Junior Doctor Salary Calculator
Calculate your NHS take-home pay, banding supplements, pension contributions, and tax deductions for every junior doctor grade — F1 to ST8 — using 2025/26 pay scales.
Junior Doctor Pay & Take-Home Estimator
Based on NHS England 2025/26 pay scales and standard tax thresholds
Select your current training grade to auto-fill 2025/26 basic salary
Your base salary before supplements. Select grade above to auto-fill.
Your pay supplement is set by your rota. Check your employment contract or payslip.
Inner London: £2,162/yr · Outer London: £1,420/yr · Fringe: £543/yr. Leave 0 if not applicable.
Standard personal allowance is £12,570. Adjusted if you earn over £100,000.
Most junior doctors starting after 2012 are on Plan 2.
Salary Breakdown
Estimated monthly & annual take-home pay
Select your grade and click Calculate Take-Home Pay to see your estimated monthly salary, pension deductions, income tax, and National Insurance.
NHS Junior Doctor Pay Scales 2025/26
Indicative basic salaries and estimated take-home pay for each junior doctor training grade in England. Based on standard 20% banding, Plan 2 student loan, NHS pension, and 2025/26 tax thresholds. No London weighting applied.
| Grade | Basic Salary | Gross (+ 20% Band) | Est. Monthly Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Year 1 (F1) | £36,616 | £43,939 | ~£2,650 |
| Foundation Year 2 (F2) | £42,008 | £50,410 | ~£2,960 |
| Core / ST1–ST2 | £49,909 | £59,891 | ~£3,370 |
| Specialty Training ST3–ST4 | £58,398 | £70,078 | ~£3,800 |
| Specialty Training ST5–ST6 | £63,152 | £75,782 | ~£4,060 |
| Specialty Training ST7–ST8 | £70,425 | £84,510 | ~£4,430 |
Junior Doctor Pay FAQ
Answers to the most common questions about NHS junior doctor salaries, banding, pensions, and take-home pay in the UK.
As of 2025/26, a Foundation Year 1 (F1) doctor in England has a basic salary of £36,616 per year. This is the base pay before any banding supplements, out-of-hours enhancements, or locality allowances are added. After income tax, National Insurance, and NHS pension contributions, a typical F1 doctor takes home approximately £2,400–£2,700 per month, depending on their pension tier and any additional supplements.
NHS banding supplements are additional payments made to junior doctors under the 2016 NHS contract to compensate for working antisocial hours, weekends, and nights. The supplement is calculated as a percentage of your basic salary, ranging from 0% for standard daytime hours to 50% or more for very intensive out-of-hours rotas. Most junior doctors on a typical mixed rota receive a supplement of between 10% and 37% on top of their basic salary.
NHS pension contributions for junior doctors in England are tiered based on pensionable pay. In 2025/26, contribution rates range from 5.2% for those earning under £13,246 to 12.5% for those earning over £111,377. A Foundation Year 1 doctor on a basic salary of £36,616 typically pays around 8.0–9.8% into their NHS pension, which is deducted before income tax is applied, reducing your overall tax liability.
A junior doctor’s take-home pay is calculated by starting with the basic salary for their grade, adding any banding supplement and London weighting, then deducting NHS pension contributions (which are tax-free), followed by income tax on the remaining taxable pay, National Insurance contributions, and any student loan repayments. The result is your monthly net pay.
Junior doctor pay scales differ across the four UK nations. England uses the 2016 NHS contract pay scales. Scotland has its own separate pay scales and contract, generally resulting in slightly different base salaries and supplement structures. Wales also has its own pay arrangements that broadly track England but with some differences. This calculator uses England’s 2025/26 NHS pay scales as a baseline.
Yes, junior doctor banding supplements are subject to income tax and National Insurance in the same way as basic salary. However, the supplement is not pensionable under the NHS pension scheme, meaning you do not pay NHS pension contributions on the supplement amount. This distinction is important when calculating your effective take-home pay.