NHS Back Pay Claim Pack
Underpaid after a regrade, a missed increment or the wrong pay point? Check how ready your claim is for free, see how far back each route can go, then unlock a claim letter with a calculation table and the letters to chase it.
Work out the arrears first with the free NHS Back Pay Calculator, and see how pay progression and increments work. Last updated October 2026.
Short answer
If you were paid less than you should have been, set out the periods, the pay on each side and what your claim rests on, and ask in writing. How far back you can go depends on the route: a tribunal deductions claim is six months from the payday (for wages paid on or after 1 October 2026) and cannot reach wages paid more than two years before the claim; ACAS says a county court contract claim in England and Wales can be made within 6 years, and gives 5 years in Scotland. The NHS Job Evaluation Handbook says a changed banding outcome should be backdated to when the postholder and manager agreed the job had changed. A grievance does not pause a tribunal clock. The readiness check is free. The documents are a one-off £7.99, with no subscription and 90 days of access.
⚠This is not legal advice
This tool and its documents are general guidance based on the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, the NHS Job Evaluation Handbook, ACAS, gov.uk and the legislation. They are not legal advice and cannot take account of your contract, your trust's policy or your circumstances. They cannot tell you whether you are owed money or whether a claim will succeed, and the figures are your own estimate. Speak to your trade union or staff-side representative before you send anything, and use the documents only as drafts. FrontlinePay is independent and is not affiliated with ACAS, any NHS trust or any trade union.
About you and the money you think you are owed
Everything stays in your browser and is never sent to us. Your answers are saved in this browser so they are still here after checkout. Use "Clear my answers" to remove them, especially on a shared computer.
Only two answers are needed for the free check: where you are and what went wrong. Add periods so the documents can show a calculation. Do not enter colleagues' names or pay, or any patient information. See a worked example of the documents.
For example 37.5 or 30. Used to scale arrears for part-time work.
Your line manager, the payroll contact or HR.
Where you are and what went wrong
Facts and dates. No colleagues' names.
For example 'Band 5, point 1, £32,073 a year'.
For example 'Band 5, point 2, £34,592 a year'.
The periods you were underpaid
Full-time equivalent annual pay for each. Enter the first day underpaid and the first day paid correctly (or today's date if still wrong). Split the rows where a pay scale or pay point changed.
Your claim and dates
Free worked example. Fictional person and trust
Example: claim letter, payroll records request and escalation letter
Jamie Cole, a Band 5 staff nurse at a made-up trust, should have moved to the next pay point on 1 April 2026 but is still paid the entry point of the band.
Everything below was produced by the pack itself from those made-up details. It is an example only: the names, trust and facts are invented, and your own documents are built from your own answers. Square brackets mark the places you fill in or check yourself.
Claim letter with calculation tableExample
A letter setting out what happened, the basis for the claim in the Handbook or your contract, a table showing the arrears for each period, and a request for a written reply and a date for payment.
[Your address] [Your email address and phone number] 14 October 2026 Payroll Manager Example NHS Foundation Trust Dear Payroll Manager, Subject: Claim for back pay - a missed pay step - Jamie Cole, Staff Nurse, Band 5 I am writing to ask for the pay I believe I am owed because of a missed pay step. I would like to resolve this with you directly if I can. What happened My pay step date is 1 April 2026. The pay step review took place in March and I met the standards, but my payslips since April still show the entry point of the band. I found out when I compared my October payslip with the pay scale. I was paid: Band 5, entry point, £32,073 a year. I believe I should have been paid: Band 5, next point, £34,592 a year. I found out on 5 October 2026. Why I believe I am owed it I understand the Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook (paragraph 1.9) says that, provided the appropriate level of performance and delivery has been achieved during the review period, employees progress to their next pay point on their pay step date, subject to the standards in Annex 23. My pay step date is 1 April 2026. I understand Annex 23 (paragraphs 22 and 33) says a pay step is backdated to the pay step date where a sanction in place at that date is later repealed, or a decision that the standard was not met is overturned. [Say what happened: for example, the pay step review was not held, payroll did not receive the approval, or the step was not applied. If it was deferred, say whether you had a prior documented discussion and a reasonable opportunity to improve (paragraph 1.10).] My calculation I have worked out the arrears like this, using the annual difference over 365.25 days for each day in the period. Payroll may count months rather than days, and I ask you to check the figures and tell me if they differ. | Period | Days | Annual pay received | Annual pay due | Difference a year | Arrears | | 1 April 2026 to 14 October 2026 | 196 | £32,073 | £34,592 | £2,519 | £1,352.40 | | Total gross arrears | | | | | £1,352.40 | On these figures the gross arrears are £1,352.40. This is before tax, National Insurance and pension. I am still being paid at the lower rate. I ask that this is corrected from the next pay run, and that the arrears continue to be calculated until it is. I would be grateful if you would: - confirm in writing whether you agree that I was underpaid, and from what date; - pay the arrears, or tell me the date by which you will, and how they will appear on my payslip; and - if you disagree with any part of my figures, explain why and show me your own calculation. I would be grateful for a reply by [date, for example 14 days from today]. I may ask Dana Reid to help me with this. Thank you. Yours sincerely, Jamie Cole Staff Nurse, Band 5 [Enclosed: copies of my contract, the payslips and the other evidence listed in the form. Delete what you do not send.] [cc: my trade union representative: delete if not needed] [Delete before sending: the figures are your own estimate from the NHS Back Pay Calculator's method, and payroll must confirm them. Keep a dated copy. A guide for most claims only: some claims have different limits and how the date is counted depends on the claim. Notifying ACAS for early conciliation inside the limit pauses the clock, but a grievance, disciplinary process or appeal does not. Check with ACAS, your union or a legal adviser.] [Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]
Request for payroll recordsExample
A letter asking for your pay history, your pay step date and the changes made to it, the band and point payroll holds and the authority for them, and the trust's own calculation.
[Your address] [Your email address and phone number] 14 October 2026 Payroll Manager Example NHS Foundation Trust Dear Payroll Manager, Subject: Request for pay records - Jamie Cole I have raised a claim about a missed pay step. So that we can agree the figures, I would be grateful for the following, by [date]: 1. My pay history from 1 April 2026 to now: the band, pay point and annual salary I have been paid on each month, with the dates they changed. 2. My pay step date as recorded, and the date and reason for every change to it. 3. The band and pay point that payroll holds for my post, and the document that authorised them (contract, variation letter, job evaluation outcome, pay step approval or acting-up form). 4. Any record of the change that should have been made and was not, or was made late, and why. 5. A step-by-step calculation of what you consider I am owed, if anything, with the dates and rates used. 6. [If a pay award is involved:] the pay scale and the date it was applied to my pay. 7. [If an enhancement is involved:] the payments recorded for my post and the basis for them. 8. How and when any arrears will be paid, and whether they will be shown as a separate line on my payslip. If any of this cannot be provided, please tell me why and when I can expect it. Yours sincerely, Jamie Cole [cc: my trade union representative: delete if not needed] [Delete before sending: this is an ordinary request to payroll for records about your own pay. Your own personal data can also be requested under a subject access request, which has its own time limit; our Subject Access Request Pack helps with that. Keep a dated copy.] [Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]
Escalation letterExample
A letter to a more senior person summarising the claim, what has happened so far and what you ask them to do, for when the first claim has not been resolved.
[Your address] [Your email address and phone number] 14 October 2026 [Name or title: for example Head of Payroll, Director of People or Chief Finance Officer] Example NHS Foundation Trust Dear [name], Subject: Unresolved back pay claim - Jamie Cole, Staff Nurse, Band 5 I am writing because a claim for back pay I made on 16 October 2026 has not been resolved, and I would be grateful if you would look at it. In short - The problem: My pay step date is 1 April 2026. The pay step review took place in March and I met the standards, but my payslips since April still show the entry point of the band. I found out when I compared my October payslip with the pay scale. - Since: 1 April 2026. - My estimate of the gross arrears: £1,352.40. The calculation is enclosed. What has happened so far - 16 October 2026: I wrote to [name / team] with my claim and calculation. - [date]: I received [no reply / a reply saying ... / a part payment of ...]. - [Any other contact, with dates.] What I am asking you to do - review the claim and my calculation and tell me which parts you accept; - explain in writing any part you do not accept, with your own calculation; - pay what is due, or give me a date, and confirm that the correct rate will be paid from the next pay run; and - tell me who I should speak to if we cannot agree. I would prefer to resolve this without a formal grievance. I would be grateful for a reply by [date]. Yours sincerely, Jamie Cole [Enclosed: my original claim, the calculation, and the reply I received. Delete what does not apply.] [cc: my trade union representative: delete if not needed] [Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]
Grievance wordingExample
A formal grievance letter setting out the problem, the basis, what you have done and what you ask for, with a request to be accompanied and a note on the tribunal and court time limits.
