Foundation Year 2 (F2) Salary

£44,439
2026/27 — Nodal Point 2, 2016 hospital doctor contract
Calculate Your Take-Home Pay

The short answer

A Foundation Year 2 doctor takes home £32,032 a year — £2,669.35 a month — after income tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.

F2 Pay (2016 contract, England)

Pay PointAnnualMonthly
Nodal Point 2£44,439£3,703.25

F2 Pay (2016 contract, England)

Pay PointGrossPensionTaxNINetMonthly
Nodal Point 2£44,439£4,355£5,503£2,549£32,032£2,669.35

Basic pay only, excluding enhanced hours and on-call. F2 is the last year before specialty or core training, and the nodal point steps again on entry to CT1 or ST1.

Check your own figure

Foundation Year 2 sits on nodal point 2 at £44,439, a step of £5,608 over F1. It is the second and final foundation year, after which doctors move into core or specialty training.

The jump from F1 to F2 crosses no pension tier boundary — both sit in the 9.8% band, which runs to £52,778 — so the whole increase is subject to the same deductions. It does, however, take an F2 well past the £50,270 higher-rate threshold once enhanced pay is added, which is when many doctors first notice 40% tax on part of their income.

As with F1, basic pay understates total earnings for most F2s. Enhanced pay for nights, weekend frequency and on-call availability is set by the rota, and it is worth modelling your own rather than assuming an average.

F2 is also the year most doctors first think seriously about the pension, usually because the deduction has become large enough to notice. It is worth understanding what it buys: the NHS Pension is a career-average scheme with an employer contribution far larger than the member rate, and the contribution comes out before income tax, so its real cost is lower than the percentage suggests.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the F2 salary in 2026/27?
£44,439 basic, nodal point 2 of the 2016 contract in England. Enhanced pay for nights, weekends and on-call is added on top and depends on the rota.
How much more is F2 than F1?
£5,608 on basic pay — £38,831 at F1 against £44,439 at F2. Both sit in the same 9.8% NHS Pension tier, so the whole increase is taxed and deducted at the same rates.
How much does an F2 take home a month?
Around £2,670 a month on basic pay alone, after pension, income tax and National Insurance. The table above gives the full breakdown.
What comes after F2?
Core training (CT1) or specialty training (ST1), which sits on nodal point 3 at £52,656 — a further step of £8,217 over F2.
What NHS Pension tier is an F2 in?
The 9.8% tier, the same as F1. That band runs from £35,156 to £52,778 of pensionable pay, so both foundation years fall inside it and the step from F1 to F2 does not change the contribution rate.
Do F2 doctors pay higher-rate tax?
On basic pay alone, no — £44,439 sits below the £50,270 higher-rate threshold. With enhanced pay for nights, weekends and on-call added, many F2s do cross it, and the part above is taxed at 40% while National Insurance drops to 2%.
How much is enhanced pay worth on top of F2 basic?
It depends entirely on the rota. The 2016 contract pays enhancements for night shifts, weekend frequency and on-call availability, and a busy rota can add several thousand pounds. None of it is included in the table above, so enter your own figures in the calculator.
Does F2 pay differ across the UK?
Yes. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland negotiate separately and have their own scales, and Scottish taxpayers also pay Scottish income tax rates, which begin the higher rate at a lower threshold. The calculator covers all four nations.

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