Silyxa

Updated for 2026/27

NHS sick pay calculator

See how much full and half pay you have left, and what reaches your bank.

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Example figures. Type your own.

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Your result

Your entitlement

Full pay
6 months, 183 days
Half pay
6 months, 183 days
Full pay left
183 days
Half pay left
183 days

Paragraph 14.2 of the NHS terms. Months are counted as calendar days.

This absence

Days off
30
On full pay
30 days
Sick pay
£2,998.60
Pay lost before tax
−£0.00
Take-home lost
£0.00

Normal pay £36,483 a year.

MonthIncome TaxTake-home
Month 1£338.80£2,244.13

Normal take-home is £2,244.13 a month. PAYE works on your pay so far in the tax year, so a month of low pay can bring tax back. This assumes your absence starts in April. Add your first day off sick to see your own months.

Your sick pay stages.
WhenPay
Days 1 to 183Full pay
Days 184 to 366Half pay, plus SSP up to full pay
From day 367No sick pay

Add your first day off sick above to see the dates.

A normal month

Pay
£3,040.25
NHS Pension
−£297.94
Income Tax
−£338.80
National Insurance
−£159.38
Take-home
£2,244.13

Your first month off sick

Pay for days worked
£41.65
Sick pay, including SSP
£2,998.60
NHS Pension
−£297.94
Income Tax
−£338.80
National Insurance
−£159.38
Take-home
£2,244.13

On half pay, payslips often show an "AfC Absence" deduction from basic pay and a separate SSP line. You pay NHS Pension on the pay you actually get.

  • Note Your entitlement is worked out on the first day of each absence, less any paid sick leave in the 12 months before it. Unpaid sick leave and absence from an injury at work don't count.
  • Note Half pay plus SSP can never come to more than your full pay. Your employer can choose to extend sick pay, and in some long absences it is reinstated at half pay (paragraphs 14.10 to 14.13).
  • Note This counts each month as 30 days and spreads SSP evenly over the week. Your trust's payroll may count days slightly differently. Tax is worked out on pay so far in the tax year, as PAYE does, with a standard tax code and 2026/27 rates.

Uses 2026/27 rates, checked 7 November 2026. Your figures stay in your browser. Tested against the official rates and published worked examples. See how this is calculated.

How NHS sick pay works

If you're on Agenda for Change terms, the NHS pays sick pay on top of Statutory Sick Pay, set out in section 14 of the NHS terms and conditions. How much you get depends on your years of NHS service.

NHS sick pay scale, paragraph 14.2. The same in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Your serviceFull payHalf pay
First year1 month2 months
Second year2 months2 months
Third year4 months4 months
Fourth or fifth year5 months5 months
Over 5 years6 months6 months

After that, you get Statutory Sick Pay only, £123.25 a week, until 28 weeks from the start. Then sick pay stops.

Does NHS sick pay include SSP?

Yes. Full pay already includes your Statutory Sick Pay, so you don't get both. On half pay, SSP is added, but half pay plus SSP can never come to more than your full pay. On payslips this often shows as an "AfC Absence" deduction from basic pay and a separate SSP line.

Example NHS payslip for a month of sick leave on half pay, £36,483 salary: basic pay £3,040.25, AfC Absence deduction minus £1,549.28, Statutory Sick Pay £545.82, NHS Pension £199.61, Income Tax £157.80, National Insurance £79.10 and net pay £1,600.28.
An example, not a real payslip. Trusts word these lines differently.

When does NHS sick pay reset?

It doesn't reset on a fixed date. On the first day of each absence, your employer takes your full entitlement and subtracts any paid sick leave in the 12 months before that day. Each sick day stops counting 12 months after you took it, so your entitlement comes back day by day. It's fully restored 12 months after your last paid sick day.

Unpaid sick leave, and absence from an injury or illness caused by your NHS work, don't count towards the 12 months.

Does NHS sick pay include unsocial hours?

It depends on where you work.

What NHS sick pay does to your take-home

In your third year of service you get 4 months of full pay and 4 of half pay. On £36,483, 200 days off pays £17,395 in sick pay, and your take-home over that time falls by about £1,665. Income Tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension all fall on half pay, so your take-home drops by less than your pay. Add your first day off sick to see each month.

NHS sick pay questions

Do you get NHS sick pay in your first year?

Yes, from your first day. In your first year you get 1 month of full pay and 2 months of half pay.

Is NHS sick pay based on a rolling 12 months?

Yes. Paid sick leave in the 12 months before each absence comes off your entitlement. Enter those days above, and the date of your last paid sick day.

Do I pay NHS Pension contributions on sick pay?

Yes, on the pay you actually get. On full pay that's your normal contribution. On half pay or SSP only, it's worked out on that lower pay, while your employer still pays its share on your normal pay. If your pay stops, contributions stop too.

What happens when NHS sick pay runs out?

You get Statutory Sick Pay until 28 weeks from the start of your absence, if you haven't used it. After that, your employer must give you form SSP1 so you can claim Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance. In some long absences, sick pay is reinstated at half pay (paragraph 14.10).

How are months counted?

NHS payrolls count entitlement in calendar days, weekends included. This calculator counts each month as 30 days, so 6 months is 183 days.

Does this work for doctors?

It's built for Agenda for Change staff. Doctors and dentists have their own terms, though their sick pay scale is similar.

Is this official?

No. It follows section 14 of the NHS terms and conditions handbook, but your trust or board's payroll makes the final calculation.

Sources

Checked on 7 November 2026 against the 2026/27 tax year.