asking is the normal route, and that the NJC expects employers to say yes.

The months you are owed run from 1 April 2026 to your last day. If you left in July, that is April, May, June and July — four months of the increase, pro-rated for your hours.

Work out the amount

Use the backpay calculator and set Last month you worked in the optional fields. It will show the arrears for the months you worked and nothing ongoing, because there is no ongoing pay to increase.

If you also did sleep-in shifts or were paid an allowance, those rose by the same award and are owed on the same basis — the allowances page has the per-night figures.

Your pension, if you were in the LGPS

This is the part people miss. The circular requires that when arrears are paid to a former employee who was in the Local Government Pension Scheme, the employer must tell its local LGPS fund, and amend the CARE and final pay figures where pre-April 2014 membership or underpin protection applies.

In plain terms: back pay can change your pension record, not just your bank balance. If you are paid arrears, it is worth checking your pension record reflects it. The LGPS regulations site publishes guidance for employers on backdated pay awards.

How to ask

• Contact your former employer’s payroll or HR team in writing, so there is a record.
• Give your employee or payroll number, your last day of employment, and your pay point or salary if you know it.
• Say you are asking for the 2026-27 NJC pay award arrears for the period you worked, and reference the circular.
• If you were in the LGPS, ask them to notify the pension fund as the circular requires.
• If you were a union member, your former branch may take this up for you — this happens routinely.

What we cannot tell you

Whether you are entitled in your particular case. That depends on your contract, your leaving arrangements, and your employer — none of which this site knows. The figures here are arithmetic on published rates, not advice. If a wrong figure on this page sent you somewhere pointless, we want to know: hello@workterms.co.uk.