[Your address] [Your email address and phone number] 14 October 2026 [Name or title of the person to receive grievances, as named in the trust's grievance policy] Example NHS Foundation Trust Dear [name], Subject: Formal grievance - back pay - Jamie Cole, Staff Nurse, Band 5 I am raising a formal grievance under the trust's grievance policy about pay I believe I am owed. The problem - I believe I have been underpaid because of a missed pay step. - My pay step date is 1 April 2026. The pay step review took place in March and I met the standards, but my payslips since April still show the entry point of the band. I found out when I compared my October payslip with the pay scale. - My estimate of the gross arrears is £1,352.40. The calculation is enclosed. - The basis: I rely on my pay step date or an HR record says so. What I have done so far - On 16 October 2026 I wrote to [my line manager / payroll] with a claim and calculation. - On [date] I received [no reply / a refusal / a part payment / a reply saying the claim could only go back a limited period]. - [Any escalation and the reply, with dates.] What I am asking for - payment of the arrears due, with a written explanation of how they are calculated; - correction of my pay going forward, if it is still wrong; - a written explanation of any part the trust does not accept, and the basis for that decision; and - [anything else: for example, a correction of my pay step date]. I would like to discuss this at a meeting and to be accompanied by Dana Reid. Please acknowledge this grievance, tell me who will hear it, and give me the date by which I should expect an outcome. [Optional: I understand that, if this cannot be resolved here, there are other routes open to me, including a claim for unlawful deductions from wages or a claim for breach of contract. I would much prefer to resolve this within the trust. Delete this paragraph if you do not want to say it yet.] Yours sincerely, Jamie Cole [Enclosed: my claim and calculation; the evidence listed in my claim; any reply] [Delete before sending: ACAS says to raise a pay problem informally first and then raise a formal grievance. A grievance does not pause an employment tribunal time limit. For unlawful deductions from wages the tribunal limit is six months for wages paid on or after 1 October 2026, counted from the payday or the last in a series of linked short payments, and a tribunal cannot consider wages paid more than two years before the claim is presented. ACAS also says a county court breach of contract claim can be made within 6 years in England and Wales, and gives 5 years in Scotland. Take advice before any court claim. A guide for most claims only: some claims have different limits and how the date is counted depends on the claim. Notifying ACAS for early conciliation inside the limit pauses the clock, but a grievance, disciplinary process or appeal does not. Check with ACAS, your union or a legal adviser.] [Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]
Follow-up lettersExample
Three short letters: a chaser, a reply to a part payment, and a reply when you are told the claim can only go back a limited period.
FOLLOW-UP LETTERS: 14 October 2026 Which one: Keep these for after you have sent your claim. Letter A is the first you may need. ========== LETTER A: chaser (no reply) ========== [Your address] 14 October 2026 Payroll Manager Example NHS Foundation Trust Dear Payroll Manager, Subject: My back pay claim of 16 October 2026 - Jamie Cole I wrote on 16 October 2026 with a claim for back pay and a calculation. I have not yet received [a reply / a date for payment]. Please can you tell me by [date]: - that you have my claim, and who is dealing with it; - whether you accept that I was underpaid, and from what date; and - when the arrears will be paid, and when my pay will be corrected if it is still wrong. [Optional: Your trust's pay policy may say how quickly queries are dealt with. If it does, quote it here.] Yours sincerely, Jamie Cole ========== LETTER B: after a part payment ========== [Your address] 14 October 2026 Payroll Manager Example NHS Foundation Trust Dear Payroll Manager, Subject: Back pay part payment - Jamie Cole Thank you for the payment of [£] that appeared on my payslip of [date]. My claim was for £1,352.40. I would be grateful if you would show me how the payment was calculated, the dates and rates used, and explain the difference. If any part is still being considered, please tell me which and when I can expect an answer. Yours sincerely, Jamie Cole ========== LETTER C: told the claim only goes back a limited period ========== [Your address] 14 October 2026 Payroll Manager Example NHS Foundation Trust Dear Payroll Manager, Subject: Period covered by my back pay claim - Jamie Cole Thank you for your reply of [date], which says that my claim can only go back to [date]. I would be grateful if you would tell me, in writing, the policy or rule you rely on for that date, and who decided it. I understand the Job Evaluation Handbook (paragraph 4.5) says a changed banding outcome should be backdated to when the postholder and manager agreed the job had changed, and the Terms and Conditions Handbook (Annex 23) ties the pay step date to that. [Delete if your claim is not about a regrade.] [Optional: Please also confirm that you accept that the pay was due under my contract from the earlier date.] I ask that the decision is reconsidered by [a more senior manager / payroll lead / HR]. Yours sincerely, Jamie Cole [Delete before sending: the time you can claim back depends on the route. A tribunal cannot consider wages paid more than two years before the claim is presented. ACAS says a county court contract claim in England and Wales can be made within 6 years. These limits are for legal routes; the trust may agree to pay for a longer or shorter period for its own reasons. Take advice from your union, ACAS or a solicitor before relying on either. A guide for most claims only: some claims have different limits and how the date is counted depends on the claim. Notifying ACAS for early conciliation inside the limit pauses the clock, but a grievance, disciplinary process or appeal does not. Check with ACAS, your union or a legal adviser.] [Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]
Rep briefing noteExample
One page for your union or staff-side rep: the problem, the money, the basis and the evidence, where you are, the time limits to check and what you want from them.
