Take Home Pay Calculator UK 2026

The Personal Allowance is £12,570, tax-free. Basic rate 20% applies to £12,571-£50,270, higher rate 40% to £50,271-£125,140, and additional rate 45% above that. Employee National Insurance is 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% above. Scotland uses six separate bands instead of these three — select your region for an accurate figure.

After the £12,570 Personal Allowance, £27,430 is taxable, all within the basic 20% band — £5,486 income tax. National Insurance is 8% on the same £27,430, about £2,194. Take-home pay is £40,000 minus £5,486 minus £2,194 = £32,320 a year, or about £2,693 a month. Add pension contributions or a student loan and the figure will be lower.

No — the calculator annualises whatever you enter (weekly, monthly, or annual) to work out tax and NI, then divides back down, so your annual totals stay the same regardless of frequency. Real payroll NI is assessed per pay period rather than cumulatively like income tax, so this is a close approximation rather than an exact payslip match if your pay varies week to week.

It depends on the scheme. With salary sacrifice, your employer reduces your contractual pay, so both income tax and National Insurance drop — tick the salary sacrifice option to model that. With relief-at-source or net-pay arrangements, your NI-able pay doesn't fall, only your taxable income does. Selecting the right option matters for an accurate NI figure.

Select your plan and repayments are deducted at the correct threshold: Plan 1 at 9% above £26,900, Plan 2 at 9% above £29,385, Plan 4 (Scotland) at 9% above £33,795, Plan 5 at 9% above £25,000, and the Postgraduate Loan at 6% above £21,000. If you have two loans — for example undergraduate plus postgraduate — both are repaid at the same time on their own thresholds.