UK take-home pay calculator (2026/27)
From gross salary to take-home pay, or back: Income Tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension, using HMRC's official 2026/27 rates. Free, no sign-up, calculated in your browser.
How is UK take-home pay calculated?
Your employer deducts Income Tax through PAYE, National Insurance, any student loan repayment and your pension contribution before paying you.
- Income Tax: £12,570 Personal Allowance, reduced by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000 (nil at £125,140). England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 20% on the next £37,700, 40% up to £125,140, 45% above. Scotland: 19%, 20%, 21%, 42%, 45% and 48%.
- National Insurance (category A): 8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above. Employers pay 15% above £5,000 a year.
- Student loans: 9% above the threshold (Plan 1: £26,900, Plan 2: £29,385, Plan 4: £33,795, Plan 5: £25,000), 6% above £21,000 for the Postgraduate Loan.
- Pension: with relief at source, it is taken from net pay and HMRC adds 20%; with a net pay arrangement, it is deducted before tax; with salary sacrifice, it also reduces National Insurance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the take-home pay on £35,000?
In England, with no pension or student loan: £4,486 Income Tax and £1,794 National Insurance, so about £28,720 a year (£2,393 a month).
Why is Scotland different?
The Scottish Parliament sets its own income tax rates; National Insurance and the Personal Allowance are the same across the UK.
Does it use my tax code?
It uses the standard 1257L code. If your code is different (benefits in kind, underpayments), your actual pay may differ.
Source: gov.uk, Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027.
How to use it
- Enter your gross salary per year, month, week or hour (with hours per week), or start from the take-home pay you want: the tool works out the matching gross.
- Choose where you pay tax: England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Scotland.
- Add your pension: employee and employer percentages and the scheme type (relief at source, net pay or salary sacrifice).
- Set your student loan (Plan 1, 2, 4 or 5) and any Postgraduate Loan.
- Read the breakdown: every deduction per year, monthly and weekly take-home pay, the share of gross you keep and the total cost to your employer.
Comparing two job offers
A gross pay rise never fully reaches your take-home pay. Between £12,570 and £50,270, every extra pound is taxed at 28% (20% Income Tax plus 8% National Insurance), and at 37% with a Plan 2 student loan. Above £50,270 the marginal rate becomes 42%. Compare pensions too: an 8% employer contribution instead of 3% is worth thousands of pounds a year on an average salary.
The £100,000 trap
Between £100,000 and £125,140, your Personal Allowance falls by £1 for every £2 earned. Each extra pound therefore costs 40% tax plus 20% of lost allowance, plus 2% National Insurance: an effective marginal rate of 62%. A salary sacrifice pension contribution that brings income back under £100,000 is often the best-value move in this band; try different percentages in the tool.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring your tax code: a code other than 1257L (benefits in kind, underpayment from a previous year) changes your real take-home pay. Check it on your payslip.
- Panicking over the first payslip: an emergency tax code can reduce your first net pay; overpaid tax is refunded later.
- Comparing with a Scottish salary without switching location: above roughly £30,000, Scottish Income Tax is higher.
To compare with other countries, see the calculators for France, the United States, Canada and Australia.
Guide written and checked by Erwan Hautot · updated 29 October 2026.