A job offer, a promotion, a counter-offer — headline salaries don't tell you what changes in your bank account. Put two salaries side by side with their own pension settings and see the take-home, tax, NI and student loan for each, plus a difference column that shows exactly what the move is worth per month.
5 min read·Updated 17 July 2026·🇬🇧 UK
Calculator
The Two Salaries
£
£
Scottish taxpayer
Pension — Salary A
None
Sacrifice
Relief
Pension — Salary B
None
Sacrifice
Relief
Student loan (both)
Side-by-side comparison
Monthly position compared
Your result
Enter both salaries above to see your personalised result.
How it works
Comparing salaries the honest way
Both salaries are run through the identical 2026/27 PAYE calculation — same tax code, same student loan plans, but each with its own pension arrangement, because schemes differ between employers and that difference is often worth thousands. The difference column is simply B minus A on every line, so you can see not just the take-home change but where it comes from: how much of the rise the higher tax band absorbs, what the student loan takes, what your pension keeps.
Worked example: £35,000 → £40,000 with Plan 2
The £5,000 rise sits entirely in the basic-rate band: tax up £1,000, NI up £400, Plan 2 repayments up £450. Net gain: £3,150 a year — £262.50 a month, a 63% keep-rate. The same £5,000 rise from £48,000 to £53,000 keeps only about £2,600 because £2,730 of it is taxed at 40%. That asymmetry is why comparing at your actual salary matters more than any rule of thumb.
If the new role changes your hours too, the pro-rata calculator normalises them first; if it's a second job rather than a replacement, use the two jobs calculator — the tax mechanics are different.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of a £5,000 pay rise do I actually keep?
It depends where the rise lands in the bands. Entirely within the basic-rate band you keep 72% (£3,600) after 20% tax and 8% NI. If it crosses £50,270 the portion above is kept at 58%; add a Plan 2 student loan and that drops to 49%. Enter both salaries to see your exact keep-rate.
Should I compare salaries before or after pension contributions?
Set each salary's own pension arrangement in the calculator — different employers often have very different schemes, and a 3% employer contribution against 8% can be worth more than a few thousand pounds of headline salary. The comparison shows take-home; weigh the employer pension separately as deferred pay.
Why is my percentage pay rise bigger than my take-home rise?
Progressive tax means each extra pound is taxed at your highest rate, so a 10% gross rise typically becomes a 7–8% net rise for a basic-rate payer and less if you cross into higher rate. The difference column in this calculator shows the exact monthly cash change, which is the honest number for budgeting.
Can I compare a Scottish salary against an English one?
The Scottish toggle applies to you as a taxpayer, not to the job — your residence determines which bands you pay, wherever the employer is. If you are moving between Scotland and the rest of the UK, run the comparison twice, once with the toggle on and once off, to see both regimes.
What about benefits like a car allowance or private medical?
Cash allowances are simply salary — add them to the gross figure. Benefits in kind (company car, medical insurance) raise your tax without raising cash pay; as a quick approximation add the P11D value to the gross of that job and subtract the notional amount from its take-home.
Is a higher salary always worth more than better benefits?
Not necessarily. After crossing £50,270, marginal deductions of 42–51% shrink each headline pound, while an extra 5% employer pension arrives untaxed into your pot. Comparing net take-home with this tool is step one; valuing pension, holiday and flexibility differences is the judgement call on top.
Disclaimer: Figures are estimates based on current rates and rules. Tax legislation may change. Verify with HMRC or consult a qualified accountant before making financial decisions based on these figures.