REP BRIEFING NOTE: BACK PAY CLAIM Jamie Cole, Staff Nurse, Band 5, Example NHS Foundation Trust. Written 14 October 2026. [One page for your union or staff-side rep. Add facts and dates. Delete anything you do not want to share.] 1. The problem - I missed a pay step (increment). - My pay step date is 1 April 2026. The pay step review took place in March and I met the standards, but my payslips since April still show the entry point of the band. I found out when I compared my October payslip with the pay scale. - I was paid: Band 5, entry point, £32,073 a year. I say I should have been paid: Band 5, next point, £34,592 a year. - Nation: England. Still being paid wrongly: yes, I am still paid wrongly. 2. The money - Estimated gross arrears: £1,352.40. My own estimate: payroll may count months. 3. The basis and the evidence - Basis: My pay step date or an HR record says so. - Trust has accepted an error in writing: no, or I have not asked yet. - [have] Contract, offer letter or variation letter - [have] Payslips showing what I was paid - [have] Pay step date or ESR record - [not yet] Job evaluation outcome or banding letter - [not yet] A letter or email accepting there was an error - [not yet] The pay scale or pay circular that applies - [have] Appraisal or pay step review record - [not yet] My job description 4. Where I am - Claim made: 16 October 2026. Last reply: [date, or none]. - Most recent payslip that was short: 25 September 2026. 5. Time limits to check - A tribunal deductions claim: the pack's key dates show a guide. A grievance does not pause it, and a tribunal cannot consider wages paid more than two years before the claim. - A county court (England and Wales) contract claim: ACAS says within 6 years of the underpayment. Scotland: ACAS says 5 years from awareness of the loss. Advice needed. 6. What I would like from you - [Come to a meeting / read my calculation / advise on the route / advise on a collective approach if others are affected.] 7. Questions for my rep - Are colleagues in the same position? Is there a collective approach or a local agreement? - Which route is realistic for the older periods? - What should I accept if the trust offers a partial payment? [Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]
What you get
The free part scores how ready your claim is on eight signals, such as whether you have a complete calculation, know what the claim rests on and hold the evidence. It works out your key dates, including a guide to the tribunal limit and the earliest payday each route could include, and never tells you that you are owed a sum. The paid pack turns your own answers into six documents you can edit, copy or print:
| Document | What it does |
|---|---|
| Claim letter with calculation table | A letter setting out what happened, the basis for the claim in the Handbook or your contract, a table showing the arrears for each period, and a request for a written reply and a date for payment. |
| Request for payroll records | A letter asking for your pay history, your pay step date and the changes made to it, the band and point payroll holds and the authority for them, and the trust's own calculation. |
| Escalation letter | A letter to a more senior person summarising the claim, what has happened so far and what you ask them to do, for when the first claim has not been resolved. |
| Grievance wording | A formal grievance letter setting out the problem, the basis, what you have done and what you ask for, with a request to be accompanied and a note on the tribunal and court time limits. |
| Follow-up letters | Three short letters: a chaser, a reply to a part payment, and a reply when you are told the claim can only go back a limited period. |
| Rep briefing note | One page for your union or staff-side rep: the problem, the money, the basis and the evidence, where you are, the time limits to check and what you want from them. |
Every document is a draft that uses today's date and leaves bracketed placeholders for anything we do not know. Your answers stay in your browser and are not sent to us. The pack costs £7.99 once, gives 90 days of access and does not renew. The free check, key dates and guide stay free.
The rule behind each kind of claim
- A regrade. The NHS Job Evaluation Handbook (chapter three, 4.5) says a changed banding outcome should be backdated to when the postholder and manager agreed the job had changed. For a new job reassessed after it has bedded down, it says the outcome would normally be backdated to the start date (5.3). The Terms and Conditions Handbook (Annex 23, paragraph 13, England) then sets the pay step date from the agreed date. Our guide to HCA Band 2 to Band 3 regrading and back pay covers what is verified for healthcare assistants.
