What an NHS Band 9 (Executive Director) payslip looks like
A typical UK nhs band 9 (executive director) payslip is paid monthly and shows a basic pay line at the top. NHS Band 9 covers Executive Directors, Chief Operating Officers and equivalent top-of-pay-spine positions. The line items below depend on grade, shift pattern and contractual additions, but the structure usually mirrors HMRC's recommended payslip layout: a payments block, a deductions block, a year-to-date column, and a net pay summary.
Common employers in this occupation include NHS Trusts (England), NHS England Regional, NHS Scotland. Each employer runs payroll slightly differently, but the underlying PAYE computation against tax code K-prefix and Class 1 National Insurance is identical across the UK (excluding Scotland for income tax). The biggest variability between two nhs band 9 (executive director) payslips at the same gross will be in the additions block: Band 9 runs £112,782 to £129,783 from 1 April 2026 and is the top of Agenda for Change; posts above it sit on very senior manager terms. After the 12.5% contribution the entry step is £98,684 and stays clear of the personal-allowance taper, while the two steps above it lose £2,318 and £6,780 of allowance. Annual Allowance pension charges are common.
Year-to-date columns are critical to verify on this role because the additions and salary sacrifice items change month to month. If your YTD gross divided by months elapsed in the tax year does not match your expected annual run-rate, that is the single best signal that something is mis-coded.
Band 9: £112,782 to £129,783 from 1 April 2026
Band 9 is the top of Agenda for Change; posts above it are on very senior manager terms, which the framework does not cover. After the 12.5% contribution the entry step is £98,684 and stays clear of the personal-allowance taper; the intermediate step and the top of the band do not, losing £2,318 and £6,780 of allowance respectively.
| Step | Published / year | Pension | Tax + NI | Net / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry step | £112,782 | £14,098 (12.5%) | £31,172 | £5,626 |
| Intermediate step | £119,583 | £14,948 (12.5%) | £34,615 | £5,835 |
| Top of band | £129,783 | £16,223 (12.5%) | £40,174 | £6,115 |
- From £112,782 to £129,783 is £17,001 of gross progression and £5,873 after deductions, which is £489 a month, or 35p in the pound.
- Pension comes off before tax and every step still clears £50,270: £112,782 at Entry step is taxed on £98,684, £48,414 above the threshold. At the top, £129,783 is taxed on £113,560, of which £70,070 falls in the 40% band.
- £13,560 of the top step is above £100,000 once the 12.5% pension contribution is off the £129,783 gross, which withdraws £6,780 of personal allowance and adds £2,712 of tax on top of what is already charged on it.
NHS Employers, pay scales for 2026/27. England rates before any High Cost Area Supplement or Section 2 unsocial-hours enhancement; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland negotiate their own scales. Net figures are estimates on 1257L with rUK bands and no student loan, NHS Pension Scheme 2015 off before tax but not before NI. Full scale, allowances and NHS Pension Scheme 2015 tiers.
Common deductions for an NHS Band 9 (Executive Director)
- PAYE income tax.Calculated against tax code K-prefix. Cumulative coding means refunds can appear if you start mid-year.
- National Insurance (Class 1).8% between £12,570 and £50,270 of annual earnings, then 2% above. Period-by-period method is standard.
- Pension.Auto-enrolment minimum 5% employee on qualifying earnings (£6,240 - £50,270), unless your employer runs a more generous scheme such as the NHS, Teachers Pension or Civil Service alpha.
- Salary sacrifice patterns.Common in this occupation: cycle-to-work, electric-car salary sacrifice, additional pension contributions, and where applicable workplace nursery vouchers (still tax-efficient via pre-existing schemes).
- Union or professional body.Tax-deductible for HMRC-listed bodies. NHS Band 9 (Executive Director)s commonly hold subscriptions covered by section 344 ITEPA 2003 (List 3).
NHS Band 9 (Executive Director) payslip FAQ
How much does an NHS Band 9 (Executive Director) earn in 2026/27?
Band 9 is published at £112,782 to £129,783, effective 1 April 2026, in NHS Employers, pay scales for 2026/27. England rates before any High Cost Area Supplement or Section 2 unsocial-hours enhancement; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland negotiate their own scales.
What is the take-home pay for an NHS Band 9 (Executive Director)?
At the top of the grade, £129,783, income tax and National Insurance come to about £40,174 a year, and NHS Pension Scheme 2015 takes a further £16,223, leaving roughly £6,115 a month. At the bottom of the grade, £112,782, it is roughly £5,626 a month. Estimated on tax code 1257L with England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands and no student loan.
What is unusual about an NHS Band 9 (Executive Director) payslip?
Band 9 runs £112,782 to £129,783 from 1 April 2026 and is the top of Agenda for Change; posts above it sit on very senior manager terms. After the 12.5% contribution the entry step is £98,684 and stays clear of the personal-allowance taper, while the two steps above it lose £2,318 and £6,780 of allowance. Annual Allowance pension charges are common.
Which tax code should an NHS Band 9 (Executive Director) typically be on?
Most people in this role on standard PAYE will see K-prefix. Check the prefix and suffix carefully: a K-prefix means deductions exceed your allowance (often after a bonus or P11D benefit), 0T means you have no allowance left at this employer, and BR means basic rate on the whole job (common in second jobs).
Related roles
Pay figures: NHS Employers, pay scales for 2026/27, the determination in force from 1 April 2026. Tax, National Insurance and pension figures are estimates from this site's 2026/27 engine.