Did the April 2026 budget leave you better or worse off? Enter one salary and run it against any two tax years from 2022/23 to 2026/27. Income tax, National Insurance and student loan are calculated under each year's actual rules — frozen thresholds, NI rate changes, Scottish band moves — with the difference itemised line by line.
5 min read·Updated 17 July 2026·🇬🇧 UK
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How it works
What actually changes between tax years
Budgets rarely move the headline rates — the action is in thresholds and side-systems. Between the five years this tool covers, the big shifts were: employee National Insurance falling from its 13.25% peak (2022/23) to 8% (April 2024 onwards); the additional-rate threshold dropping from £150,000 to £125,140 (April 2023); Scotland introducing the 45% Advanced band (April 2024); employer NI jumping to 15% with a £5,000 threshold (April 2025); and student loan thresholds creeping up each year while the personal allowance stays frozen at £12,570.
Worked example: £35,000, 2025/26 vs 2026/27
With headline rates and the allowance frozen, income tax and NI are identical in both years — £4,486 and £1,794.40. The visible difference for a Plan 2 borrower is the student loan threshold, which rose from £28,470 to £29,385: repayments drop from £588 to £505, leaving 2026/27 about £82 a year better. Small — but run the same test against 2022/23 and the NI cuts alone are worth around £1,100.
Comparing years isolates rule changes. To compare two different salaries — a pay rise, a job offer — use compare two salaries instead, or get the full current-year breakdown in the take-home pay calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changed in the April 2026 budget for my payslip?
The headline income tax bands and the personal allowance stayed frozen at 2025/26 levels, so most changes to take-home come from student loan threshold uprating (Plan 1 rose to £26,900, Plan 2 to £29,385, Plan 4 to £33,795), Scottish band adjustments and National Minimum Wage increases. Run your own salary through the comparison to see the pounds-and-pence effect.
Why does a frozen personal allowance still cost me money?
Freezing thresholds while wages rise is a stealth tax: each pay rise pushes more of your income above the frozen £12,570 allowance and £50,270 higher-rate threshold. Comparing the same salary across years shows the rules alone; comparing your old salary in the old year with your new salary in the new year shows the real fiscal drag.
How much did the NI cuts change take-home pay?
Employee NI fell from 12% (early 2023/24) to 10% and then 8% from April 2024, where it remains for 2026/27. Against 2022/23 (13.25% at its peak), someone on £35,000 keeps roughly £1,000 a year more in NI alone — select 2022/23 as your comparison year to see it.
Are Scottish tax years compared too?
Yes — toggle Scottish taxpayer and both years use the Scottish band structure in force for that year, including the Advanced band introduced in 2024/25 and the band-boundary uprating in later years.
Which years can I compare?
Any two of the five years from 2022/23 through 2026/27, in either order. The difference column always shows the second year minus the first, so green means the later configuration leaves you better off.
Does the comparison include student loans and pensions?
Yes. Student loan thresholds move most years, which changes repayments even when tax is static — a Plan 2 borrower on £40,000 repays £82 a year less in 2026/27 than in 2025/26 purely from threshold uprating. Pension contributions are applied identically in both years so the tax-rule differences stay isolated.
Disclaimer: Figures are estimates based on the rates and rules in force for each selected year. Verify with HMRC or consult a qualified accountant before making financial decisions based on these figures.