What does a doctor take home after tax?
A doctor's take-home pay depends heavily on grade. On the 2026/27 England pay scales, an FY1 resident doctor on £40,190 keeps £32,456 a year (£2,705 a month), while an NHS consultant on £113,565 keeps £73,712 a year (£6,143 a month). The headline figure above, £78,699, is the floor of the salaried GP range and a fair marker for an experienced hospital doctor; it nets £56,203 a year after income tax and National Insurance.
These are basic salaries. Most resident doctors also earn 15-40% more from enhanced rates for nights, weekends and on-call, so real gross pay (and tax) is usually higher than the basic-scale figure. The take-home numbers here use rest-of-UK income tax and 2026/27 employee NI; they exclude the NHS pension deduction, student loan repayments and any additional-hours pay.
Doctor pay progression: FY1 to consultant
NHS pay is structured, so progression is predictable in a way most careers are not. A doctor moves through foundation training (FY1 £40,190, FY2 £45,994), into specialty registrar nodal points (£54,499 → £76,582), and finally to consultant (£113,565 rising to £150,569 over 14 years) or into general practice. Reaching consultant typically takes 10-16 years from starting medical school: a 5-6 year degree, two foundation years, then 3-8 years of specialty training depending on the specialism.
Once basic pay crosses £100,000 — which every consultant does — the personal allowance tapers away, creating a 60% effective marginal tax band between £100,000 and £125,140. A consultant weighing extra programmed activities or private sessions should model this: see what £100,000 after tax actually leaves versus a higher figure, because the next slice of income is taxed far more harshly than the headline rate suggests.
NHS vs private and locum work
Basic NHS pay is only part of a senior doctor's income. Consultants can add local Clinical Excellence Awards and private-practice sessions; GP partners take a share of practice profits rather than a salary. Locum work is paid by session or day rate and can lift gross earnings sharply — a doctor comparing a locum day rate to salaried pay can check the equivalent on our £650 day rate calculator. Because locum and private income is usually self-employed, it carries different tax and pension treatment, and often pushes total income into that 60% band or the 45% additional rate.
Tax and pension notes for doctors
Two issues bite hardest for higher-earning doctors. First, the pension annual allowance: NHS pension growth counts towards a £60,000 allowance, and adjusted income over £200,000 tapers it down, which is why so many consultants receive annual allowance tax charges. Second, the £100,000 personal-allowance trap above. Salary sacrifice into the pension is one of the few levers that both grows retirement savings and pulls taxable income back below £100,000. For the underlying NHS band structure, see our NHS pay bands guide.
Doctor salary by grade (2026/27, England)
Basic full-time salaries on the 2026/27 BMA pay scales (3.5% DDRB award, effective 1 April 2026), with monthly take-home after income tax and employee National Insurance. Figures exclude enhanced pay for antisocial hours, the NHS pension deduction and student loan repayments.
| Grade | Gross Salary | Monthly Take Home |
|---|---|---|
| FY1 (Foundation Year 1) | £40,190 | £2,705 |
| FY2 (Foundation Year 2) | £45,994 | £3,053 |
| Registrar NP3 (ST1–ST2) | £54,499 | £3,514 |
| Registrar NP5 (ST6–ST8) | £76,582 | £4,581 |
| Salaried GP (range floor) | £78,699 | £4,684 |
| Consultant (entry, threshold 1) | £113,565 | £6,143 |
| Consultant (top, 14+ yrs) | £150,569 | £7,632 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a junior (resident) doctor earn after tax?
An FY1 on £40,190 takes home around £2,705/month; FY2 on £45,994 takes home £3,053/month. These are basic figures — enhanced pay for nights and weekends usually adds 15-40% on top.
How much does a specialty registrar earn after tax?
Registrar basic pay runs from £54,499 (nodal point 3) to £76,582 (nodal point 5), giving take-home of roughly £3,514 to £4,581 a month before banding supplements.
How much does an NHS consultant earn after tax?
Consultants start on £113,565 (£6,143/month take-home) and reach £150,569 after 14 years (£7,632/month), before Clinical Excellence Awards or private work. Every consultant loses their personal allowance and hits the 60% band between £100,000 and £125,140.
How much does a GP earn after tax?
The 2026/27 salaried GP range is £78,699-£118,759, so take-home of about £4,684 to £6,307 a month. GP partners take a profit share and can earn considerably more.
Is being a doctor worth it financially?
Doctors earn well above the UK median of about £35,000, and pay progression is unusually predictable. But training takes 10-16 years, student debt is large, and higher earners lose ground to the £100k personal-allowance taper and pension annual-allowance charges.
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