Agenda for Change · 2025/26
NHS pay scale: Northern Ireland
A newly qualified registered nurse in Northern Ireland starts on band 5, at £31,049 in 2025/26, rising to £37,796 at the top of the band. Band 7, advanced practice or team lead, runs from £47,810 to £54,710. Every figure on this page is the Northern Ireland scale for 2025/26, uplifted by 3.6%.
How pay works in Northern Ireland
Agenda for Change (AfC) covers almost every NHS job in Northern Ireland apart from doctors, dentists and very senior managers. The band is set by national job evaluation of the post, not by the employer, so basic pay for the same job is the same wherever in Northern Ireland you work. You do not negotiate a salary; you apply for a banded post.
Northern Ireland settles separately through the Department of Health, and in recent years it has settled later than the rest of the UK — sometimes several months into the financial year, with arrears backdated to 1 April. That is why the pay year shown here may be behind the other nations: this page publishes the most recent circular actually issued, not an assumed match with England.
The scale is uplifted each April. The 2025/26 settlement was an uplift of 3.6%, effective from 1 April 2025. Because the four nations settle separately, a figure from one is never a safe proxy for another — and neither is last year's figure for this one. Everything below is the 2025/26 Northern Ireland circular and nothing else.
- Nation
- Northern Ireland
- Pay year
- 2025/26
- Uplift
- 3.6%
- Effective from
- 1 April 2025
- Bands published
- 11
- Scale range
- £24,465 to £125,637
- London weighting
- No zone system
The full Northern Ireland scale, 2025/26
Annual full-time rates for every band published in the 2025/26 circular. Within a band you move up the points by time served; between bands you apply.
| Band | Starting | Point 2 | Point 3 | Top of band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £24,465 | £24,465 | ||
| Band 3 | £24,937 | £26,598 | £26,598 | |
| Band 4 | £27,485 | £30,162 | £30,162 | |
| Band 5 Entry level | £31,049 | £33,487 | £37,796 | £37,796 |
| Band 6 | £38,682 | £40,823 | £46,580 | £46,580 |
| Band 7 | £47,810 | £50,273 | £54,710 | £54,710 |
| Band 8a | £55,690 | £58,487 | £62,682 | £62,682 |
| Band 8b | £64,455 | £68,631 | £74,896 | £74,896 |
| Band 8c | £76,965 | £81,652 | £88,682 | £88,682 |
| Band 8d | £91,342 | £96,941 | £105,337 | £105,337 |
| Band 9 | £109,179 | £115,763 | £125,637 | £125,637 |
The nursing career ladder in Northern Ireland
The ladder below covers most nursing careers. All figures are Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
| Band | Stage | Starting | Top of band | What the post is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 4 | Newly qualified | £27,485 | £30,162 | First post after registration, for roles that start at band 4 (e.g. nursing associates). |
| Band 5 | Newly qualified | £31,049 | £37,796 | First post after registration, usually rotational. |
| Band 6 | Specialist | £38,682 | £46,580 | Typically two to four years in; a defined clinical specialty. |
| Band 7 | Advanced or team lead | £47,810 | £54,710 | Clinical leadership, complex caseload, supervision. |
| Band 8a | Consultant or service lead | £55,690 | £62,682 | Service-wide responsibility or consultant practice. |
Northern Ireland against the other nations
Starting salary at each of the four career bands. Each column carries its own pay year — the nations have not all settled the same year, so part of any difference below is timing rather than a permanent gap.
At band 5 entry, Northern Ireland (2025/26) sits £1,024 below England (2026/27), £3,495 below Scotland (2026/27) and £1,508 below Wales (2026/27) . These are differences between published circulars, not adjusted for the pay year, for the cost of living, or for allowances that exist in one nation and not another.
Every band published in Northern Ireland
Band 2
£24,465 to £24,465 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 3
£24,937 to £26,598 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 4
£27,485 to £30,162 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 5
£31,049 to £37,796 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 6
£38,682 to £46,580 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 7
£47,810 to £54,710 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 8a
£55,690 to £62,682 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 8b
£64,455 to £74,896 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 8c
£76,965 to £88,682 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 8d
£91,342 to £105,337 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
Band 9
£109,179 to £125,637 in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.
The other nations
- England pay scale — Pay year 2026/27
- Scotland pay scale — Pay year 2026/27
- Wales pay scale — Pay year 2026/27
- All four scales side by side — Plus the career ladder
Pay by profession
- Adult Nurse pay — Starts at band 5
- Children's Nurse pay — Starts at band 5
- Learning Disability Nurse pay — Starts at band 5
- Mental Health Nurse pay — Starts at band 5
- Nursing Associate pay — Starts at band 4
Next
- Job market — Vacancies by profession and region
- Funding while you train
- Approved courses
Where this page’s data comes from
Pay values are the numeric annual rates published in the 2025/26 Agenda for Change circular for Northern Ireland. Only the figures are reused; the circular text and tables are not reproduced.
- health-ni.gov.ukCited page
- bso.hscni.netCited page
- nhsemployers.orgCited page
- publications.scot.nhs.ukCited page
- nhs.walesCited page