UK Take-Home Pay Calculator 2026/27
Work out your monthly take-home pay after income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and student loan for the 2026/27 tax year (England, Wales & NI).
| Annual | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | — | — |
| Pension | — | — |
| Income tax | — | — |
| National Insurance | — | — |
| Student loan | — | — |
| Take-home | — | — |
In short
In 2026/27 UK take-home pay is gross salary minus income tax (20% above the £12,570 personal allowance, 40% above £50,270, 45% above £125,140), employee National Insurance (8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above), pension contributions and student loan repayments at 9% above the plan threshold.
Who this is for: Employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland checking monthly take-home pay for the 2026/27 tax year.
What comes off a UK salary in 2026/27
- Income tax — 0% on the first £12,570 (personal allowance), 20% to £50,270, 40% to £125,140, 45% above. The allowance tapers away between £100,000 and £125,140, giving an effective 60% rate in that band.
- National Insurance (Class 1 employee) — 8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above.
- Pension — contributions via salary sacrifice or a net-pay scheme come off before tax and NI, which is why a 5% contribution costs less than 5% of take-home.
- Student loan — 9% of income above the plan threshold (6% for postgraduate loans), collected through payroll.
Thresholds are frozen until 2030/31, so a pay rise pulls more of your income into higher bands each year ("fiscal drag").
See also: UK Dividend Tax Calculator 2026/27, UK Statutory Redundancy Pay Calculator.
Assumptions
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands: personal allowance £12,570, 20% to £50,270, 40% to £125,140, 45% above; allowance tapers above £100,000.
- Employee NI: 8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above.
- Pension contributions are deducted before tax and NI (salary sacrifice / net pay).
- Student loan: 9% above the plan threshold (6% postgraduate), on gross salary.
Worked example
Pension £2,250 → taxable £42,750. Income tax (42,750 − 12,570) × 20% = £6,036. NI (42,750 − 12,570) × 8% = £2,414. Student loan (45,000 − 29,385) × 9% = £1,405.
Take-home ≈ £32,895/year ≈ £2,741/month.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work for Scotland?
No — Scotland has its own income tax bands (starter, basic, intermediate, higher, advanced, top). NI and student loans are the same UK-wide.
Why is the 60% trap mentioned?
Between £100,000 and £125,140 you lose £1 of personal allowance for every £2 earned, so each extra £1 is taxed at 40% plus another 20% from lost allowance.
Is my pension always deducted before tax?
Salary sacrifice and net-pay schemes are. 'Relief at source' schemes take contributions after tax and reclaim basic-rate relief into the pension — take-home is slightly different in that case.
How much tax will I pay on a £45,000 salary?
About £6,486 income tax and £2,594 NI with no pension, leaving roughly £2,993 a month; with a 5% pension and Plan 2 loan it falls to about £2,741.
Why is my take-home lower than this?
Common reasons: a different tax code, benefits in kind, relief-at-source pension, Scottish rates, or a student loan plan you did not select.
Related calculators
See all United Kingdom calculators → · All free online calculators
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