Salary Calculator UK — Your Take-Home Pay, Simplified
Enter your gross salary and see your real 2026/27 UK take-home pay — income tax through the full bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland or Scotland, National Insurance, pension and student loan options, and what your employer pays on top. All in pounds.
Your salary
Advanced options
Already included in every calculation: the full 2026/27 bands for your region (including the 45% additional rate and Scotland’s six bands), the £100,000 personal-allowance taper on the standard code, employee National Insurance at 8% and 2%, and your employer’s National Insurance at 15% above £5,000.
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Your take-home pay
Where your salary goes
Your gross pay split into tax, National Insurance, pension, student loan and take-home pay — the bar redraws when you press Calculate.
- Full 2026/27 bands, all in pounds: 20%, 40% and 45% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, six Scottish bands from 19% to 48%, National Insurance at 8% then 2%, and the personal allowance tapering away between £100,000 and £125,140.
- On a £60,000 salary with the standard 1257L code: income tax £11,432.00 and NI £3,210.60 leave £45,357.40 a year — £3,779.78 a month, £872.26 a week.
- Advanced options add pension contributions (salary sacrifice, net pay or relief at source), student loan Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5 plus postgraduate loans, Marriage Allowance and your own tax code — and the results include the employer National Insurance your job costs on top of your salary.
Work out what a UK salary is really worth after tax in 2026/27. This calculator uses the official HMRC bands and thresholds for the tax year 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027 — including the 45% additional rate, Scotland’s six bands, the £100,000 personal-allowance taper, student loan plans and pension contributions — and shows your net pay per year, month, week, 4 weeks and working day.
Keep exploring
Three companion tools for pay and taxes.
How it works
Three steps from gross salary to take-home pay.
Enter your gross salary
Your annual pay before deductions, plus your tax region and the tax code on your payslip.
Add the extras that apply
Pension contributions, a student loan, Marriage Allowance — open Advanced options and switch on only what is yours.
Read your take-home pay
Income tax, National Insurance and every deduction you switched on, with net pay per year, month, week, 4 weeks and working day.
The math behind your UK take-home pay
This calculator applies the official 2026/27 UK bands to your gross salary. Income tax is charged in bands — each rate applies only to the slice of income inside its band — and the personal allowance (£12,570 for most people) falls by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000, reaching zero at £125,140:
Worked example: £60,000 salary, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, standard 1257L code
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Basic-rate tax | 20% × (50,270 − 12,570) | £7,540.00 |
| Higher-rate tax | 40% × (60,000 − 50,270) | £3,892.00 |
| Total income tax | 7,540 + 3,892 | £11,432.00 |
| National Insurance | 8% × 37,700 + 2% × 9,730 | £3,210.60 |
| Net annual pay | 60,000 − 11,432 − 3,210.60 | £45,357.40 |
| Net monthly pay | 45,357.40 ÷ 12 | £3,779.78 |
Go deeper
The details that separate a rough guess from a trustworthy number.
For 2026/27 (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), England, Wales and Northern Ireland charge:
- 0% — personal allowance: the first £12,570 is tax-free. Above £100,000 the allowance falls by £1 for every £2 of income, reaching £0 at £125,140.
- 20% — basic rate: the first £37,700 of taxable income (your income above the allowance).
- 40% — higher rate: taxable income from £37,701 to £125,140.
- 45% — additional rate: taxable income above £125,140.
- National Insurance: 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, plus 2% above £50,270. Employers pay 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year.
Scotland sets its own bands for earnings — six of them for 2026/27. The personal allowance and the £100,000 taper work the same way:
| Scottish band | Gross income (full allowance) | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Starter rate | £12,571 – £16,537 | 19% |
| Basic rate | £16,538 – £29,526 | 20% |
| Intermediate rate | £29,527 – £43,662 | 21% |
| Higher rate | £43,663 – £75,000 | 42% |
| Advanced rate | £75,001 – £125,140 | 45% |
| Top rate | Above £125,140 | 48% |
Scottish Income Tax 2026/27 — Scottish Government (Scottish Budget and Rate Resolution 2026-27). Savings and dividend income stay on UK-wide rates even for Scottish taxpayers; National Insurance is the same across the UK.