- A missed pay step. Progression happens on the pay step date if the standards in Annex 23 are met (1.8, 1.9), and a decision that is overturned on contest is backdated to the pay step date (Annex 23, paragraph 33). See pay progression and increments explained.
- The wrong pay point. Pay on promotion is set at the minimum pay step point of the new band, with a safeguard where it would not produce an increase in earnings (1.17 to 1.20), and the pay step date is the date you take up the post (1.15).
- Acting up. Temporary movement into a higher band is paid at the minimum pay step point of the higher band, normally for between one and six months (1.21 to 1.24).
- A pay award or an enhancement. Pay point values are published by NHS Employers, and Sections 2, 4 and 5 cover unsocial hours, high cost area supplements and recruitment and retention premia. For extra hours or time off in lieu, see the Unpaid Overtime and TOIL Claim Pack.
This is not the regrading pack
The Band Regrading Evidence Pack helps you build the case that your job should be re-banded, with a duties log and appeal grounds. This pack starts later, with money that is already owed because of a decision or an error. Our guide to band regrading and appeals explains how a regrade request and review work.
How far back can you go?
A tribunal complaint for unlawful deductions must be presented within six months of the payday, or the last in a series, for wages paid on or after 1 October 2026, and cannot include wages paid more than two years before it is presented (Employment Rights Act 1996, section 23). ACAS says a county court breach of contract claim can be made within 6 years in England and Wales, and gives 5 years from when you became aware of the loss for the sheriff court in Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own rules. A grievance does not pause any of this: use the Tribunal Time Limit Calculator for the tribunal date and take advice before a court claim. The NHS Back Pay Calculator shows the arrears and the likely tax on a lump sum.
Sources
- NHS Job Evaluation Handbook, chapter three, paragraphs 4.5 and 5.3
- NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, Section 1, Section 47 and Annex 23
- Employment Rights Act 1996, section 13 and section 23
- The Deduction from Wages (Limitation) Regulations 2014
- Limitation Act 1980, section 5
- Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, section 6
- ACAS: resolving problems with pay rises
- ACAS: employment tribunal time limits
- Gov.uk: employment tribunals, time limits
- How we write and check our guidance
Why trust this tool
- ✓ Built on the Handbook, the NHS Job Evaluation Handbook, ACAS and the legislation, checked against each source in October 2026
- ✓ Uses the same arrears maths as the free NHS Back Pay Calculator, and labels every figure as your own estimate for payroll to confirm
- ✓ States the two-year tribunal cap and the six-year (England and Wales) and five-year (Scotland) court guides, with advice to take advice first
- ✓ Follows the statute for the six-month tribunal limit from 1 October 2026, and says where ACAS pages still showed older wording
- ✓ Never predicts whether a claim will succeed and never says an employer owes you a sum
- ✓ Runs in your browser. Your details and document text are not sent to us
- ✓ Guidance last updated October 2026
Related guides & tools
NHS Back Pay Calculator
Work out gross arrears and the after-tax value of a lump sum.
NHS Pay Progression and Increments Explained
Pay step dates and what happens if one is missed.
HCA Band 2 to Band 3: Regrading and Back Pay
What is verified on regrading and back pay for healthcare assistants.
NHS Band Regrading and Appeals Explained
How a regrade request and review work.
NHS Band Regrading Evidence Pack
If the question is whether your job should be re-banded.
NHS Increment Date Calculator
Find your next pay step date.
NHS Payslip Checker
Read each line and compare it with what you expect.
NHS Unpaid Overtime and TOIL Claim Pack
If it is extra hours or time off in lieu.
NHS Grievance Letter Pack
If an informal route has not worked.
Employment Tribunal Time Limit Calculator
The date for unlawful deductions and other claims.
Frequently asked questions
When am I owed back pay in the NHS? +
How far back can I claim? +
What is the time limit for a tribunal claim about unpaid wages? +
Is a regrade backdated? +
What if I missed a pay step? +
Is this the same as the Band Regrading Evidence Pack? +
How do I work out what I am owed? +
Should I raise a grievance or go to a tribunal? +
Does this work in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland? +
What do I get for £7.99, and for how long? +
Pay terms differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and trusts apply them locally. This page is general information, not legal or HR advice. FrontlinePay is an independent site and is not affiliated with ACAS, NHS England, any NHS trust or any trade union.