F1 Doctor Salary 2026/27: Gross Pay, Deductions and Take-Home Across the UK

Understanding the F1 Doctor Salary in 2026/27

If you are starting your medical foundation training in England, the F1 doctor salary for 2026/27 is set at £41,226 basic pay. This figure comes from the accepted 3.5% DDRB pay award combined with the June 2026 nodal point reform, as reported by salarytax.uk and payprecision.co.uk. The basic salary is the same for all F1 doctors in England regardless of hospital or region, though rota supplements for nights, weekends and on-call work are paid on top.

Gross Salary vs Take-Home Pay

Gross salary is the headline figure, but what you actually receive in your bank account is lower after three main deductions:

• Income Tax: The personal allowance is £12,570, so you pay 20% on earnings between £12,571 and £50,270. On £41,226, that works out to about £4,923 in tax (using standard code 1257L).
• National Insurance: Class 1 NICs are charged at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above. For an F1, NI comes to roughly £2,292.
• NHS Pension: The 2015 CARE scheme requires a 9.8% contribution on pensionable pay (the tier covering £35,156–£52,778). That’s about £4,040 per year. The contribution is taken before tax, giving full Income Tax relief, but NI is still charged on the full gross amount.

After these deductions, the estimated annual take-home pay is around £29,970 according to salarytax.uk, or £28,096 if you also have a Plan 2 student loan repayment. Monthly net pay is approximately £2,498 without a student loan, or £2,341 with one.

Regional Differences in the F1 Doctor Salary

It is important to note that the £41,226 basic applies only to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland negotiate their own resident doctor pay scales. Scotland also applies different Income Tax bands (19% starter, 20% basic, 21% intermediate, 42% higher, 45% advanced, 48% top), which can reduce take-home compared to England. If you are working in Scotland, use a Scottish-specific calculator to get an accurate estimate.

How Rota Supplements Affect Total Pay

The basic F1 salary is for a 40-hour week. Most foundation doctors work additional hours, nights, weekends or on-call shifts, which attract extra payments:

• Night enhancement: 37% of basic hourly rate for work between 9pm and 7am.
• Weekend allowance: a percentage of basic pay depending on how often you work weekends.
• On-call availability: 8% of basic pay for non-resident on-call.

These supplements can lift total gross pay by 20–40%, meaning an F1 might earn £49,000–£57,000 gross in a year. However, because the additions are taxed at the marginal rate (40% once you exceed £50,270), the net increase is smaller than the headline percentage suggests.

Seniority Progression: From F1 to F2 and Beyond

The F1 doctor salary is the first step in a clear pay ladder. In England, the FY2 basic salary rises to £47,610 in 2026/27. Core training (CT1–CT2) starts at £55,355, and specialty registrar pay runs from £67,325 (ST3) to £77,348 (ST8). Consultant pay begins at £113,565. Each grade also has a higher NHS pension contribution rate (10.7% or 12.5% for higher earners).

For a full breakdown of take-home pay at each grade, see our take-home calculator or browse our salary articles for more detailed guides.

Key Takeaways

• The F1 doctor salary in England for 2026/27 is £41,226 basic.
• After Income Tax, NI and NHS pension, take-home is about £28,000–£30,000 per year.
• Rota enhancements can add 20–40% to gross, but net gain is less due to marginal tax.
• Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different pay and tax rules.
• Always check the effective date of any pay figure you see online, as some calculators still show pre-2026 rates.

For more context on how this salary compares to UK medians and other professions, visit After Tax Salary for the latest data and analysis.