UK Take-Home Pay Calculator
See exactly what you keep from your salary after income tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension.
Work out your take-home pay
Your estimated take-home pay
Take-home pay at different salaries
Same 5% pension contribution and no student loan, at each salary. Your entered salary is highlighted.
How UK take-home pay works
This calculator is free, needs no sign-up, and runs entirely in your browser. It is for employees in the UK who want to see what their salary is worth after tax. Enter your gross salary, your pension percentage and your student loan plan, and it shows your annual and monthly take-home pay with every deduction listed.
How is UK take-home pay worked out?
Take-home pay is your gross salary minus income tax, National Insurance, student loan repayments and pension contributions. This calculator starts with your gross annual salary, subtracts your pension contribution, applies the 2025-26 personal allowance of £12,570, then works out tax and National Insurance on what remains. The result is an estimate, and your employer’s payroll figures govern your actual pay.
Worked example: on a £40,000 salary with a 5% pension contribution (£2,000) and no student loan, the income after pension is £38,000. The personal allowance is £12,570, so taxable income is £25,430. Income tax at 20% is £5,086 and National Insurance at 8% is £2,034.40, leaving take-home pay of £30,879.60 a year, or £2,573.30 a month.
What is the personal allowance for 2025-26?
The personal allowance for the 2025-26 tax year is £12,570, according to HMRC. It is the amount you can earn each year before income tax starts. If your income is over £100,000, the allowance shrinks by £1 for every £2 above that figure, and it disappears completely at £125,140. This calculator applies that reduction automatically.
Income tax is then charged at 20% on taxable income up to £50,270 of total income, 40% up to £125,140, and 45% above that. Because the allowance shrinks over £100,000, the effective marginal rate between £100,000 and £125,140 is 60% for many earners.
How much National Insurance will I pay?
National Insurance is charged at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, and at 2% on earnings above £50,270, under the 2025-26 rates published by GOV.UK. You pay nothing on the first £12,570. In this calculator the pension contribution is taken off first, which is a simplification, so check your payslip for the exact National Insurance figure.
National Insurance is separate from income tax and pays towards the State Pension and other benefits. The rates above are the main Class 1 employee rates for 2025-26.
How do student loan repayments affect take-home pay?
Student loan repayments are taken as a percentage of your income above a set threshold, not on your whole salary. Plan 1 starts at £24,990, Plan 2 at £28,470, Plan 4 at £32,745 and the Postgraduate Loan at £21,000 for 2025-26. The rate is 9% for Plans 1, 2 and 4, and 6% for the Postgraduate Loan.
Which plan you are on depends on when and where you studied. Plan 4 applies to students from Scotland, Plan 1 to older English and Welsh loans, and Plan 2 to most English and Welsh loans taken out since 2012. If you have two plans, both repayments apply, but this calculator models one plan at a time.
Does a pension contribution increase my take-home pay?
A pension contribution lowers the income that tax and National Insurance are worked out on, so it can reduce your tax bill and raise your take-home pay compared with the same salary without a contribution. This calculator treats pension relief simply, by taking the contribution off your salary first. Your scheme may work differently, so check with your pension provider.
Most workplace pensions use either relief at source, where tax relief is added to your pension pot, or net pay, where the contribution comes out before tax. The end result for your take-home pay is similar, but the way it shows on your payslip differs.
Why does my payslip differ from this calculator?
Payslips can differ because of salary sacrifice, bonuses, overtime, benefits in kind, tax code changes and pension scheme rules, none of which this calculator models. Your tax code may also differ from the standard 1257L code. If the gap is large, compare your payslip line by line with the figures above, then ask your payroll team.
Other common causes are student loan deductions starting mid-year, a tax code letter such as K or BR, and salary sacrifice for childcare or a cycle-to-work scheme, which lowers taxable pay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the personal allowance in 2025-26?
The personal allowance is £12,570 for the 2025-26 tax year, according to HMRC. It falls by £1 for every £2 of income over £100,000 and reaches zero at £125,140.
How much National Insurance do I pay on a £40,000 salary?
With a 5% pension contribution, National Insurance is £2,034.40 a year in this calculator’s simplified model: 8% of the £25,430 between the £12,570 threshold and the £50,270 upper limit.
What is the higher rate tax threshold?
The higher rate of 40% starts when total income passes £50,270 in 2025-26. Income above £125,140 is taxed at the additional rate of 45%.
Do student loan repayments come out of take-home pay?
Yes. Repayments are deducted through payroll once your income passes your plan’s threshold, at 9% for Plans 1, 2 and 4, and 6% for the Postgraduate Loan.
Does salary sacrifice change take-home pay?
Yes. Salary sacrifice lowers your contractual pay, which usually lowers income tax and National Insurance, but it also lowers the pay used for pension and benefit calculations. This calculator does not model salary sacrifice schemes.
Is this calculator the same as my payslip?
No, it is an estimate for the 2025-26 tax year. Your payslip also reflects your tax code, bonuses, overtime, benefits in kind and your employer’s pension scheme, so small differences are normal.
Does this calculator store my salary?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored or shared.
More tools you may need
Buying a home? Try our UK Stamp Duty Calculator to work out the tax on your property price. Comparing where to live? Our Cost of Living Comparison tool compares everyday costs between two places, so you can see what your take-home pay really buys.
