UK take-home pay calculator for the 2026/27 tax year
This take-home pay calculator for the UK works out what you keep from your salary after income tax, National Insurance, student loan repayments and pension contributions for the tax year 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. Enter your gross pay as a yearly salary, a monthly or weekly wage or an hourly rate, choose where you live and add your tax code, and you get your take-home pay a year, a month and a week, with every deduction listed.
It covers the parts that most often make a payslip look “wrong”: the Scottish income tax bands, the Personal Allowance taper over £100,000 (the so-called 60% trap), tax codes such as BR, D0, 0T, NT and K codes, more than one student loan plan, and the three ways a workplace pension can be taken from pay. It also turns a salary into an hourly rate, before and after deductions.
Rates come from the GOV.UK pages listed under the calculator (checked October 2026). It runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere. Results are estimates, not tax or financial advice.
How to use the UK Take-Home Pay Calculator
- Type your gross pay and choose whether it is a year, a month, a week or an hour; set your hours a week.
- Choose where you live — England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland — and enter the tax code from your payslip (1257L if you are not sure).
- Enter your pension contribution, the scheme type (ask HR if unsure) and whether it is a share of qualifying earnings or your whole salary.
- Tick any student loan plans and the postgraduate loan, and pick the NI option if you are over State Pension age.
- Read the monthly take-home pay, the year/month/week table, the tax bands used and the notes, then copy the breakdown if you need it.
UK Take-Home Pay Calculator features
Scotland and the rest of the UK
Six Scottish bands (19% to 48%) or the 20/40/45% bands, chosen by where you live or by an S prefix on your code.
Tax codes, not just salaries
Numbered L/M/N/T codes, 0T, BR, D0, D1, Scottish SD0–SD3, NT, K codes with the 50% limit, and emergency W1/M1/X codes.
The £100,000 taper
Your allowance falls by £1 for every £2 of adjusted net income over £100,000, and pension contributions are taken into account.
Pensions three ways
Relief at source (you pay 80%), net pay (before tax) and salary sacrifice (before tax and NI), with the extra relief higher earners can claim.
Student loans
Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5 and the postgraduate loan, including the lowest-threshold rule when you have more than one plan.
Salary to hourly rate
Gross and net pay per hour from your hours a week, plus your marginal rate on the next £100.
How UK take-home pay is calculated
Income tax: the first £12,570 is your Personal Allowance. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the next £37,700 of taxable income is taxed at 20%, income up to £125,140 at 40% and anything above at 45%. Scottish taxpayers pay 19% on the first £3,967 above the allowance, then 20%, 21%, 42%, 45% and 48%. National Insurance (category A) is 8% of pay between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above that. Student loans take 9% of pay above your plan’s threshold, and the postgraduate loan 6% above £21,000.
Worked example: £35,000 a year in England with code 1257L and a 5% pension on qualifying earnings by relief at source. The pension is 5% of £28,760 = £1,438, of which you pay £1,150.40. Income tax is 20% of £22,430 = £4,486 and NI 8% of £22,430 = £1,794.40. Take-home pay is £27,569.20 a year, or £2,297.43 a month.
2026/27 rates and thresholds used
| Item | 2026/27 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Allowance | £12,570 | Reduced by £1 per £2 over £100,000; nil from £125,140 |
| Basic / higher / additional | 20% / 40% / 45% | Bands: £37,700 then up to £125,140 taxable |
| Scottish bands | 19 / 20 / 21 / 42 / 45 / 48% | Taxable pay to £3,967 / £16,956 / £31,092 / £62,430 / £125,140 |
| Employee NI (A) | 8% · 2% | £12,570 – £50,270 · above £50,270 |
| Employer NI | 15% | Above £5,000 a year |
| Student loans (9%) | Plan 1 £26,900 · Plan 2 £29,385 | Plan 4 £33,795 · Plan 5 £25,000 |
| Postgraduate loan (6%) | £21,000 | Taken as well as any other plan |
| Qualifying earnings | £6,240 – £50,270 | Automatic-enrolment band |
Pension types and the 60% trap
With relief at source you pay from your take-home pay and the provider adds basic-rate relief, so a £100 contribution costs you £80; higher-rate taxpayers claim the rest through Self Assessment. A net pay arrangement takes the contribution before tax, giving relief at your top rate. Salary sacrifice swaps salary for an employer contribution, so it saves National Insurance as well.
Between £100,000 and £125,140 the falling allowance means each extra £1 of salary costs about 60p in tax plus 2p NI. Raising pension contributions by salary sacrifice or net pay lowers adjusted net income and can restore the allowance — try it above. For other salaries and countries see the salary hike calculator and the cost of living calculator; employers can use the payroll calculator.
UK Take-Home Pay Calculator FAQ
How much is £35,000 after tax in the UK?
About £28,720 a year (£2,393 a month) in England with code 1257L and no pension or student loan in 2026/27. With a 5% pension on qualifying earnings it is about £2,297 a month. This take-home pay calculator shows your own figures.
Is the take-home pay calculator different for Scotland?
Yes. Scotland has six income tax bands: on 1257L you pay up to about £40 a year less than in England below roughly £33,500, and more above it. NI and student loans are the same across the UK.
What does tax code 1257L mean?
You get the standard £12,570 tax-free Personal Allowance. BR means everything is taxed at 20%, D0 at 40%, 0T means no allowance, NT means no tax, and a K code adds untaxed income to your pay.
How do I convert a salary to an hourly rate in the UK?
Divide the yearly salary by 52 weeks and by your hours a week. £35,000 at 37.5 hours is £17.95 an hour before deductions; the calculator also shows the hourly rate after tax.
Why is my payslip slightly different?
Payroll works per pay period with rounding, and your code may include benefits or underpaid tax from earlier years. Bonuses and varying overtime also change it.
Is this tax advice?
No. It is an estimate from published HMRC rates for 2026/27. Check your payslip, tax code notice or HMRC guidance.