What day of the month do NHS staff get paid?
Like almost all jobs in the UK, NHS staff are paid “in arrears”. This means that pay is received at the end of the agreed pay period, reflecting work that has been completed. Typically, most full-time NHS staff get paid on a monthly basis at the end of the month, although certain roles (e.g. bank staff) may get paid on a fortnightly or even weekly schedule.
The specific day of the month on which NHS staff are paid varies between organisations. Some NHS organisations pay their staff on the last working day of each month, while others may have set dates such as the 25th or 28th of the month. The best way to find out your pay date is to check with your local HR team.
When will I get paid if I start a new job halfway through a month?
In most cases, if you start at an organisation halfway through a month, you will get paid for the portion of the month you have worked as usual with other employees.
Most HR teams have a cut-off date for making payroll changes, which is several days before pay is released to staff. This means that in some cases if you start very close to the next payday, you may not receive your pay for your first month on time. If this is the case, you will receive any extra owed money in the next month’s pay at the end of that month. If you are concerned about pay timings as a new starter, you should speak to your local HR team.
If you’re a new starter, you might also want to check out our information on how NHS staff receive their pay.
What happens if my NHS pay day is a weekend or bank holiday?
If your normal pay day falls on Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday, you will be paid the last normal working day before that public holiday. For example, if your pay day fell on Sunday 27 January, you would be paid on Friday 25 January.
Do NHS staff get paid early at Christmas?
Yes, most NHS organisations pay their staff slightly early at Christmas. This is because normal pay days during the festive period often fall on public holidays (such as Christmas Day or Boxing Day), as well as acknowledging that earlier access to pay is likely to be useful for staff to cover Christmas expenses.
Your HR team will usually confirm Christmas pay arrangements at least a month before Christmas.
Ready to take the next step in your career?
Many NHS vacancies now receive more than 100 applications. We’ve brought together experienced NHS managers to create a new insider’s guide to writing a job application that stands out from the crowd.
The 25-page downloadable guide includes advice and tactics including:
- How to avoid the supporting statement mistake that sends more than 75% of applications straight to the bin;
- Four places to find “hidden” NHS jobs not listed on the NHS Jobs platform;
- Decoding the language of NHS job adverts and person specifications.