What's your real take-home pay?
Last updated 4 August 2026
Enter your salary and see exactly what lands in your account after Income Tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension — for the year, month, week and day.
How UK take-home pay is calculated
Your take-home pay is what's left of your salary once the compulsory deductions come out. For 2026/27, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, four things are taken from most salaries:
Income Tax
The first £12,570 you earn is your tax-free Personal Allowance. After that you pay 20% up to £50,270, 40% up to £125,140, and 45% above that. If you earn over £100,000 the Personal Allowance is reduced by £1 for every £2 of income, disappearing entirely at £125,140. (Rates: GOV.UK, 2026/27.)
National Insurance
Employees pay Class 1 National Insurance at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% on anything above £50,270. (GOV.UK, 2026/27.)
Student loan
If you're repaying a student loan, you pay 9% of income above your plan's threshold — or 6% on a Postgraduate Loan. Each plan has its own threshold, which changes each tax year.
Pension
A workplace pension contribution is taken from your pay before Income Tax, so it lowers your tax bill — but National Insurance is still charged on your full salary. Money going into your pension is still yours; it's just saved rather than spent.
Common questions
Which tax year does this use?
It defaults to 2026/27 and you can switch to 2025/26. Income Tax and National Insurance rates are the same across both years; the student-loan thresholds differ.
Is this the same as my payslip?
It will be very close. Real payslips calculate tax per pay period with small rounding, and can include extras like a non-standard tax code, salary sacrifice or benefits that this simple version doesn't model yet.
How much National Insurance will I pay?
8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% on earnings above £50,270 for 2026/27.
Does it cover Scotland?
Yes — Scotland has its own take-home pay calculator. Scotland sets its own income tax bands (six, rather than three), so a Scottish salary works out differently. National Insurance and student loans are the same wherever you live in the UK. This page covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Where do the figures come from?
Every rate and threshold is taken from GOV.UK for the selected tax year, and the full list of sources is at the foot of this page with the date they were last checked. Results are estimates and not financial advice.