Your NHS pension contributions
The amount you pay towards your pension scheme depends on your ‘pensionable pay’ (which is your salary, wages, fees and any other regular payments but not any bonuses, expenses or overtime payments).
For officers this is based on your previous year’s earnings. If you are a practitioner, we’ll use earnings in the current year. If you work part-time, your contribution rate is worked out using your whole time equivalent pensionable pay.
Your pension contributions are deducted from your monthly salary by your employer and you receive income tax relief on your contributions.
Your employer contributes an amount equal to 20.9% of your pensionable pay into the scheme on your behalf.
Current contribution rates for the NHS Scotland Pension Scheme 2015 are shown in the table below:
Pensionable earning band in 2021/2022 |
Contribution percentage rate from 1 April 2022 |
Up to £21,614 | 5.2% |
£21,615 to £25,981 | 5.8% |
£25,982 to £32,914 | 7.3% |
£32,915 to £66,017 | 9.5% |
£66,018 to £92,423 | 12.7% |
£92,424 to £123,147 | 13.7% |
£123,148 and above | 14.7% |