How is my take-home pay calculated?

Your take-home pay is your gross salary minus Income Tax, National Insurance, student loan repayments, and pension contributions. The calculator uses HMRC published rates for the 2025/26 tax year and applies the correct tax bands, personal allowance (£12,570), and NI thresholds automatically.

What tax code should I use?

Most employees have tax code 1257L, which gives the standard Personal Allowance of £12,570. You can find your tax code on your payslip, P45, P60, or HMRC online account. If you enter a tax code in the advanced settings, the calculator will adjust your Personal Allowance accordingly.

Which student loan plan am I on?

Plan 1: courses starting before September 2012 (England/Wales) or any time in Scotland/Northern Ireland. Plan 2: courses starting September 2012 onwards (England/Wales). Plan 4: Scotland only. Plan 5: courses starting August 2023 onwards (England/Wales). Postgraduate: Master's or Doctoral loans.

What's the difference between salary sacrifice and relief at source?

Salary sacrifice: your employer deducts pension before calculating tax and NI, so you save on both. Relief at source: pension is deducted from your net pay, and your provider claims basic rate tax relief (20%) from HMRC. Net pay: deducted before tax but after NI. Salary sacrifice typically saves you the most.

Why does my take-home drop sharply between £100k and £125k?

For every £2 you earn over £100,000, you lose £1 of your Personal Allowance. This creates an effective marginal tax rate of 60% in the £100,000–£125,140 range. The calculator's raise insight feature warns you when you're in this zone.

How accurate is this calculator?

The calculator uses the official HMRC rates and thresholds for the 2025/26 tax year. It provides accurate estimates for employed (PAYE) workers but does not account for benefits in kind, multiple employments, or self-employed income. Always verify with HMRC or a qualified tax adviser.

Does this calculator work for self-employed income?

No, this calculator is designed for employed (PAYE) workers. Self-employed individuals pay Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance at different rates, and tax is collected through Self Assessment rather than PAYE. HMRC provides a separate self-employed tax calculator.

How is employer NI calculated?

For 2025/26, employers pay 15% National Insurance on earnings above the secondary threshold of £5,000 per year. There is no upper limit — employer NI applies to all earnings above the threshold. You can view the employer cost by clicking 'Show employer cost' on your payslip.

UK Salary Tables 2025/26

Pre-computed take-home pay for common UK salaries. No pension or student loan deductions, just Income Tax and National Insurance for employed (PAYE) workers.

Personal Allowance

£12,570

0% tax

Basic Rate

£12,571–£50,270

20% tax

Higher Rate

£50,271–£125,140

40% tax

Additional Rate

Over £125,140

45% tax

Gross Salary	Income Tax	NI	Take-Home	Monthly	Effective Rate	Marginal Rate
£10,000	£0	£0	£10,000	£833	0.0%	0.0%
£12,570 Personal Allowance limit	£0	£0	£12,570	£1,048	0.0%	0.2%
£15,000	£486	£194	£14,320	£1,193	4.5%	0.3%
£18,000	£1,086	£434	£16,480	£1,373	8.4%	0.3%
£20,000	£1,486	£594	£17,920	£1,493	10.4%	0.3%
£22,000	£1,886	£754	£19,360	£1,613	12.0%	0.3%
£24,000	£2,286	£914	£20,800	£1,733	13.3%	0.3%
£25,000	£2,486	£994	£21,520	£1,793	13.9%	0.3%
£26,000	£2,686	£1,074	£22,240	£1,853	14.5%	0.3%
£28,000	£3,086	£1,234	£23,680	£1,973	15.4%	0.3%
£30,000	£3,486	£1,394	£25,120	£2,093	16.3%	0.3%
£32,000	£3,886	£1,554	£26,560	£2,213	17.0%	0.3%
£34,000	£4,286	£1,714	£28,000	£2,333	17.6%	0.3%
£35,000	£4,486	£1,794	£28,720	£2,393	17.9%	0.3%
£36,000	£4,686	£1,874	£29,440	£2,453	18.2%	0.3%
£38,000	£5,086	£2,034	£30,880	£2,573	18.7%	0.3%
£40,000	£5,486	£2,194	£32,320	£2,693	19.2%	0.3%
£42,000	£5,886	£2,354	£33,760	£2,813	19.6%	0.3%
£44,000	£6,286	£2,514	£35,200	£2,933	20.0%	0.3%
£45,000	£6,486	£2,594	£35,920	£2,993	20.2%	0.3%
£46,000	£6,686	£2,674	£36,640	£3,053	20.3%	0.3%
£48,000	£7,086	£2,834	£38,080	£3,173	20.7%	0.3%
£50,000	£7,486	£2,994	£39,520	£3,293	21.0%	0.3%
£50,270 Higher rate threshold	£7,540	£3,016	£39,714	£3,310	21.0%	0.3%
£52,000	£8,232	£3,051	£40,717	£3,393	21.7%	0.4%
£55,000	£9,432	£3,111	£42,457	£3,538	22.8%	0.4%
£58,000	£10,632	£3,171	£44,197	£3,683	23.8%	0.4%
£60,000	£11,432	£3,211	£45,357	£3,780	24.4%	0.4%
£65,000	£13,432	£3,311	£48,257	£4,021	25.8%	0.4%
£70,000	£15,432	£3,411	£51,157	£4,263	26.9%	0.4%
£75,000	£17,432	£3,511	£54,057	£4,505	27.9%	0.4%
£80,000	£19,432	£3,611	£56,957	£4,746	28.8%	0.4%
£85,000	£21,432	£3,711	£59,857	£4,988	29.6%	0.4%
£90,000	£23,432	£3,811	£62,757	£5,230	30.3%	0.4%
£95,000	£25,432	£3,911	£65,657	£5,471	30.9%	0.4%
£100,000 £100k PA taper starts	£27,432	£4,011	£68,557	£5,713	31.4%	0.4%
£105,000	£30,432	£4,111	£70,457	£5,871	32.9%	0.6%
£110,000	£33,432	£4,211	£72,357	£6,030	34.2%	0.6%
£115,000	£36,432	£4,311	£74,257	£6,188	35.4%	0.6%
£120,000	£39,432	£4,411	£76,157	£6,346	36.5%	0.6%
£125,140 PA fully tapered	£42,516	£4,513	£78,111	£6,509	37.6%	0.4%
£130,000	£44,703	£4,611	£80,686	£6,724	37.9%	0.5%
£140,000	£49,203	£4,811	£85,986	£7,166	38.6%	0.5%
£150,000	£53,703	£5,011	£91,286	£7,607	39.1%	0.5%
£160,000	£58,203	£5,211	£96,586	£8,049	39.6%	0.5%
£175,000	£64,953	£5,511	£104,536	£8,711	40.3%	0.5%
£200,000	£76,203	£6,011	£117,786	£9,816	41.1%	0.5%

All figures use 2025/26 HMRC rates for England, Wales & Northern Ireland. No pension contributions or student loan repayments are included. Scottish taxpayers pay different Income Tax rates. Use the calculator for a personalised breakdown.

The "marginal rate" column shows the combined Income Tax + NI rate on the next pound earned. Note the effective 62% marginal rate between £100,000 and £125,140 due to the Personal Allowance taper.

Want a personalised breakdown?

Add pension, student loans, Scottish tax, custom tax codes, and more.

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UK Tax Guide 2025/26 Chrome Extension