NHS Careers

NHS Jobs Login and Tracking Your Application

FP FrontlinePay Editorial

Updated October 2026

Independent guidance — not affiliated with NHS England or DHSC

Short answer

Sign in to NHS Jobs as an applicant at www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate with the email address and a password of 12 characters or more that you set when you created your account. Your submitted applications are listed on the Your applications page, where you can open each one. If you cannot find an application, the employer may have used an external system such as Trac, which NHSBSA says will not appear in your NHS Jobs account. Your account locks after 3 wrong passwords and unlocks automatically after 20 minutes. For help using the site, NHS Jobs is on 0300 330 1013 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, except bank holidays in England and Wales); questions about a particular vacancy go to the employer.

This guide is for people applying for NHS jobs who are stuck with the account, the login, or finding out where an application has got to. It deals with the mechanics: signing in, tracking, notifications, withdrawing. If you want to know what a status like "under review" means and how long shortlisting takes, read our separate guide on NHS Jobs "under review". For how to complete the form itself, see our NHS Jobs application walkthrough. Screens and wording change, so this page describes stable rules from NHSBSA rather than every button. FrontlinePay is independent and not affiliated with NHSBSA or NHS Jobs.

Your NHS Jobs account

NHSBSA describes NHS Jobs as the official online recruitment service for the NHS in England and Wales. You need an account to apply and to track your applications. Its user guide says that to create one you provide your name and an email address (which you then confirm), choose how you want to be updated, give a telephone number if you chose a method that needs one, set a password, check your details and accept the acceptable use declaration and privacy policy. The update options are:

• Email.
• Email and text messages.
• Email and telephone.
• Email, text messages and telephone.

Every option includes email, so a working email address is essential. Use one you will keep, and check your junk folder.

Go to the applicant page

Use www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate. NHSBSA says applicant accounts sign in at the applicant login page, so check you are on that page.

Enter your email and password

Type them yourself. NHSBSA advises against autofill. The password must be 12 characters or more.

Forgot your password?

Select Forgot your password, enter your email address and choose Send email. Open the link in the email and set a new password of 12 characters or more.

ℹLock-outs and missing emails

NHSBSA says the account locks after the wrong password is entered 3 times and unlocks by itself after 20 minutes. If the reset email does not come, check the address you typed, your junk and spam folders and that you are on the applicant page. The reset message appears even if no account exists with that address, so a "sent" message is not proof you have an account. To test, try creating an account with the same address: an error means one exists.

Where to see your application

NHSBSA's article says your submitted application is shown on the Your applications page, and you select View your application to see what you submitted. We have not found NHSBSA documentation that defines each status label shown there, so we do not guess at them. If a status confuses you, the recruiting employer's contact on the advert is the right source. Our guide to the "under review" status covers what the status commonly means in practice, and how long NHS recruitment takes gives realistic timings.

When it is not in your account (Trac)

Applied in NHS Jobs

The application is in your NHS Jobs account, on the Your applications page, and updates come from NHS Jobs by the contact methods you chose.

Applied through an external system such as Trac

NHSBSA says applications made in an external recruitment system will not appear in your NHS Jobs account. Track it using the login and emails from that employer's system.

Many people search on NHS Jobs, click through, and complete the application elsewhere. If you cannot see the application, look for a confirmation email from the employer's system, then sign in there. The employer's contact on the advert can confirm which system holds your application. See also our guide to finding NHS jobs.

What notifications you get

NHSBSA's article on notifications lists what NHS Jobs sends, by stage. The ones applicants ask about most:

Stage	What NHSBSA lists
Application started and completed	Email for each.
Application withdrawn	Email confirming it.
Shortlisting	No separate shortlisted message. Reserve list: email. Recruitment stopped at shortlisting: email.
Not shortlisted for interview	Email. Reserve list but not invited: email and text.
Invited to interview or interview scheduled	Email and text. Requests to change the interview time go to the interview lead.
Not offered the job	Email and text.
Conditional offer	Email and text, with reminders after 3 days and then a further 6 days, as the article describes them.
Offer withdrawn, contract issued, accepted or rejected	Email.

The separate knowledge base article on progress says you will be told if you were unsuccessful, shortlisted for interview, sent a job offer or sent a contract. After an offer comes pre-employment checks: see our guides to conditional offer to start date, reference checks and the DBS check.

Changing, deleting or withdrawing

✓ Edit after submitting: not possible. NHSBSA says you cannot make changes once it has been submitted.
✓ Delete: only before you submit. Once submitted, you can no longer delete an application.
✓ Withdraw: possible after submission at these stages: application submitted, invited to interview, interview confirmed and interview declined. You get an email confirming it.
✓ Re-apply after withdrawing: NHSBSA says you cannot apply again for the same job listing with the same account.

