Dental training pay 2026 (England)
Basic full-time salary by training stage — indicative; always verify with the employing trust.
| Stage | Basic pay |
|---|---|
| DFT foundation dentist | £42,408 |
| DCT1 (nodal point 2) | £44,439 |
| DCT2 / DCT3 (nodal point 3) | £52,656 |
| StR years 1–2 (nodal point 3) | £52,656 |
| StR years 3–5 (nodal point 4) | £65,048 |
| StR years 6+ (nodal point 5) | £73,992 |
| ACF | clinical scale for the stage + NIHR-funded academic time |
On top of basic pay
On-call and out-of-hours work attracts enhanced rates and availability supplements — the DCT post listings flag on-call, weekend and long-day patterns per post. London weighting applies where relevant.
TERS — Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme
An additional incentive payment advertised on selected hard-to-fill posts (the amount is stated in the post descriptor). Posts carrying it are badged "£ TERS" here and on the map — currently the Cumbria DCT posts.
Sources & caveats
Figures: NHS Employers pay circular MD 2/2025 via BMA resident-doctor pay scales (page updated 1 Jun 2026) and NHS Health Careers (DFT figure from 1 Apr 2025; Health Careers quotes an uplifted DCT range of £54,499–£67,325 from Apr 2026 — the 2026/27 award and a reform splitting the nodal points were still being finalised when this was compiled).
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use their own scales — see the BMA nations pay pages. Pay changes every April.