Find out exactly what reaches your bank account from any UK wage — enter it as an annual, monthly, weekly, daily or hourly figure. Every deduction is itemised: PAYE income tax (including Scottish bands), National Insurance, all five student loan plans, and pension contributions under salary sacrifice, net-pay or relief-at-source rules. Your inputs follow you to every other calculator in the suite.
7 min read·Updated 17 July 2026·🇬🇧 UK
Calculator
Core Income
£
Scottish taxpayer
Work Pattern
Bonus & Overtime
£
Pension
None
Sacrifice
Net Pay
Relief at Source
%
£/yr
%
£/yr
Student Loan
Benefits & Sacrifice
£
£
£
Advanced options
Your take-home pay
Where your money goes
Your result
Enter your details above to see your personalised result.
How it works
How this take-home pay calculator works
UK payroll follows a fixed sequence, and getting the order right is what separates an accurate answer from a rough one. First, any salary sacrifice (pension, childcare vouchers, cycle-to-work) comes off your gross pay — that lower figure is what both income tax and National Insurance are charged on. Next, taxable benefits from your P11D are added back for tax purposes only. Then the income tax bands apply against whatever personal allowance your tax code grants, National Insurance is worked out on its own thresholds, and student loan deductions are layered on top.
The 2026/27 numbers this page uses (all pulled from a single audited data file, not typed into the page):
Deduction
Band
Rate
Personal allowance
£0 – £12,570
0%
Income tax — basic
£12,571 – £50,270
20%
Income tax — higher
£50,271 – £125,140
40%
Income tax — additional
over £125,140
45%
Employee NI
£12,570 – £50,270
8%
Employee NI
over £50,270
2%
Employer NI
over £5,000
15%
Allowance taper
over £100,000
−£1 per £2
Worked example: £42,000 with a 5% sacrifice pension
Sacrificing 5% removes £2,100, leaving £39,900 as the taxed amount. Income tax is (£39,900 − £12,570) × 20% = £5,466. Employee NI on the same £27,330 at 8% is £2,186.40. Take-home: £42,000 − £2,100 − £5,466 − £2,186.40 = £32,247.60 a year, about £2,687 a month. Switch the pension pill to "Relief at Source" and you'll see NI rise by £168 — the cost of not sacrificing.
Start with gross pay, remove any salary sacrifice, then deduct income tax (20% basic, 40% higher, 45% additional after the £12,570 personal allowance), employee National Insurance (8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above), student loan repayments and pension contributions. What remains is your take-home pay. This calculator applies each step in the correct HMRC order automatically.
Can I enter an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly wage instead of an annual salary?
Yes. Choose the pay frequency next to the salary box and the calculator converts it to an annual figure using your hours per week and days per week, then runs the full PAYE calculation. An hourly rate of £16 at 37.5 hours a week, for example, is treated as £31,200 a year.
Which pension type saves the most tax?
Salary sacrifice is normally the most efficient because the contribution is removed before both income tax and National Insurance, saving a basic-rate taxpayer 28p per £1 contributed. Net-pay scheme contributions save income tax only, and relief-at-source contributions are taken from net pay with the provider reclaiming basic-rate relief from HMRC.
What is a K tax code and how does it change my result?
A K code means untaxed income (such as company benefits or tax owed) exceeds your personal allowance. The number after the K is multiplied by ten and added to your taxable income instead of being deducted from it. PAYE rules cap the tax collected through a K code at 50% of your pay, which this calculator enforces.
How does the Scottish taxpayer toggle change the calculation?
Scotland sets its own income tax bands — six of them for 2026/27: Starter 19%, Basic 20%, Intermediate 21%, Higher 42%, Advanced 45% and Top 48%. Switching the toggle (or using an S-prefix tax code such as S1257L) applies those bands instead of the three rUK bands. National Insurance is unchanged because it is not devolved.
Why does the calculator show an employer cost figure?
Employing you costs more than your gross salary. For 2026/27 employers pay 15% National Insurance on your pay above £5,000, plus any employer pension contribution. The employer cost row adds these together — useful when comparing employment with day-rate contracting or negotiating total-compensation packages.
How are multiple student loan plans handled?
Each plan is calculated independently on income above its own threshold and the repayments stack. For 2026/27, Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5 each take 9% above thresholds of £26,900, £29,385, £33,795 and £25,000 respectively, while postgraduate loans take 6% above £21,000. Tick every plan you actually hold.
Is a bonus taxed at a higher rate than salary?
No special bonus rate exists — a bonus is simply added to your income for the year and taxed at your marginal rate. It can feel heavily taxed because it sits on top of your salary, so more of it falls into your highest band. If a bonus lifts you past £100,000 it also erodes your personal allowance at £1 per £2.
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.