SM
CIPP Qualified
About the Author

Sarah Mitchell

NHS Payroll Specialist & Financial Educator · 11 Years NHS Experience

Former NHS payroll manager. CIPP qualified. Builder of the most accurate free NHS pay calculator in the UK.

BSc Accounting & Finance
CIPP Qualified
11 Years NHS
Who I Am

The person behind the calculator

I'm a qualified payroll professional and former NHS payroll manager with 11 years of hands-on experience processing Agenda for Change pay across NHS Trusts in England.

I created the NHS Take Home Pay Calculator after repeatedly watching colleagues — nurses, physiotherapists, healthcare assistants — receive payslips they simply couldn't understand or verify. The system is genuinely complicated: pension tiers that change with your salary, unsocial hours enhancements, London supplements, Scottish tax differences. Generic calculators ignore all of it.

"I saw Band 5 nurses opting out of the NHS pension because their payslip looked overwhelming and no one explained what each line meant. A free, accurate calculator felt like the most useful thing I could build."

— Sarah Mitchell, CIPP

This site exists because NHS staff deserve to know exactly what lands in their bank account. Whether you're a newly qualified nurse planning your first mortgage or a Band 8 manager comparing job offers, you should have access to accurate figures — not guesses.

Qualifications

Credentials & expertise

Degree
BSc Accounting & Finance
University of Leeds (2:1)
Professional
CIPP Qualified
Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Experience
11 Years NHS Payroll
Across three NHS Trusts in England
Scale
2,000+ Staff Payrolled
Accurate AfC pay for large NHS teams
Experience

Career timeline

2025 — Present
Founder, NHS Take Home Pay Calculator
Built and maintains the UK's most accurate independent NHS pay calculator covering all AfC bands, pension tiers, and regional supplements.
2018 — 2025
Senior NHS Payroll Manager
Led payroll operations for a large NHS Trust. Responsible for accurate Agenda for Change pay, pension tier calculations, and compliance with HMRC PAYE rules for 2,000+ staff.
2013 — 2018
NHS Payroll Officer
Processed monthly AfC payroll including unsocial hours, bank shifts, and London HCAS supplements. Gained CIPP qualification during this period.
2010 — 2013
BSc Accounting & Finance, University of Leeds
Graduated with a 2:1. Specialised in public sector finance and taxation.
Editorial Standards

How we ensure accuracy

All calculator outputs and guide content on this site are held to strict editorial standards. This is a YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) resource — accuracy is non-negotiable.

  • Based on official NHS Employers Agenda for Change pay scales only
  • Cross-referenced with HMRC published tax year thresholds
  • Updated within 48 hours of any confirmed pay award announcement
  • Reviewed and signed off before each new tax year (April)
  • Errors corrected within 24 hours of reporting — use the contact form
✓ Last Reviewed

28 February 2026 — Reviewed and updated by Sarah Mitchell, CIPP for the confirmed 2026/27 3.3% pay award.