Your net pay after Income Tax, National Insurance and pension — 2026/27 tax year
Take-home pay (yearly)
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Take-home (monthly)
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Take-home (weekly)
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Effective tax rate
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Full breakdown
| Item | Yearly |
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For illustrative purposes only, based on 2026/27 rates and a standard tax code with no other income, student loan repayments, or benefits in kind. Consult a qualified accountant before making financial decisions.
Enter your annual gross salary — the figure before any deductions — and choose whether you pay tax in Scotland or the rest of the UK, since the two systems use different bands. If you're in a workplace pension, add your contribution percentage to see how it affects both your take-home pay and your tax bill. Figures update instantly and are shown yearly, monthly and weekly.
Everyone gets a tax-free Personal Allowance of £12,570 in 2026/27. Above that, income is taxed in bands — you only pay the higher rate on the portion of income that falls within that band, not your whole salary. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the basic rate is 20% up to £50,270, the higher rate is 40% up to £125,140, and the additional rate is 45% above that. If your income exceeds £100,000, your Personal Allowance is gradually withdrawn — £1 lost for every £2 earned over the threshold — disappearing entirely at £125,140.
Scotland uses six bands rather than three, set separately by the Scottish Parliament. For 2026/27 these are: starter rate 19% up to £16,537, basic rate 20% up to £29,526, intermediate rate 21% up to £43,662, higher rate 42% up to £75,000, advanced rate 45% up to £125,140, and top rate 48% above that. The same £12,570 Personal Allowance and taper apply. Broadly, lower earners in Scotland pay slightly less tax than the rest of the UK, while higher earners pay more.
Employee National Insurance is calculated separately from Income Tax. In 2026/27, you pay 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% on anything above that. There's no National Insurance due below the £12,570 threshold.
Most workplace pensions use one of two methods. With salary sacrifice, you give up part of your salary in exchange for an employer pension contribution, which reduces the salary you're taxed and pay National Insurance on — this is usually the most efficient method. With relief at source (the more common default), your contribution is deducted after National Insurance but tax relief is added back, effectively lowering your taxable income without reducing your National Insurance bill.
This calculator assumes a standard tax code, no student loan repayments, no other taxable income, and no benefits in kind such as a company car. Any of these will change your actual take-home figure. Your tax code, shown on your payslip, is the most common cause of a mismatch — an incorrect code is worth checking with HMRC directly.
Not currently. Student loan repayments depend on which repayment plan you're on and add a further deduction on top of tax and National Insurance, typically 9% of income above your plan's threshold.
Salary sacrifice usually leaves you with more take-home pay for the same pension contribution, because it also reduces your National Insurance bill — but it's set up by your employer, not something you can typically choose yourself. Check your payslip or ask HR which method your workplace scheme uses.
Your gross salary is your pay before any deductions — the headline figure in your contract or job offer, not the amount that lands in your bank account. If you're checking this ahead of a mortgage application, you can plug your take-home figure straight into the mortgage & loan calculator to see what it means for affordability.