UK salary & take-home calculator

Find out exactly what lands in your account after income tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan, for the 2025/26 tax year.

£
£
Paid in one month and taxed at your marginal rate. We show a normal month and the bonus month.
Where do you live?
Illustration only. A simplified estimate for the 2025/26 tax year (rest of UK + Scotland), assuming a standard situation and Class 1 employee National Insurance. It does not cover every code, benefit-in-kind or edge case, and it is not tax advice. Check your payslip or HMRC for your exact figures.

How your take-home pay is worked out

Your gross salary is the headline figure. From it, two deductions come off first: income tax (charged only above your personal allowance, usually £12,570) and employee National Insurance (8% between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above). After that come any pension contribution and student-loan repayment. What remains is your take-home pay.

The £100k trap, caught for you

Earn between £100,000 and £125,140 and your personal allowance tapers away at £1 for every £2 earned, an effective 60% tax rate on that slice. This calculator flags it, because a pension contribution that drops you back under £100,000 can be one of the most valuable moves in UK tax.

Salary sacrifice, made visible

Sacrificing salary into your pension avoids both income tax and National Insurance on that money, so the real cost to your take-home is far less than the amount that lands in your pension. Switch the pension option to "salary sacrifice" to see the difference.

Salary calculator FAQ

How is take-home pay calculated?

We start from gross salary, subtract income tax (after your personal allowance) and employee National Insurance, then any pension and student-loan repayment. What is left is your take-home, or net, pay.

What is the £100,000 tax trap?

Between £100,000 and £125,140 your personal allowance is withdrawn by £1 for every £2 earned, creating an effective 60% marginal rate on that band. A pension contribution can reclaim the allowance and escape it.

What is salary sacrifice?

You take a lower salary and your employer pays the difference into your pension. The sacrificed pay carries no income tax or National Insurance, so £100 into your pension can cost a higher-rate taxpayer as little as £52 of take-home.

Does this work for Scotland?

Yes. Switch the region to Scotland and it uses the Scottish income tax bands. National Insurance is the same across the UK.

Your salary is one piece. See the whole picture.

EveryPound turns your take-home into a budget, tracks your net worth, and lets Addy spot tax moves like the £100k trap on your real numbers. Free, no bank login.