Take-Home Pay Calculator UK 2026-27
The number that actually lands in your bank account.
Work out your 2026-27 take-home pay after income tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension — with all five loan plans at the new April 2026 thresholds, the £100,000 taper trap, and Scottish bands built in.
Rest-of-UK bands, no pension or loan unless stated. 2026-27 rates, checked July 2026.
From gross salary to bank account
Four deductions
Your payslip subtracts income tax (via your PAYE code), National Insurance, any student loan, and your pension. On £35,000 with a 5% net-pay pension: pension £1,750, income tax £4,136, NI £1,794 — take-home £27,320, about £2,277 a month.
Why your number may differ
Tax codes carrying benefits-in-kind or owed tax, bonuses taxed at marginal rate in the month paid, and mid-year job changes all shift the payslip figure. This calculator shows the steady-state annual picture.
The rates behind the calculation
| Band (rest of UK) | Income tax | Employee NI |
|---|---|---|
| £0 – £12,570 | 0% | 0% |
| £12,570 – £50,270 | 20% | 8% |
| £50,270 – £100,000 | 40% | 2% |
| £100,000 – £125,140 | 40% + allowance taper (~60%) | 2% |
| £125,140+ | 45% | 2% |
All thresholds remain frozen — each pay rise drags more income into higher bands (fiscal drag). Scottish taxpayers use six income-tax bands from 19% to 48%; NI is UK-wide.
Thresholds that changed in April 2026
| Plan | Threshold 2026-27 | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 (pre-2012) | £26,900 | 9% |
| Plan 2 (2012–2023, England/Wales) | £29,385 | 9% |
| Plan 4 (Scotland) | £33,795 | 9% |
| Plan 5 (England, 2023+) | £25,000 | 9% |
| Postgraduate | £21,000 | 6% |
April 2026 is a milestone: the first Plan 5 borrowers began repaying — 9% above a lower £25,000 threshold, over a 40-year term. Plan 2's threshold rose to £29,385 and is then frozen for three years. Repayments only apply to income above the threshold: £35,000 on Plan 2 repays £505 a year, not 9% of everything.
Why £100k–£125k is the worst-taxed income in Britain
Above £100,000, the personal allowance shrinks £1 for every £2 of income, vanishing at £125,140. Each £1 in the zone suffers 40p tax + 20p allowance clawback + 2p NI — about 62% marginal. Parents also lose tax-free childcare and the 15/30 free hours at £100k, which can make the true marginal rate exceed 100%.
The fix is mechanical: pension contributions reduce taxable income, and a contribution that brings you back to £100,000 earns roughly 60% effective relief. At £110,000, sacrificing £10,000 into your pension costs only about £4,800 of take-home.
Salary sacrifice vs net pay vs relief at source
Salary sacrifice reduces your contractual pay, saving income tax and 8% NI — £1 into the pension costs a basic-rate earner just 72p of take-home. Net pay deducts before tax (full tax relief, no NI saving). Relief at source takes contributions after tax and the provider reclaims basic-rate relief — higher-rate earners must claim the extra through self assessment.
Ask payroll which your scheme uses; the difference on £2,000 a year of contributions is up to £160 in NI alone.
❓ Frequently asked Frequently asked questions
What is the take-home pay on £30,000?
£25,120 a year — about £2,093 a month — after £3,486 income tax and £1,394 National Insurance (2026-27, rest of UK, no loan or pension).
What are the student loan thresholds for 2026-27?
Plan 1 £26,900, Plan 2 £29,385, Plan 4 £33,795, Plan 5 £25,000, Postgraduate £21,000 — repaying 9% (6% postgraduate) of income above the threshold. Plan 5's first repayments started in April 2026.
What is the £100,000 tax trap?
Between £100,000 and £125,140 the personal allowance tapers away, producing a ~62% effective marginal rate. Pension contributions restoring taxable income to £100,000 recover the allowance.
How does salary sacrifice change my take-home?
It reduces both tax and NI: at basic rate, £1 into the pension costs 72p of take-home; at higher rate, 58p. Net-pay schemes save the tax but not the NI.
Does this work for Scotland?
Yes — the Scottish option applies Scotland's six-band income tax (19% starter to 48% top). NI and student loans are UK-wide.
Why is my payslip different from this estimate?
Tax codes (benefits-in-kind, owed tax), bonuses taxed in the month paid, and mid-year changes all move individual payslips. This shows the steady-state annual position at 2026-27 rates.
Where these figures come from
All rates and thresholds come from HMRC, GOV.UK and the Student Loans Company — the sources of record.
- Income tax rates and personal allowance — GOV.UK — Income Tax rates.
- National Insurance rates — GOV.UK — National Insurance.
- Student loan repayment — GOV.UK — Repaying your student loan.
- Scottish income tax — gov.scot — Scottish Income Tax.
- Workplace pensions — GOV.UK — Workplace pensions.
Last checked: July 2026. Student loan thresholds are the confirmed April 2026 values; Scottish bands mirror our UK income tax calculator.
Select the question that matches where you are right now.
Your result is your realistic yearly, monthly and weekly cash after every payroll deduction at 2026-27 rates — the number to budget on.
Use the monthly figure for rent, mortgage-affordability and budgeting decisions. Comparing job offers? Compare take-homes, not salaries — loans and pensions shift the ranking.
Not a payslip replica — tax codes, benefits-in-kind and month-by-month bonus taxation vary. It's the steady-state annual position.
2026-27 HMRC rates and confirmed loan thresholds, checked July 2026. All calculations run in your browser.
Three cliff-edges decide how much of a rise you actually keep.
The 40% band. Above it you keep 58p per £1 (and the child benefit charge phases £60k–£80k for parents).
The taper. ~62% marginal to £125,140, plus loss of childcare support — the strongest case for pension contributions anywhere in the system.
With the personal allowance and bands frozen, inflation-level pay rises are quietly taxed at your marginal rate — "fiscal drag" is the biggest stealth tax of the decade.
Take-home responds to structure, not just salary.
If your employer offers it, sacrifice beats net-pay by the 8% NI saving — and some employers add their NI saving too.
Millions are on wrong codes. A stray code can cost £100s a year — check it against gov.uk/check-income-tax.
Near £50,270 or £100,000, one-off pension top-ups around bonus time can keep you the right side of a threshold.
Take-home connects to tax detail, pension growth and the cost side of your budget.