Midwife salary UK 2026: average pay, NHS bands and take-home
The average midwife salary is £48,988. Compare gross and estimated after-tax monthly pay, the published ONS range, and how occupation earnings differ from NHS bands and London-weighted pay.
How to read the official midwife salary figure
Midwife pay is often discussed only through NHS bands. The ONS figures add a second view: what full-time employee jobs in the occupation were paid across the UK. The official source uses the label Midwifery nurses. That is the ONS category name, not a change to the everyday job title used on this page. Typical pay is above the typical full-time UK pay, but the published points still cover a meaningful range.
Location, experience, shift patterns, employer and added responsibility can all affect a real payslip. Use the linked NHS pages for band rules, pension and deductions. Use the figures here to see the wider occupation picture. The ONS does not publish the top 10% point, so no upper figure has been invented.
Which midwifery jobs this figure covers
The ONS category is labelled Midwifery nurses, but the everyday occupation is midwife. The figure covers full-time employee earnings for that group.
Good fit for this page
- Registered midwives in employee jobs
- Hospital, community and home-based midwifery roles
- Actual occupation earnings that may include regular shift additions
Use a different comparison for
- Maternity support workers or healthcare assistants
- General nursing roles outside midwifery
- A basic NHS band without checking hours and enhancements
Lower, typical and higher midwife pay
Only £3,062 separates the median from the published 60th percentile. A quick glance cannot show where your own pay sits inside that band or how close you are to the next salary point.
- Lower pay10th percentile£36,463
- Lower-middle pay25th percentile£42,084
- Typical payMedian£46,990
- Higher pay75th percentile£53,564
Moving from the median to the published 60th percentile is £3,062 gross a year, or about £183 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Place your confirmed midwife salary inside the ONS occupation range, then see take-home pay and True Wage around shifts, travel and work costs.
From the median to the published 60th percentile is £3,062 gross a year, worth about £183 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Every published midwife salary point
See every published salary point
| Pay point | Annual salary | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £36,463 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 20th percentile | £41,138 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 25th percentile | £42,084 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 30th percentile | £43,335 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 40th percentile | £45,606 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| Median | £46,990 | The published midpoint |
| 60th percentile | £50,052 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 70th percentile | £52,325 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 75th percentile | £53,564 | Above the occupation midpoint |
The paid report estimates a position between two published points. It does not claim an exact ranking of every worker.
Midwife salary per month and after tax
At the average midwife salary of £48,988, gross pay is about £4,082 a month. A standard 2026/27 estimate gives midwife take-home pay of about £3,233 a month after tax and employee National Insurance, before NHS pension or student loan deductions. The ONS median remains £46,990 and is shown in the detailed pay range below.
The estimate uses the standard Personal Allowance, Income Tax bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and employee National Insurance. It does not include pension, student loan, salary sacrifice or a different tax code. Scottish Income Tax is different.
Average midwife salary and the wider pay range
The lower published point is £36,463, the typical salary is £46,990, and the highest published point, the 75th percentile is £53,564.
The occupation figure includes employee earnings across the UK, while an NHS band shows an official pay scale. Actual pay may include unsocial-hours additions and other differences. The two views answer different questions and are most useful when read together.
Newly qualified midwife pay, NHS bands and London earnings
The ONS occupation figures and NHS Agenda for Change bands answer different questions. One shows employee earnings across the occupation; the other sets basic pay points for particular NHS contracts.
Newly qualified and Band 5 midwife salary
This ONS table does not set a newly qualified or Band 5 midwife salary. Use the current Agenda for Change scale for the relevant nation and employer, then allow for pension, unsocial hours and other additions or deductions.
Band 6 and experienced midwife salary
The £46,990 median is an occupation-wide earnings figure, not a Band 6 rate. A Band 6 post should be checked against the live pay scale and the actual job, including shifts, on-call work and specialist responsibility.