The calculator now covers the full 2026/27 band structure for both regions, every student loan plan, the three pension contribution methods, Marriage Allowance and real tax codes. What it still cannot see:
- Benefits in kind — a company car or private medical insurance changes your tax code and your bill.
- More than one job, or a pension alongside work — in real PAYE each source is taxed under its own code.
- Pay timing — real PAYE is cumulative per pay period and National Insurance is worked out per payslip, so a bonus month can look different from this annual estimate.
- Pension limits — contributions are assumed to sit inside the £60,000 standard annual allowance and, for relief at source, to be fully relievable at your marginal rate.
- Other income and the high income child benefit charge — for salary plus dividends, savings interest or rent, use the Tax Calculator UK, which adds other income on top.
For an exact figure, check your personal tax account on gov.uk or ask an accountant. This tool is for comparison and planning.
Working backwards: from a target take-home pay to the gross salary
This calculator runs from gross to net. Running it backwards takes a short bracket, not a single formula, because the bands, the taper and the National Insurance thresholds all interact.
Pick the net pay you want, try a gross salary, run it forwards through the bands, and adjust. The worked target below is £36,000 a year of take-home pay, £3,000 a month, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, on the standard 1257L code, with no pension contribution and no student loan. A gross salary of £45,000 gives £35,919.60, £80.40 short. A gross salary of £45,110 gives £35,998.80, £1.20 short. A gross salary of £45,113 gives £36,000.96, so the gross salary for a £36,000 take-home pay is about £45,113 on those assumptions. Each extra pound of gross pay in this slice adds about 72 pence of net pay, because 20 pence goes in income tax and 8 pence in National Insurance, which is why the bracket closes quickly once it is near the target.
| Gross salary tried | Income tax | National Insurance | Take-home pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| £45,000 | £6,486.00 | £2,594.40 | £35,919.60 |
| £45,110 | £6,508.00 | £2,603.20 | £35,998.80 |
| £45,113 | £6,508.60 | £2,603.44 | £36,000.96 |
Salary sacrifice in numbers shows why the method of a pension contribution matters as much as its size. On a £50,000 salary, a 5% pension contribution of £2,500, on the standard code in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with no student loan, gives three different totals depending on the method, because salary sacrifice cuts National Insurance and student loan as well as tax, while the other two methods cut tax only at this income level.
| Method, £2,500 pension contribution | Cash take-home pay | Pension pot | Cash plus pot |
|---|---|---|---|
| No pension contribution | £39,519.60 | £0.00 | £39,519.60 |
| Salary sacrifice | £37,719.60 | £2,500.00 | £40,219.60 |
| Net pay arrangement | £37,519.60 | £2,500.00 | £40,019.60 |
| Relief at source, £2,000 from pay grossed up to £2,500 | £37,519.60 | £2,500.00 | £40,019.60 |
Salary sacrifice saves £500 of income tax and £200 of National Insurance against no contribution, £700 in total, while the other two methods save £500 of income tax only, because all of this income sits inside the basic-rate band and the basic-rate band extension in relief at source changes nothing at this level. At higher incomes the band extension starts to matter, and salary sacrifice also cuts the student loan basis, which this example excludes. None of this is financial advice: salary sacrifice also lowers the pay basis used for statutory payments and for borrowing, so the £200 National Insurance saving is not free money in every sense, and contributions are assumed to sit inside the annual allowance.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about UK take-home pay in 2026/27.
How does this UK salary calculator work?
Enter your gross annual salary, your tax region and your tax code. The calculator applies the official 2026/27 income tax bands — 20%, 40% and 45% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Scotland’s six bands from 19% to 48% — plus National Insurance at 8% and 2%, then subtracts any pension contribution and student loan repayment you add in Advanced options to show your take-home pay per year, month, week, 4 weeks and working day.
What is the personal allowance in 2026/27?
£12,570 — the amount most people can earn before paying income tax. It is set by your tax code (1257L is the standard code). Above £100,000 of income the allowance falls by £1 for every £2 extra, reaching zero at £125,140, which is why the effective tax rate in that slice is so high.
How much tax do I pay on a £60,000 salary?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland with the standard 1257L code: income tax of £11,432.00 (20% of the £37,700 basic-rate slice plus 40% of the £9,730 above £50,270) and National Insurance of £3,210.60, leaving take-home pay of £45,357.40 a year — £3,779.78 a month. In Scotland the same salary pays £13,182.05 of income tax, because the 42% higher rate starts at £43,663.
