See exactly how much of your salary you keep after UK income tax, National Insurance, pension, and student loan repayments for 2026/27.
Based on UK 2026/27 rates (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027). Figures checked 26 August 2026.
Take-home pay (excluding pension)
Annual
£29,210
Monthly
£2,434
Weekly
£562
Hourly (40h/wk)
£14.04
Based on UK 2026/27 rates (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027). Figures checked 26 August 2026. Does not account for marriage allowance, blind person's allowance, or employer pension matching. Pension shown assumes salary sacrifice. Consult a qualified accountant for personalised advice.
The personal allowance for 2026/27 is £12,570 — income below this is free from income tax. Above £100,000, the personal allowance tapers by £1 for every £2 of income, disappearing entirely at £125,140.
Employees pay Class 1 NICs: 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 per year, and 2% above that. This is separate from income tax and is deducted from your pay before you receive it. Employers separately pay 15% above the £5,000 secondary threshold.
Scotland has its own income tax bands for 2026/27, which differ from the rest of the UK. Scottish taxpayers pay Starter Rate (19%), Basic Rate (20%), Intermediate Rate (21%), Higher Rate (42%), Advanced Rate (45%), Top Rate (48%), spread across different thresholds.
Contributions to a pension through salary sacrifice reduce your taxable income, meaning you save both income tax and National Insurance. Workplace pension auto-enrolment minimum contributions are 5% employee + 3% employer. Contributing more is one of the most tax-efficient things an employee can do.
If you earn below the personal allowance and your spouse/civil partner is a basic-rate taxpayer, you can transfer up to £1,260 of your allowance to them, saving up to £252 per year in tax. You can also backdate claims for up to 4 previous tax years.
Enter your gross annual salary to see exactly how much you take home each month, week, and hour after UK income tax and National Insurance for the 2026/27 tax year.
£30,000 salary
Approx. £24,672 take-home per year (£2,056/month)
£60,000 salary
Approx. £43,536 take-home per year (£3,628/month)
The UK PAYE (Pay As You Earn) system was introduced in 1944 as a wartime measure to ensure tax was collected efficiently from workers. It was so effective it became permanent.
UK income tax is applied in bands. For 2026/27: the first £12,570 is tax-free (personal allowance); income from £12,571 to £50,270 is taxed at 20% (basic rate); income from £50,271 to £125,140 is taxed at 40% (higher rate); income above £125,140 is taxed at 45% (additional rate). Each band only applies to the income within that range, not your total earnings.
National Insurance (NI) is a separate tax from income tax, paid by both employees and employers. For employees in 2026/27: you pay 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 per year, and 2% on earnings above £50,270. NI contributions build entitlement to the State Pension and certain benefits. Your employer separately pays 15% above the £5,000 secondary threshold; this does not come out of your pay.
Pension contributions made through salary sacrifice reduce your gross pay before tax and National Insurance are calculated, so you save both. A 5% pension contribution on a £40,000 salary reduces your taxable income to £38,000, saving you income tax and NI on £2,000. This makes pension contributions one of the most tax-efficient ways to save.
The personal allowance is the amount of income you can earn before paying income tax — £12,570 for 2026/27. This applies to everyone earning below £100,000. Above £100,000, the personal allowance tapers: for every £2 earned above £100,000, you lose £1 of allowance. At £125,140 the allowance is zero, meaning earnings in the £100,000–£125,140 band are effectively taxed at 60%.
Scotland has its own 2026/27 income tax bands, which differ from the rest of the UK. Scottish taxpayers pay Starter Rate (19%), Basic Rate (20%), Intermediate Rate (21%), Higher Rate (42%), Advanced Rate (45%), Top Rate (48%) across different thresholds. This calculator uses the standard England/Wales/Northern Ireland rates. Scottish residents will have slightly different take-home pay figures.