A junior doctor in the UK now typically earns a basic salary starting at about £38,800–£38,831 per year for the first foundation year (FY1), rising to around £44,400–£45,000 in the second year (FY2). With extra pay for night shifts, weekends, on-calls and allowances, total annual earnings for a full‑time FY1 are estimated at roughly £45,000–£46,000 , and can be much higher for more senior “junior” doctors such as specialty registrars.

Typical salary range

  • FY1 basic pay: about £38,800–£38,831 per year in England after recent pay deals.
  • Estimated total FY1 earnings (including supplements): around £45,900 for a full‑time doctor.
  • Specialty registrar basic pay: roughly £52,600–£74,000 depending on training year, with average total NHS earnings around £80,500 for full‑time staff.

Hourly and “real world” pay

  • The lowest basic hourly rate for a first‑year doctor has recently been put at about £18–£19 per hour for a standard 40‑hour week, not including overtime or supplements.
  • Junior doctors often work additional hours, nights and weekends, so their effective hourly rate over all hours worked can be lower than the nominal basic rate.

Recent changes and context

  • Pay for junior doctors (now often called resident doctors) has risen by close to 30% in basic pay since 2022/23 following disputes and negotiations, though unions argue this still does not restore earlier real‑terms cuts.
  • The UK government has said it expects average full‑time basic pay for a resident doctor to be about £54,300 in 2025–26 , reflecting the fact that many are on higher training grades rather than the starting FY1 salary.

Simple HTML table of key figures

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Role/Grade (England) Approx. basic annual pay Typical total annual NHS earnings (full-time)
Foundation Year 1 (FY1) £38,800–£38,831≈£45,900
Foundation Year 2 (FY2) ≈£44,400–£45,000Higher than FY1 once supplements are included
Specialty Registrar (ST1–2) ≈£52,600Part of average ≈£80,500 across all registrars
Specialty Registrar (upper range) Up to ≈£73,900–£73,992Average ≈£80,500 (including extra pay)
**Meta description:** Wondering _how much does a junior doctor earn_ in the UK? Learn the latest FY1, FY2 and registrar pay figures, estimated real‑world earnings and recent pay‑deal context in this clear 2025–26 update.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.