Every PCN’s ARRS allocation comes from the same formula: a weighted population multiplied by a national rate per point. The calculator below applies that formula so you can see an indicative annual figure without digging through the DES guidance to find the rate.
The rate used here is NHS England’s confirmed 2025/26 figure of £26.848 per point of PCN Contractor Weighted Population. That is the most recent year with a confirmed, itemised national total. If you want the full picture behind the number, including what ARRS will and will not reimburse and what happens to an underspend, our ARRS funding guide sets it out in detail.
ARRS allocation calculator
Enter your PCN's weighted population to see an indicative annual ARRS allocation, using NHS England's confirmed 2025/26 rate of £26.848 per point of PCN Contractor Weighted Population.
Your weighted population, not your raw registered list. The two are rarely identical. Your commissioner's allocation letter states it.
What this is. A ready reckoner using the published national rate. Your PCN's exact figure is set out in the allocation your commissioner issues each year, and it is worth checking that against your weighted population directly. For context on what the allocation pays for, NHS England's Network Contract DES guidance sets the maximum reimbursable salary element for an ARRS-funded GP role at £118,759 for 2026/27, or £152,900 including employer on-costs. Caps differ by role.
Why it says 2025/26. That is the most recent year with a confirmed, itemised ARRS total (£1,710,877,000, against a national population base of 63,723,400 as at January 2025). NHS England has not published an itemised 2026/27 equivalent, so this uses the confirmed rate rather than implying a figure that does not exist yet.
Read the full ARRS funding guide Talk to us about using your allocation
How the figure is worked out
NHS England sets a national rate per point of PCN Contractor Weighted Population and applies it against a national population base. For 2025/26 that rate is £26.848, applied against a national figure of 63,723,400 as at January 2025. Multiplying the two is broadly how the national ARRS total of £1,710,877,000 is reached, and that total is then distributed across every PCN in England according to its own weighted population.
The same formula sets what an individual network receives. A PCN with a weighted population of 30,000 sits at approximately £805,440 a year. A PCN at 50,000 sits at approximately £1,342,400. NHS England publishes a ready reckoner alongside the DES guidance so networks can sanity-check the arithmetic themselves.
Weighted population is not your registered list
The number the formula uses is your PCN Contractor Weighted Population, not the raw count of patients registered across your member practices. The two are rarely identical, because weighting adjusts for the characteristics of the population you serve.
Your commissioner issues your allocation each year and states the figure it used. It is worth checking that figure against your weighted population directly instead of assuming it tracks your registered list, because a difference between the two changes the allocation materially.
What the allocation pays for
ARRS reimbursement is capped role by role against the network’s total allocation, so the headline figure is a ceiling for the scheme, not a budget for any single post. For 2026/27, NHS England’s Network Contract DES guidance sets the maximum reimbursable salary element for an ARRS-funded GP role at £118,759 outside London, rising to £120,921 with London weighting. Including employer on-costs, National Insurance and pension, the combined maximum reimbursable amount stands at £152,900 outside London and £155,698 including London weighting.
Caps differ by role, so the GP figures above are a reference point rather than a rate that applies across the scheme. Check the current DES guidance for the role you are funding.
What the calculator does not tell you
This is a ready reckoner, not an allocation statement. It gives the indicative annual figure the national formula produces for a given weighted population. It does not account for anything specific to your network: an existing underspend, commitments already made against the allocation, mid-year adjustments, or the role-by-role caps that determine what you can actually claim.
It also uses the 2025/26 rate deliberately. NHS England has not published an itemised 2026/27 ARRS total, so applying a 2026/27 label to this figure would imply a confirmed number that does not exist yet. When that figure is published we will update the rate here and in the guide together.
Using the allocation for medicines work
A large share of ARRS spend across England goes on clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and the practical question for most networks is how to turn the allocation into delivered work, not into a vacancy that stays open.
Virtual Pharmacist delivers that work as a managed service. Structured medication reviews, high-risk drug monitoring, discharge and clinical letter reconciliation, prescribing queries and quality work are carried out by UK-based, GPhC-registered pharmacists working in your practices’ own clinical systems, across EMIS, SystmOne, Vision and Medicus. Supervision, CPD, indemnity and audit sit with us, under our clinical governance and data security framework. We have supported 375+ GP practices and 88+ primary care networks across England.
Frequently asked questions
What rate does this calculator use?
NHS England’s confirmed 2025/26 rate of £26.848 per point of PCN Contractor Weighted Population, applied against a national population base of 63,723,400 as at January 2025. That is the most recent year with a confirmed, itemised national ARRS total.
Why does it not use a 2026/27 rate?
NHS England has not published an itemised 2026/27 ARRS total. Labelling the output 2026/27 would imply a confirmed figure that does not exist. The calculator uses the confirmed rate and says so, and we will update it when the 2026/27 figure is published.
Is this my PCN’s actual allocation?
No. It is an indicative figure from the national formula. Your actual allocation is set out in the letter your commissioner issues each year, and it may differ once existing commitments, adjustments and role-by-role reimbursement caps are taken into account.
Where do I find my weighted population?
Your commissioner’s allocation states the weighted population figure used. It is not the same as the raw registered list across your member practices, and the difference between the two is often material, so it is worth reading the stated figure rather than substituting your list size.
Can ARRS funding pay for a managed clinical pharmacy service?
Networks use their allocation in different ways and the reimbursement rules are set by the Network Contract DES, so the answer depends on how your network structures the arrangement. We are happy to talk through how other networks have approached it. Check the current DES guidance, and your commissioner, before committing the allocation.
