NHS Pension Calculator
Project your 2015 CARE scheme pension at retirement.
Projected annual pension at Normal Pension Age
£54,441
Get your full retirement strategy, not just one projection
Your basic CARE projection above is free, always. Pro adds the tools that actually answer "what should I do about it":
- AI Retirement Strategist — plain-English risk flags and next actions built from your own numbers
- McCloud remedy comparison — 1995/2008 legacy Section vs 2015 CARE, for your remedy-period service
- Commutation lump sum optimiser — model exactly how much pension to trade for tax-free cash
- Annual Allowance & carry-forward calculator — check you're not heading for a surprise tax charge
- Downloadable PDF report of everything, ready to take to an adviser or keep for your records
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Short answer
A pension calculator projects what your NHS 2015 CARE pension could be worth at retirement by banking 1/54th of your pensionable pay every scheme year and revaluing the running total — modelled here at CPI plus 1.5% — right up until you draw it. That makes this a forward-looking estimate, not the accrued-to-date figure shown on your NHS Pensions Annual Benefit Statement.
How the NHS 2015 Pension Scheme builds up your income
Unlike the older 1995 and 2008 Sections, which paid a pension based on your final salary, the 2015 Scheme is a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme. Every scheme year, you add 1/54th of that year's pensionable pay to your pension pot. The whole pot is then revalued each year — currently at CPI inflation plus 1.5% — so earlier years' contributions keep pace with the cost of living (and then some) right up to retirement.
This calculator is a planning estimate, not a benefit statement. For your actual accrued pension to date, check your NHS Pensions Annual Benefit Statement via Total Reward Statements Online.
NHS Pension Scheme member contribution tiers, 2026/27
What you pay into the 2015 Scheme is tiered by your whole-time equivalent pensionable pay, not a flat percentage for everyone. These are the six bands NHS Pensions uses for the 2026/27 scheme year — the same rates this calculator applies behind the scenes:
| Pensionable pay (whole-time equivalent, annual) | Member contribution rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £13,259 | 5.2% |
| £13,260 – £28,854 | 6.5% |
| £28,855 – £35,155 | 8.3% |
| £35,156 – £52,778 | 9.8% |
| £52,779 – £67,668 | 10.7% |
| Over £67,668 | 12.5% |
Your rate is fixed for the whole scheme year based on whole-time equivalent pensionable pay, so occasional overtime doesn't tip you into a higher tier mid-year. Contributions also attract tax relief at your marginal rate, which softens the real cost to your take-home pay — see our NHS Pension Scheme 2015 explained guide for the full mechanics behind these numbers.
A simple worked example: how much pension do you bank each year?
The formula behind the projection above is genuinely this simple for a single year: pensionable pay ÷ 54. Here's what that looks like at a few example pay levels:
| Pensionable pay this scheme year | Annual pension banked (1/54th) |
|---|---|
| £25,000 | £463 |
| £35,000 | £648 |
| £45,000 | £833 |
| £60,000 | £1,111 |
That figure is just one year's slice. Every subsequent year, your entire running pot — this year's slice plus every previous year's — gets revalued too, which is why long careers benefit disproportionately from compounding revaluation rather than simply stacking flat 1/54ths on top of each other.
What retiring before Normal Pension Age actually costs you
You can take your 2015 Scheme pension before your Normal Pension Age, but it's permanently reduced to reflect the longer period you'll be drawing it. The reduction accelerates faster than most people expect the earlier you go:
| Years retiring before NPA | Approximate reduction |
|---|---|
| 1 year early | 4.5% |
| 3 years early | 12.7% |
| 5 years early | 19.8% |
| 10 years early | 34.1% |
These are indicative planning factors, not NHS Pensions' live actuarial tables — use the "retire early" field in the calculator above to see the effect on your own projected figure.
Why your pension projection isn't the same as your Annual Benefit Statement
It's a common moment of confusion: you run this calculator, then check your NHS Pensions Annual Benefit Statement (ABS), and the numbers don't match. That's expected — the two are answering different questions.
1. This calculator is forward-looking; your ABS is backward-looking
Your ABS shows the pension you've actually banked and revalued up to the statement date — a historical record built from your real employment and pay history. This calculator projects forward instead: it takes your current pensionable pay (and any existing CARE pot you enter) and models what additional years of assumed pay growth and revaluation could add between now and retirement. Neither number is "wrong" — they're measuring different points in time.
2. Assumed future pay growth is a planning input, not a fact
If you told the calculator to assume a certain rate of future pay growth — increments, promotions, or pay awards above inflation — that assumption directly drives the projected total, sometimes substantially over a long remaining career. Your ABS makes no such assumption at all, because it only reports pay you've actually already earned.
3. The revaluation rate here is a long-run planning assumption
We model revaluation at CPI plus 1.5% (2.5% a year, as a long-run planning figure), because that's a reasonable basis for projecting years or decades ahead. The real rate is confirmed annually and moves with actual inflation, so any single year can print higher or lower than our assumption — one reason a long projection is best read as a plausible range, not a guaranteed number.
