Introduction
This UK Income Tax Calculator shows you what is left from your pay after tax. Type in your salary, pick how often you get paid, and see your take-home pay per year, month, week, day, and hour.
The tool works out your Income Tax, National Insurance, pension, and student loan repayments. It covers England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and tax years from 2019/20 up to 2026/27. Scotland has its own tax bands, so pick the right region to get the right answer.
You can also add extra details if you need them. Put in your HMRC tax code, your NI category letter, rental income, Marriage Allowance, or Blind Person's Allowance. There is a reverse calculator too: tell it the take-home pay you want, and it tells you the gross salary you need.
Every result comes with a full breakdown. You can see how your money fills each tax band, where your gross pay goes, what you cost your employer, and a step-by-step look at the math. Results update as you type, so you can test different salaries and pension amounts right away.
How to use our UK Income Tax Calculator
Enter your pay, your tax year, where you live and any pension or student loan details. The calculator shows your income tax, National Insurance, student loan, pension and net take-home pay per year, month, week, day and hour.
Gross salary / wage: Type your pay before any tax is taken off.
Pay period: Pick how often you get that pay, such as per year, per month or per hour.
Salary slider: Drag it to change your yearly pay quickly and watch the results update.
Hours worked per week: Enter your normal weekly hours. This sets your hourly pay figures.
Days worked per week: Enter how many days you work each week. This sets your daily pay figures.
Tax year: Choose the tax year you want to work out, from 2019/20 to 2026/27.
Region: Pick England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own tax bands and rates.
Your contribution: Enter how much you pay into your pension.
Entered as: Say if that pension figure is a percent of your gross pay or a pound amount.
Pension type: Choose Relief at Source or Salary Sacrifice. Salary sacrifice cuts your tax and National Insurance.
Employer contribution: Enter the percent your employer adds. This only changes the employer cost figure.
Student loan: Tick each plan you repay (Plan 1, 2, 4, 5 or Postgraduate). Leave all blank if you have no loan.
Age group: Pick your age band. People over State Pension age pay no employee National Insurance.
NI category letter: In Advanced Options, pick the letter from your payslip. Most workers are category A.
Tax code: Enter your HMRC code, like 1257L, if you know it. It replaces the standard allowance rules.
Married or civil partnership: Tick this box, then add your partner's yearly income to check Marriage Allowance.
Registered blind: Tick this to add the Blind Person's Allowance to your tax-free pay.
Rental income: Enter your yearly rent received, then add your allowable costs. Rental profit is taxed but pays no National Insurance.
Other adjustments: Enter a plus figure for extra taxable items like a company car, or a minus figure for other pre-tax deductions.
Target take-home pay: In the reverse calculator, enter the net pay you want and the period. It shows the gross salary you need.
UK Income Tax Explained
Income tax is money you pay to the government from what you earn. If you work for an employer in the UK, your tax is taken out of your pay before you get it. This is called PAYE (Pay As You Earn). What is left after tax and other deductions is your take-home pay, also called net pay.
Personal Allowance
You do not pay tax on every pound you earn. The first slice is tax free. This is the Personal Allowance, and it is £12,570 for most people in the 2026/27 tax year. If you earn more than £100,000, the allowance drops by £1 for every £2 above that line. It reaches zero at £125,140.
Tax Bands and Rates
Income tax is charged in steps, not all at one rate. Only the money inside each step is taxed at that step's rate. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are three main rates:
- Basic rate, 20% on taxable income up to £37,700
- Higher rate, 40% on income above that, up to £125,140
- Additional rate, 45% on anything over £125,140
Scotland sets its own rates. Scottish taxpayers have six bands, from a 19% starter rate up to a 48% top rate. Where you live decides which set of bands you use, not where you work.
National Insurance
National Insurance (NI) is a second deduction from your wages. It helps pay for the State Pension and the NHS. Employees pay 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 a year, and 2% on anything above that. You stop paying employee NI once you reach State Pension age. Your employer also pays NI on your wages, but that cost never comes out of your pocket.
Student Loans
If you went to university, you may repay a student loan through your pay. You only pay when you earn over the threshold for your plan, and you pay 9% of the amount above it (6% for a Postgraduate Loan). Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4 (Scotland) and Plan 5 all have different thresholds.
Pensions Cut Your Tax
Paying into a pension lowers your tax bill. There are two common ways:
- Relief at Source: you pay from your net wages, and HMRC adds 20% tax relief into your pot.
- Salary Sacrifice: your pay is cut before tax, so you save both income tax and National Insurance.
Your Tax Code
Your tax code tells your employer how much tax-free pay you get. The common code is 1257L, which means £12,570 tax free. Codes like BR, D0 or 0T mean no allowance is given. A K code means you owe extra tax, often from a company car or other benefits. Codes with S or C at the front mean Scottish or Welsh rates. Check your code on your payslip, P45 or P60, because a wrong code means you pay too much or too little.
Effective Rate vs Marginal Rate
Your effective rate is the total tax you pay divided by your total pay. Your marginal rate is the tax on your next pound earned. The marginal rate is always higher once you cross a band line, which is why a pay rise never gets taxed at one flat rate across your whole salary.
Key Dates
The UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. Rates, bands and thresholds can change each April, so always check figures against the right tax year.