💰 Take-Home Pay Calculator (UK)
See your exact salary after all taxes and deductions — updated for 2026/27 tax rules in the USA, UK, and South Africa.
UK take-home pay is gross salary minus PAYE income tax, Employee National Insurance, student loans (if applicable), and pension. The 2026/27 personal allowance is £12,570, basic rate 20% applies £12,571-£50,270, higher rate 40% applies £50,271-£125,140. HMRC publishes the official rate tables each year.
UK take-home pay has six standard deductions, and getting the order right matters because each layer is calculated on the post-previous-layer figure. The deduction stack runs as follows.
1. Pension contribution (where employer-deducted before tax under a net-pay or salary-sacrifice arrangement) — reduces gross before tax is applied.
2. Income tax (PAYE) on the remaining gross: - Personal allowance: £12,570 at 0% - Basic rate band: £12,571 to £50,270 at 20% - Higher rate band: £50,271 to £125,140 at 40% (with the personal allowance tapering £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000 — creating the notorious 60% marginal trap) - Additional rate: above £125,140 at 45%
3. Employee National Insurance: - Up to £12,570: 0% - £12,570 to £50,270: 8% - Above £50,270: 2%
4. Student loan repayments (if applicable): - Plan 1: 9% above £26,900 — Plan 2: 9% above £29,385 — Plan 4 (Scotland): 9% above £33,795 — Plan 5: 9% above £25,000 — Postgraduate Loan: 6% above £21,000
5. Workplace pension (auto-enrolment minimum is 5% employee + 3% employer of qualifying earnings unless opted out).
6. Salary sacrifice arrangements (cycle-to-work, EV lease, additional pension) — applied to gross, reducing both income tax and NI.
Scotland uses different income tax bands and rates (starter, basic, intermediate, higher, advanced, and top rates ranging from 19% to 48% in 2026/27) — the calculator includes a Scotland toggle to apply the correct schedule.
The calculator outputs annual gross-to-net, monthly cash-in-hand, weekly and daily equivalents, marginal rate on the next £1 earned (revealing the 60% marginal trap between £100k and £125,140), and overall effective rate. For the underlying tax tables and NI thresholds, HMRC's rates and thresholds for employers page on gov.uk is the authoritative source, updated each year at the Budget.
See your exact salary after all taxes and deductions — updated for 2026/27 tax rules in the USA, UK, and South Africa.
🌍 Compare across USA, UK, and South Africa side-by-side →
How is take-home pay calculated?
Take-home pay is your gross salary minus income tax, social security or national insurance, and any pre-tax pension or retirement contributions. UK: income-tax bands + 8% National Insurance above £12,570. USA: federal/state tax + 7.65% FICA. South Africa: PAYE per SARS tax tables + 1% UIF, less rebates.
Use our dedicated SA Tax Calculator →| Deduction | Annual | Per Period |
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How to use this calculator
Takes about 2 minutes.
- Pick your region — USA, UK, or South Africa — to load the right tax tables
- Enter your gross annual salary and choose your pay frequency
- USA: pick your filing status and state, then add 401(k) % and pre-tax deductions
- UK: enter your pension contribution % and choose any student loan plan
- South Africa: select your age band, medical aid members, and any monthly RA contribution
- Review your monthly and annual take-home pay plus the full tax breakdown
Try these scenarios
Tap a scenario to load it into the calculator above.
Methodology & Sources
This calculator implements progressive income tax with NI/FICA/PAYE bands: Take-home = Gross − Σ(bracket_i × marginal_rate_i) − NI/FICA contributions. Region-specific tax and rate defaults are sourced directly from each country's primary government source and reviewed against the publication date below.
- USA: IRS — federal income tax brackets and contribution limits.
- UK: GOV.UK — HMRC personal allowance, National Insurance, and dividend rates.
- SA: SARS — personal income tax brackets and tax rebates.
Last verified: May 2026.
Key concepts
Gross vs. net. Your gross salary is the headline figure on your contract; your net (take-home) is what lands in your bank account after income tax, social-security contributions, and any pre-tax deductions like pension or health insurance.
Marginal vs. effective rate. Your marginal rate is the tax on your next dollar earned; your effective rate is your total tax divided by total income. Most people quote marginal but plan with effective. Progressive systems (IRS, HMRC) tax higher slices of income at higher rates, so the average is always below the top marginal bracket.
Pre-tax vs. post-tax contributions. US 401(k) and UK pension salary-sacrifice contributions come off gross — they reduce taxable income and increase take-home relative to the equivalent post-tax saving. Roth contributions are post-tax but grow tax-free.
State and regional layers. The US adds state income tax (zero in TX, FL, WA; up to 13% in CA). The UK has separate Scottish bands. The calculator applies the right layer based on your selection.
FICA / National Insurance. Social-security contributions are flat or near-flat rate up to a cap — 7.65% FICA in the US (until the SS wage base) and 8% Class 1 NI in the UK above the primary threshold.
Frequently Asked Questions
UK PAYE deep-dive
PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is the system HMRC uses to collect Income Tax and National Insurance directly from your employer's payroll before money lands in your account. Most UK employees never file a tax return because PAYE does the work each pay cycle. The downside: a wrong tax code or an unclaimed allowance leaks money quietly for years before anyone notices.
2025-26 Income Tax bands (rest of UK)
- Personal Allowance: £12,570 at 0%. Tapered £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000 — fully gone at £125,140.
- Basic rate: 20% on income from £12,571 to £50,270.
- Higher rate: 40% on income from £50,271 to £125,140.
- Additional rate: 45% on income above £125,140.
The £100k–£125,140 band creates the notorious 60% effective marginal rate — 40% income tax on the next pound plus another 20p of personal allowance lost. Salary-sacrificing into a pension is the standard fix because pension contributions reduce the income figure used for the taper test.
Class 1 National Insurance (employees)
- Up to £12,570: 0% — no NI due.
- £12,570 to £50,270: 8% on earnings in this band.
- Above £50,270: 2% on every additional pound earned.
Two reliefs that PAYE will not apply automatically: Marriage Allowance lets a non-taxpaying spouse transfer £1,260 of their Personal Allowance to a basic-rate-paying partner, worth £252 a year — claimable for up to four prior tax years on GOV.UK. Blind Person's Allowance adds £3,070 on top of the standard PA.
Scottish income tax bands differ
If your main residence is in Scotland, the Scottish Parliament sets your income tax bands (NI stays UK-wide). The 2025-26 Scottish schedule runs from a 19% starter rate up to a 48% top rate above £125,140 — six bands instead of three, with the higher-rate threshold biting earlier at around £43,663. The calculator above uses a Scotland toggle to apply the right schedule.
Worked example: £55,000 gross (2025-26, rest of UK)
Take a £55,000 salary with no pension and no student loan. Personal Allowance shields £12,570. Basic-rate band (£12,571–£50,270) is taxed at 20% = £7,540. The remaining £4,730 above £50,270 is taxed at 40% = £1,892. Total Income Tax £9,432. NI: 8% on £37,700 (£3,016) plus 2% on £4,730 (£94.60) = £3,110.60. Take-home roughly £42,457, or about £3,538/month — an effective rate near 23%. Sources: GOV.UK Income Tax rates, GOV.UK National Insurance rates, GOV.UK Marriage Allowance.
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