4. McCloud remedy period service isn't modelled here
If you had NHS pensionable service before April 2012 and moved into the 2015 Scheme between 2015 and 2022, part of your career falls into the McCloud "remedy period" — years where you're entitled to choose between legacy scheme and 2015 Scheme benefits. This calculator estimates 2015 Scheme benefits only; it doesn't run that legacy comparison. For the actual side-by-side figures, use NHS Pensions' own Remediable Service Statement.
ℹThis is a planning tool, not your benefit statement
Every figure here is illustrative — built from the scheme's published accrual rate, a long-run revaluation assumption, and indicative early payment factors, to help you understand how the mechanics work. For the real, individual figures behind your own NHS Pension, check NHS Pensions' Total Reward Statements Online, generated from your actual employment and pay record.
If your pensionable pay sits well into the upper contribution tiers above, a promotion or big pay award can also push your pension's growth for tax purposes further than you'd expect — see our Annual Allowance tax charge guide and the Annual Allowance Calculator before it catches you out at the end of a tax year.
Why trust this calculator
- ✓ Uses the real six-tier 2026/27 member contribution bands (5.2% – 12.5%), not a flat guess
- ✓ 1/54th CARE accrual and revaluation modelled directly on the NHS Pension Scheme Regulations 2015
- ✓ Early retirement reduction factors are shown separately, not buried inside a single blended number
- ✓ Runs entirely in your browser — your inputs are calculated locally, not sent to a server or stored against your name
More tools & guides
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Locum & Bank Rate Comparator
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NHS Pension Scheme (2015) Explained
The full mechanics behind every number this calculator uses.
Annual Allowance Tax Charge Explained
Why a promotion can trigger an unexpected pension tax bill.
Frequently asked questions
How does the NHS 2015 pension scheme work? +
The 2015 Scheme is a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme. Each year you bank 1/54th of your pensionable pay into your pension pot, which is then revalued every year in line with CPI inflation plus 1.5% until you retire.
What is my Normal Pension Age? +
For most 2015 Scheme members, your Normal Pension Age is equal to your State Pension age. You can check your State Pension age on gov.uk.
What happened with McCloud and the 1995/2008 scheme? +
Following the McCloud remedy, members who were in service before April 2012 and moved to the 2015 Scheme between 2015 and 2022 get a choice of scheme (legacy 1995/2008 or 2015) for that 'remedy period' when they claim their pension. This calculator estimates 2015 Scheme benefits only — the full choice is complex enough that we'd always recommend using NHS Pensions' own Remediable Service Statement for a live comparison.
Can I retire before my Normal Pension Age? +
Yes, but your pension is actuarially reduced for early payment — roughly 4-5% for each year early, rising steeply the further out you go. Use the 'retire early' field above for an estimate.
What are the NHS Pension Scheme member contribution tiers for 2026/27? +
There are six tiers, based on your whole-time equivalent pensionable pay: 5.2% up to £13,259, rising through 6.5%, 8.3%, 9.8% and 10.7%, up to 12.5% for pay over £67,668. Your rate is fixed for the whole scheme year, so a bit of extra overtime won't push you into a higher tier mid-year.
How is my pension revalued each year? +
Every year, your entire running CARE pot — not just that year's new slice — is revalued to keep pace with inflation. We model this at a long-run planning assumption of CPI plus 1.5%. The real rate is confirmed annually and can be higher or lower than that assumption in any single year, which is why a multi-decade projection should be read as a plausible range rather than a guaranteed figure.
Do part-time staff build up a smaller pension? +
Part-time staff accrue 1/54th of their actual pensionable pay, not a full-time-equivalent salary — so someone working 60% of full-time hours on a role that pays £30,000 full-time banks 1/54th of roughly £18,000 for that year. It isn't a penalty for working part-time; CARE accrual simply reflects what you were actually paid.
What's the difference between the 2015 Scheme and the legacy 1995/2008 Sections? +
The 1995 and 2008 Sections are final salary schemes — your pension is based on your salary near retirement, multiplied by years of service. The 2015 Scheme is CARE-based: every year's pay banks its own slice of pension, revalued annually, so a late-career promotion no longer retrospectively boosts pension built up decades earlier on a lower salary.
Does this calculator include the McCloud remedy comparison? +
No — it projects 2015 Scheme benefits only. If you have pre-April 2012 NHS service and moved into the 2015 Scheme between 2015 and 2022, part of your career falls into the McCloud 'remedy period', where you're entitled to choose legacy scheme or 2015 Scheme benefits for those specific years. That side-by-side comparison needs your actual record, which is exactly what NHS Pensions' Remediable Service Statement provides.
Can I increase my NHS pension with additional contributions? +
Yes — the scheme offers options like buying Additional Pension (a fixed extra amount of annual pension) or an Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out (ERRBO), which reduces or removes the actuarial reduction for retiring early. Both cost extra and are worth modelling against your own projected figures above before committing to either.