Midwife salary in London
The figures here are UK-wide and do not isolate a London midwife salary. London weighting or local allowances can change an NHS package, so use the relevant pay scale and vacancy rather than treating the national median as a London rate.
Useful next step: check the live Agenda for Change pay points and the effect of London weighting after tax.
What usually changes midwife earnings
The basic band is only one part of the picture. Shift pattern, career stage, specialist work and responsibility can all move annual earnings and monthly take-home.
Band and experience
A newly registered midwife, an experienced practitioner and a ward or team leader should not be compared with the same salary point.
Shifts and on-call work
Nights, weekends, bank holidays and on-call arrangements can add to basic pay. Check whether the published salary or offer includes those additions.
Specialist and community work
Hospital labour wards, community caseloads, home visits, neonatal work and other specialist duties can bring different working patterns and responsibility.
Pension and student loan
NHS pension and student-loan deductions can materially change the amount paid each month, even when two midwives have the same gross salary.
Training, registration and progression
The National Careers Service describes midwives as supporting pregnant people and babies before, during and after childbirth. The work can include health checks, labour and delivery, pain-management advice, postnatal support and home visits.
Entry normally requires an approved midwifery degree or degree apprenticeship, followed by registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Registered adult nurses may also be able to take a conversion course. The work commonly includes evenings, weekends and bank holidays on shifts.
Further training can lead to specialist work such as ultrasound or neonatal care. Experienced midwives may become ward managers, team leaders, consultant midwives or directors of midwifery. Those roles explain part of the difference between the lower and higher published earnings points.
What to check in a midwife offer
The contract should make the basic point, roster and additions easy to separate.
- What band, pay point and contracted hours apply?
- How are nights, weekends, bank holidays and on-call periods paid?
- What rotation between hospital, community and specialist work is expected?
- How do pension, student loan, training and professional-registration costs affect the package?
Where the salary and industry information comes from
The pay figures are from the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14, 2025 provisional edition. They cover full-time employee jobs, and annual figures normally relate to people who have been in the same job for more than one year. They do not cover self-employed people.
| Official job group | Midwifery nurses. This is the ONS category name used for midwife jobs. |
|---|---|
| Quality | ONS rates this estimate precise (CV of 5% or less). The published median CV is 3.7%. In plain English, this is one of the more dependable ONS estimates for the occupation. |
| Jobs in the estimate | About 21,000 employee jobs |
| Career and role source | National Careers Service: Midwife Training, registration, duties, shifts and progression. View source |
Where ONS leaves a salary point blank, this page leaves it blank too. A missing top 10% figure is never filled with an estimate.
View the ONS salary tableCheck the 2026/27 tax and NI figures
Midwife salary questions
What is the average midwife salary in the UK?
The simple average midwife salary is £48,988. The ONS full-time median is £46,990, which is usually the better starting point for typical occupation earnings.
How much is a midwife salary per month after tax?
The £46,990 median is about £3,916 gross per month. A standard 2026/27 estimate gives take-home pay of about £3,113 a month after Income Tax and employee National Insurance, before NHS pension or student loan deductions.
What is a newly qualified or Band 5 midwife salary?
This ONS table does not publish a starting or Band 5 rate. Check the current Agenda for Change scale that applies to the employer and nation, then account for pension, shifts and other additions.
What is a Band 6 midwife salary?
A Band 6 salary is set by the live NHS pay scale, not by the ONS median. The £46,990 figure on this page describes full-time employee earnings across the midwifery occupation.
What is a midwife salary in London?
The ONS figure is UK-wide. London weighting and local allowances may change NHS pay, so the relevant vacancy and current pay scale are the right sources for a London-specific figure.
Is £46,990 a good salary for a midwife?
It is the official middle salary for full-time midwifery nurses and is 20% higher than the UK full-time median of £39,039.
What do higher-paid midwives earn?
ONS does not publish the 90th percentile for this occupation. The highest available point is the 75th percentile at £53,564, so no top-10% figure is claimed.