Band 5 Nurse Salary Calculator
Find out exactly what a Band 5 nurse earns in 2026/27. Choose your pay point, location, and contracted hours to see your annual, monthly and hourly pay, including London weighting.
Calculate Your Band 5 Salary
Select your pay point, work location, and contracted hours below. The calculator applies the 2026/27 Agenda for Change rate and any London weighting, then pro-rates it for part-time hours.
Band 5 Pay Solver
Look up your annual, monthly and hourly nursing salary
Band 5 Quick Facts
Essential insights for Band 5 nurses (2026/27)
Understanding Band 5 Pay
Band 5 is the standard NHS grade for registered nurses delivering direct clinical care. Here’s how your salary is actually worked out.
Start on the Entry Pay Point
Most newly registered nurses join Band 5 on the entry pay point, currently £32,073 a year, unless relevant prior experience justifies a higher starting point.
Progress to the Intermediate Point
After around two years of service, and subject to satisfactory performance, pay moves up to the intermediate point of £34,592 a year.
Reach the Top of the Band
A further two years’ experience takes pay to the top of Band 5, £39,043 a year, where it stays until a national pay award or a move to Band 6.
Add London Weighting If Applicable
Nurses working in or near London receive a High Cost Area Supplement on top of their basic pay, calculated as a percentage with a minimum and maximum cash value.
Band 5 Pay 2026/27
Basic Band 5 salary by pay point, and current High Cost Area Supplement rates, effective from 1 April 2026.
| Pay Point | Years of Service | Annual Salary | Approx. Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | 0–2 years | £32,073 | £16.39 |
| Intermediate | 2–4 years | £34,592 | £17.67 |
| Top of Band | 4+ years | £39,043 | £19.95 |
| HCAS Zone | Percentage of Basic Salary | Minimum Payment | Maximum Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 20% | £5,794 | £8,746 |
| Outer London | 15% | £4,870 | £6,137 |
| Fringe | 5% | £1,346 | £2,270 |
Band 5 Nurse FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about Band 5 nurse pay for 2026/27.
For 2026/27, Band 5 nurses in England start on £32,073 a year, moving to £34,592 after around two years, and reaching £39,043 at the top of the band after roughly four years. These figures are basic salary before any London weighting.
Yes. Most newly registered nurses join the NHS on Band 5, which is the standard grade for registered nurses providing direct clinical care, before potentially progressing to Band 6 as a senior or specialist nurse.
Band 5 nurses working in and around London receive a High Cost Area Supplement on top of their basic salary: 20% in Inner London, 15% in Outer London, and 5% in the Fringe area, each subject to a minimum and maximum cash amount.
Band 5 nurses typically move from the entry point to the intermediate point after around two years, and reach the top of the band after a further two years, so around four years in total, subject to satisfactory performance.
Part-time Band 5 salaries are pro-rated based on contracted hours against the standard full-time week of 37.5 hours. For example, someone working 30 hours a week would receive 30/37.5, or 80%, of the full-time salary.