when will nhs pay rise be paid
Most NHS staff in England and Wales are expected to see the new 2026/27 pay rise in their April 2026 pay packet, with pay backdated to 1 April where relevant.
Quick Scoop
The government has confirmed a 3.3% consolidated NHS pay rise for 2026/27 for Agenda for Change staff (including most nurses and many other roles) in England and Wales. This is being billed as the first “on‑time” NHS pay implementation in around six years, meaning it should land from the start of the financial year rather than later with big backpay lumps.
When will the NHS pay rise be paid?
- The confirmed 3.3% uplift for 2026/27 is set to be applied from April 2026.
- Official guidance for the 2025/26 award said staff would see the increase in their pay from August 2025, backdated to 1 April 2025, and the government explicitly committed to bringing the 2026/27 rise forward so it is paid “as soon as possible” in 2026/27.
- Recent briefings now indicate the goal is that staff see the new pay rates in their April 2026 pay, with backdating to 1 April for anyone whose payroll cycle or local implementation causes a short delay.
In other words, instead of the pattern of:
Decision in summer → money hits in August/September → big backpay from April
the current plan is:
Award agreed earlier → money hits in April → minimal delay and standard backdating to 1 April.
What about backpay?
- For previous years, the government has usually backdated the uplift to 1 April of the relevant financial year, even if the cash arrived later in the year.
- For 2025/26, published guidance said pay uplifts would be backdated to 1 April 2025, with staff “seeing the increase in pay packets from August”, two months earlier than the year before.
- For 2026/27, commentary around the pay round says the expectation is that any delay in payroll changes would still come with backdating to 1 April 2026, but because the target is an April implementation, the backpay element should be much smaller or even unnecessary for many staff.
Why is this year different?
- The government moved to start the pay round earlier for 2026/27 (remit letters and evidence stages brought forward), to avoid repeated late announcements.
- Policy statements for the 2025/26 award explicitly promised to accelerate future pay rounds so that staff would get pay rises “even more quickly” in 2026/27 and beyond.
- Commentators and union briefings highlight that this April 2026 implementation, if delivered as stated, would be the first time in several years that NHS staff see the new award in their pay from the very start of the financial year, instead of waiting until late summer or autumn.
Usual pattern in recent years
To give some context on why people are sceptical and keep asking “when will the NHS pay rise be paid”:
- In several recent pay rounds, staff did not see the uplift until late summer/early autumn, even though the award was backdated to April.
- For example, the 2025/26 guidance described staff seeing the increase from August 2025, with backpay to 1 April 2025.
- Forum discussions and union emails often describe a “September with backpay” pattern being the norm over the last decade, which is why an April implementation is being talked about as a big change.
Key takeaways for you
- If you are Agenda for Change staff in England or Wales, the current information points to:
- New rate: 3.3% consolidated uplift for 2026/27.
* Expected first payment at new rate: April 2026 payroll (start of the 2026/27 financial year).
* Backdating: normally from 1 April 2026 if for any reason implementation at your trust or board slips slightly.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
Because exact timing can still vary slightly between employers and nations (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland), which UK country and staff group are you in so I can narrow this down more precisely for your situation?