NHS Career Earnings Forecaster: Promotion vs Progression

NHS promotion vs progression: what each one pays

People often mix up the two ways NHS pay goes up. A pay point step moves you up inside your band. A promotion moves you into a different band. For someone on Band 5 point 1 the difference is large:

Promoted straight away, that Band 5 nurse would take home £9,350 more than a colleague who stays on point 1 for those two years. The catch is that promotion restarts the clock, so the gap narrows as your colleague climbs, and a promotion from the top of a band is worth much less. Both effects are in the chart above.

The NHS promotion rule: where you start in the new band

The rule behind searches like "NHS promotion rule" is in Section 1 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook (England):

• ✓ Basic pay on promotion is set at the minimum pay point of the new band, and your pay step date resets to the date you start in it (paras 1.15 and 1.17).
• ✓ Moving to the next point depends on length of stay at each point within the band, and on meeting the local performance standards (paras 1.8 to 1.10 and 1.16).
• ✓ If the new starting salary (basic pay plus any unsocial hours payment and long-term recruitment and retention premium) would not increase your earnings, your previous salary is maintained until the new band overtakes it (para 1.18). The unsocial hours part only applies if your pattern stays substantially the same (para 1.19).

The forecaster applies the first and third points for you (the protection is applied to basic pay) and lets you pick a higher starting point if your trust has told you otherwise. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland word it differently: see the table in our promotion pay calculator guide, and read the primary text in the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook.

How long it takes to reach the top of each band

NHS Employers' 2026/27 pay scales table lists the years to progression for each band, and Annex 23 sets the Scotland timetable. The forecaster uses these for the pay point on every month of the forecast. For England and Wales (Northern Ireland is shown on the England scale), starting on the entry point:

Sources: NHS Employers, Pay scales 2026/27 and Annex 23, Pay progression. These are the pay point clocks only. How long it takes to be promoted depends on vacancies and your application, which is covered in our band progression guide.

How long does it take to go from Band 6 to Band 7?

There is no fixed answer, because Band 7 is a promotion into a specific post. What you can fix is the cost of waiting. This table runs a Band 6 nurse on the entry point, promoted to Band 7 after two, three or five years, over ten years:

The later you are promoted, the smaller the extra. After five years the Band 6 nurse is on the top of their band (£48,117), and the Band 7 entry point (£49,387) adds only £1,270 a year before tax, which is exactly why timing and the extras you would lose matter. Most Band 7 routes also need postgraduate study that takes fixed time: see the nurse promotion guide.

What a promotion from the top of a band is really worth

Because you start at the minimum of the new band, a promotion from the top of your current band can be a small rise. These figures are full-time, England, no London weighting, with NHS Pension and no student loan:

If you lose night or weekend enhancements on the way, the real figure can be lower or even negative. Enter the pay you would lose in the optional section of the forecaster to see the effect and the break-even month, then use the is a promotion worth it calculator for a verdict on a single move. The rota calculator estimates what your enhancements are worth.

Worked example: Band 5 to Band 6 after two years

A full-time Band 5 nurse on point 1 (England, no London weighting, no student loan) who is promoted to Band 6 after 24 months, against one who stays and takes the normal steps:

The promoted path is £8,063 ahead after five years in take-home and £13,861 in gross pay. Over fifteen years the gap grows to £58,651 take-home, because the staying nurse tops out at £39,043 while the promoted one climbs to £48,117. The promoted path also pays more NHS Pension contributions (£10,123 more over fifteen years) and builds about £1,717 a year more pension in the 2015 scheme, before revaluation. The Pro version shows these for your own numbers.

Band 6 nurse NHS pay: points and take-home

If you are asking what a Band 6 nurse earns, these are the 2026/27 England points with estimated take-home for a full-time nurse (no London weighting, NHS Pension in, no student loan). Entry to top takes 5 years on the NHS Employers timetable.

See the full guide to Band 6 nurse salary in 2026/27, and the Band 6 pay page. London weighting, unsocial hours and bank shifts come on top.

How to become a Band 6 nurse in the UK

Band 6 is a promotion, not a pay point, so the route is: qualify and register with the NMC, work as a Band 5 (most trusts offer preceptorship first), build the experience the Band 6 person specification asks for, then apply for and win a Band 6 post, internally or at another trust. Our guides cover each step honestly, including the range of how long it takes and why moving trust is often the faster route:

• ✓ Read the nurse promotion guide for the Band 5 to 6 and 6 to 7 routes and what the posts usually expect.
• ✓ Check the band progression guide for how long people report waiting, and why it varies so widely.
• ✓ Prepare your application and the values-based interview: our supporting statement and interview guides are linked below.
• ✓ Use this forecaster to see what a Band 6 move is worth over your career before you commit to extra study or a move.

See the nurse promotion guide, the band progression timeline, the NHS Jobs supporting statement guide and values-based interview questions. If you think your current job is already in the wrong band, that is regrading rather than promotion: see band regrading explained and the regrading evidence pack.

What this forecast does not include

How we calculate it, and sources

The tool works month by month. Pay points and band figures come from the same 2026/27 Agenda for Change data as our other pay tools. The time on each point comes from NHS Employers' pay scales table and Annex 23. Promotion placement follows Section 1 of the Handbook. Tax, National Insurance, NHS Pension contributions and student loan use the site's pay engine, and pension accrual uses the 1/54 accrual rate of the 2015 scheme. The forecast runs in your browser, and only the optional Pro AI guidance sends your scenario figures to our servers. Read our editorial policy for how we source and check figures.

• •NHS Employers, Pay scales 2026/27: https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/pay-scales-202627
• •NHS Employers, Annex 23 Pay progression: https://www.nhsemployers.org/tchandbook/annex-21-to-25/annex-23-pay-progression-england
• •NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, Section 1 (pay on promotion and pay steps): https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/tchandbook
• •GOV.UK, Income Tax rates and allowances: https://www.gov.uk/income-tax-rates
• •NHS Pensions, 2015 scheme: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/nhs-pension-scheme