What are the Scottish income tax rates for 2026/27?
Scotland has six bands on earnings for 2026/27: starter 19% from £12,571 to £16,537, basic 20% to £29,526, intermediate 21% to £43,662, higher 42% to £75,000, advanced 45% to £125,140, and top 48% above £125,140 (gross income, assuming the full personal allowance). Choose Scotland as your tax region and the calculator uses these bands.
How is National Insurance worked out?
Employees pay 8% on earnings between the primary threshold (£12,570 a year) and the upper earnings limit (£50,270), then 2% on everything above. Nothing is due below £12,570. Employers separately pay 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year — the results show that employer cost too.
How do pension contributions change my take-home pay?
It depends on the method, so pick yours in Advanced options. Salary sacrifice reduces your salary before tax, National Insurance and student loan are worked out, so it saves all three. A net pay arrangement reduces only your taxable pay. Relief at source (a personal pension or SIPP) takes the amount you enter from your net pay, grosses it up by 25% into your pot, and extends your basic-rate band so higher-rate relief arrives automatically.
How do student loan repayments work?
Repayments are a percentage of pay above a threshold for your plan, taken alongside tax: Plan 1, 9% above £26,900; Plan 2, 9% above £29,385; Plan 4, 9% above £33,795; Plan 5, 9% above £25,000. A postgraduate loan is separate — 6% above £21,000 — and can run on top of an undergraduate plan. Thresholds shown are for 2026/27.
What does my tax code mean?
The number is your tax-free allowance divided by ten: 1257L means £12,570. The letter shows how it is applied — L is the standard allowance, M means you receive Marriage Allowance, N means you transfer it. BR taxes everything at 20%, D0 at 40% and D1 at 45% (42% and 48% in Scotland), 0T gives no allowance, a K code adds untaxed income to your taxable pay, and NT means no tax is deducted. Enter the code from your payslip and the calculator uses it as issued.
What does my employer pay on top of my salary?
On top of your gross salary your employer pays employer National Insurance of 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year — £8,250 on a £60,000 salary — making the total cost of employing you £68,250 before pension contributions and other costs. Eligible employers can claim the £10,500 Employment Allowance against that bill, which this calculator does not deduct.
Is this the official HMRC calculation?
It uses the official 2026/27 rates and thresholds published by HMRC and the Scottish Government, and for a single employment income it matches the annual figures PAYE produces. It is still an estimate: real PAYE is cumulative per pay period, and benefits in kind, multiple jobs and the high income child benefit charge are not modeled. Check your personal tax account on gov.uk for your exact position.
How do I work out the gross salary for a target take-home pay?
Use a bracket: try a gross salary, run it forwards through the bands, and adjust until the net pay lands on the target. For a target of £36,000 a year in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on the standard 1257L code, with no pension contribution and no student loan, the gross salary is about £45,113: £45,000 gives £35,919.60 and £45,110 gives £35,998.80. A pension contribution or a student loan repayment means a higher gross salary is needed for the same take-home pay. This calculator runs from gross to net, so repeat the try-and-adjust steps with your own settings.
Does salary sacrifice always leave me better off than the other pension methods?
On the worked numbers, yes by £200: on a £50,000 salary with a £2,500 contribution, salary sacrifice gives cash plus pot of £40,219.60, against £40,019.60 for both the net pay arrangement and relief at source, because sacrifice saves £200 of National Insurance as well as £500 of income tax at this basic-rate level, and it also cuts the student loan basis. The other two methods give the same total here because all of the income sits inside the basic-rate band. At higher incomes the relief-at-source band extension starts to matter, and salary sacrifice lowers the pay basis used for statutory payments and borrowing, so check the full position before choosing. This is not financial advice.
Related guides
Worked take-home pay, net-to-gross, and salary sacrifice, in pounds.
Related calculators
More ways to plan pay and taxes.
Disclaimer
This calculator provides estimates for information only, using the official 2026/27 rates and thresholds published by HMRC and, for Scotland, the Scottish Government (tax year 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027). It is not tax or financial advice. It models one employment income with the options you select; benefits in kind, multiple jobs, the high income child benefit charge and per-pay-period PAYE timing are not modeled. All amounts are shown in pounds sterling. Consult a qualified tax professional for decisions about your pay.