How long NHS Jobs keeps it

NHSBSA says applications and attachments are kept for up to 460 days after the closing date and then deleted, and recommends saving a copy of your application within 400 days of the advert's closing date (400 days is the minimum period it will keep your data). Save a copy while you can: it is useful for interviews, for reusing a good supporting statement, and for checking what you told the employer. See our supporting statement guide.

Who to contact

Question	Contact (checked 19 October 2026)
Using the NHS Jobs website, sign-in, complaints, feedback	NHS Jobs: 0300 330 1013, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, except bank holidays in England and Wales, or the online contact form, via the NHSBSA contact page.
A particular vacancy or your application's progress	The recruiting employer, using the details on the advert. NHSBSA says NHS Jobs cannot help with questions about a specific vacancy.
Self-help	NHSBSA's applicant knowledge base and user guides, and its NHS Jobs YouTube channel.

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Sources and date checked

Checked 19 October 2026.

NHSBSA, "How to create an account, sign in and reset your password in NHS Jobs" user guide (PDF, applicant help and support)
NHSBSA knowledge base: unable to log in, notifications, progress, viewing your application, application not visible, delete or withdraw, amending
NHSBSA: Contact NHS Jobs

Related guides

NHS Jobs "Under Review": What It Means and Timeframe

What the status means and how long shortlisting takes.

NHS Jobs Application Walkthrough

How to complete the application itself.

NHS Jobs Supporting Statement Guide

Getting it right before you submit, since you cannot edit afterwards.

How Long Does NHS Recruitment Take?

Realistic timelines from closing date to start.

Why Was My NHS Job Application Rejected?

Common reasons and what to do next.

NHS Conditional Offer to Start Date

What follows once an offer is made.

Frequently asked questions

How do I log in to NHS Jobs? +

Applicants sign in at the applicant page, www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate, with the email address and password you used to create your account. NHSBSA's knowledge base says to check you are on the applicant sign-in page, to type your details yourself rather than using autofill, and to use the Forgot your password link if needed.

Why can I not log in to NHS Jobs? +

NHSBSA lists these checks: you are on the right sign-in page, you typed your details manually, and your account has not locked. The account locks after the wrong password is entered 3 times and unlocks automatically after 20 minutes. If the password reset email does not arrive, check the email address is right and your junk or spam folder. Note that the reset screen says an email was sent even if no account exists under that address, so the message alone does not prove you have an account.

How do I check if I already have an NHS Jobs account? +

NHSBSA's suggestion is to try to create a new account using the same email address. If an account already exists with that address you get an error message. If you can create one, there was no account under that email. Be careful if you used a different email address in the past, because that is a separate account.

I applied but cannot see my application in my NHS Jobs account. +

NHSBSA gives three possible reasons. The employer may have used an external recruitment system such as Trac, and applications made in those systems do not appear in your NHS Jobs account. The application may have been made through a different NHS Jobs account of yours. Or it may have been removed because it was outside the retention period. Check the confirmation email to see which system you applied through.

Can I change my application after I have submitted it? +

No. NHSBSA's article says you cannot make changes to an application once it has been submitted. If something important was wrong, contact the recruiting employer using the details on the advert and ask whether they can take the correction into account, but do not assume they will. Our supporting statement guide helps you get it right before you submit.

Can I withdraw an NHS Jobs application? +

Yes, after submission, at these stages according to NHSBSA: application submitted, invited to interview, interview confirmed and interview declined. You get an email confirming the withdrawal, and NHSBSA says you cannot apply again for the same job listing from the same account afterwards. Before submission you can delete an application, but once submitted you can no longer delete it.

Does NHS Jobs tell me if I have been shortlisted? +

NHSBSA's notifications article lists no separate shortlisting message. What it lists is an invitation to interview (by email and text), a message if you are put on a reserve list, and messages if you are not shortlisted or are unsuccessful. So in practice, shortlisting reaches you as an interview invitation. If you are waiting, see our guide to what "under review" means.

Is NHS Jobs the same as ESR? +

No. NHS Jobs is the NHS recruitment service for England and Wales run by NHSBSA. ESR is the HR and payroll system your employer uses once you work there. Different sign-ins, different purposes. If you are already an employee and cannot get into ESR, see our ESR login help.

General information based on NHS Business Services Authority pages at the date shown. NHS Jobs screens and rules change; the NHSBSA help pages are authoritative. FrontlinePay is not affiliated with NHSBSA, NHS Jobs, Trac or any employer.

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