Take home pay calculator for the UK
Enter a salary to see your pay after income tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan, with Scottish bands and side-by-side comparisons, all worked out in your browser.
How this take home pay calculator works
This salary calculator for the UK turns a gross salary into net pay by following the same deductions as your payslip. Everything is worked out in your browser, so nothing you type is sent anywhere.
A net pay calculator like this is useful when comparing job offers, checking a pay rise or planning a budget, because the gross figure on a contract is not what lands in your bank account.
It works through four steps in turn, using the 2026/27 figures unless you pick another year:
- Pension. Your contribution comes off first. Salary sacrifice lowers the pay used for income tax, National Insurance and student loan, while a normal contribution lowers only the pay used for income tax.
- Income tax. Your tax code sets your tax-free allowance, and the rest is taxed in bands. Code 1257L means £12,570, which shrinks by £1 for every £2 of income over £100,000.
- National Insurance. Employees pay 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above that, unless they are over State Pension age.
- Student loan. You repay 9% of pay above your plan threshold, or 6% above £21,000 for a postgraduate loan.
Choose Scotland to use the Scottish bands, which have six rates from 19% to 48% instead of three. You can also compare two salaries or two tax years side by side.
Daily and hourly pay divide the annual figure by 52 weeks, then by your days and hours per week. National Insurance and student loan are worked out on annual pay here, while payroll applies them each pay period, so your payslip may differ by a few pounds.
The thresholds come from gov.uk rates and thresholds pages for each tax year. Results are estimates only, so check them against your payslip or HMRC before making decisions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the personal allowance for 2026/27?
The standard personal allowance is £12,570 in 2026/27, the same as in the two previous years. It is the amount you can earn before paying income tax, and it is shown in tax code 1257L. It reduces by £1 for every £2 of income over £100,000 and is gone at £125,140.
What does tax code 1257L mean?
The number is your tax-free allowance divided by 10, so 1257 means £12,570. The letter L shows you get the standard personal allowance. K codes add to your taxable pay instead, BR taxes everything at 20% and D0 at 40% (21% in Scotland), and 0T gives no allowance.
Is income tax different in Scotland?
Yes. Scottish taxpayers pay income tax at 19%, 20%, 21%, 42%, 45% and 48% on different slices of income, rather than the 20%, 40% and 45% used in the rest of the UK. National Insurance is the same everywhere. Choose Scotland in the calculator to use the Scottish bands for the tax year you pick.
How does salary sacrifice affect my take-home pay?
With salary sacrifice you give up part of your salary in return for an employer pension contribution, so your pay for tax and National Insurance is lower. This usually saves National Insurance as well as income tax, which a normal pension contribution through payroll does not. Tick the salary sacrifice box to see the difference, and check your employer’s scheme rules.
How much student loan is taken from my pay?
You repay 9% of earnings above your plan’s threshold, or 6% of earnings above £21,000 for a postgraduate loan. For 2026/27 the thresholds are £26,900 for Plan 1, £29,385 for Plan 2, £33,795 for Plan 4 and £25,000 for Plan 5. If you have both an undergraduate and a postgraduate loan, both are taken.