2026 pay and TCS advisory notices
NHS Terms and Conditions of Service (TCS) advisory notice 03/2026
This notice advises of the publication of version 62 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook on 1 June 2026. The list of amendments is detailed below:
| Is the section new or amended? | Section / annex of the NHS TCS Handbook | Key amendments |
| Amended | Section 2: Maintaining round the clock services (Wales) |
Table 2.9 has been amended to reflect changes to the Unsocial Hours Payments in Wales. |
| Amended | Section 7: Payment of annual salaries |
Updated as part of the Terms and Conditions of Service handbook review, language and terminology has been updated to reflect the modern workforce. |
| Amended | Section 12: Contractual continuity of service |
Updated as part of the Terms and Conditions of Service handbook review, informed by the NHS Staff Council subgroup Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group (EDIG) and the 2023 non-pay deal commitments. Language and terminology has been updated throughout and paragraph 12.2 has been updated to reflect service outside of the NHS (including service both within or outside of the United Kingdom). |
| Amended | Section 17: Reimbursement of travel costs |
To reflect the change in the mileage reimbursement mechanism following the mileage negotiations. Section 17 has been combined with Annex 12 to form a revised Section 17. Table 7 details the new mileage reimbursement rates which will come into force on 1 June 2026. |
| Removed |
|
Annex 12 has been removed as it has now been combined with Section 17 to reflect the introduction of the new mileage mechanism. |
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NEW |
Annex 32: Freedom to speak up & Whistleblowing (England, Northern Ireland and Wales). |
Added as part of the Terms and Conditions of Service handbook review, language and terminology has been updated to reflect the modern workforce, and inclusion of further information for devolved administrations. Section 21 has been removed and now forms new Annex 32. |
| Removed | Section 21: Right to raise concern in the public interest |
Section 21 has been removed and moved into Annex 32 as it covers principles which organisations should cover when implementing local policies on whistleblowing rather than terms and conditions. |
Pay advisory notice 02/2026
This notice advises of the publication of version 61 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook on 1 April 2026. The list of amendments are detailed below:
| Is the section new or amended? | Section / annex of the NHS TCS Handbook | Key amendments |
| Amended | Annex 2: Pay bands and pay points | Pay scales for the financial year 2026/27 have been updated to reflect the pay award, effective from 1 April 2026. |
| Amended | Annex 3: Pay bands and pay points on the second pay spine in England | Pay scales have uploaded to reflect previous pay scales for financial year 2025/26. |
| Amended | Annex 9: High cost area supplements (HCAS) | The minimum and maximum rates have been uplifted and the updates rates can be found in Table 1. This change is effective from 1 April 2026. |
NHS Terms and Conditions of Service (TCS) advisory notice 02/2026
This notice advises of the publication of version 61 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook on 1 April 2026. The list of amendments is detailed below:
| Is the section new or amended? | Section / annex of the NHS TCS Handbook | Key amendments |
| Amended | Section 15: Leave and pay for new parents | Section 15.119 has been added to reflect the Bereaved partners leave statutory provisions coming into force on 6 April 2026. This will apply to England, Scotland and Wales. |
| Amended | Section 18: Subsistence allowances (Now Section 18: Work related allowances and reimbursement of expenses) | Section 18 has been renamed and updated as part of the Terms and Conditions of Service handbook review. language, terminology and additional clarity has been updated to reflect the modern workforce. |
| Amended | Section 19: Other terms and conditions | Section 19 has been updated as part of the Terms and Conditions of Service handbook review, language and terminology has been updated to reflect the modern workforce. |
| NEW | Annex 31: NHS Job Evaluation Scheme Enabling Agreement | Annex 31 has been added to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service handbook following the outcome of 2023 non-pay deal recommendations to provide clarity and support the application of the Job Evaluation Scheme. |
Terms and Conditions of Service (TCS) advisory notice 01/2026
This notice advises of the publication of version 60 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook on 5 January 2026. The list of amendments are detailed below:
| Is the section new or amended? | Section / annex of the NHS TCS Handbook | Key amendments |
| Amended | Section 17: Reimbursement of travel costs | Section 17 has been added to reflect the change in mileage rates following the November 2025 review. Table 7 details the new mileage reimbursement rates which will be applied from 1 January 2026. |
| Amended | Section 40: National bodies and procedures | Section 40 has been updated to reflect the name change of The Federation of Clinical Scientists (FCS) to the Association for Laboratory Medicine. |
| Amended | Annex 12: Motoring costs | Table 17 has been updated following the November 2025 mileage reimbursement review to reflect changes in motoring costs. The new amounts in table 17 will be applied from 1 January 2026. |
| Amended | Annex 20: Development of Professional roles | Annex 20 has been updated following the outcome of 2023 non-pay deal recommendations to provide clarity that the provisions can apply to nursing roles. |
