A UK take-home pay calculator shows exactly how much of your salary you keep after income tax, National Insurance, student loan repayments, and pension contributions. Whether you are evaluating a job offer, negotiating a raise, or budgeting your monthly expenses, knowing your net pay is essential. This tool uses 2025/26 tax year rates including Scottish tax bands.
Your Salary Details
Default 5% auto-enrolment employee contribution
Saves NI — toggle off for net-pay pension
Annual Breakdown — 2025/26
Tax Breakdown
Monthly & Weekly Breakdown
| Item | Annual | Monthly | Weekly |
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Employer Pension Contribution
Uses 2025/26 tax year thresholds. This is an estimate — verify with HMRC for official calculations.
How to Use the UK Take Home Pay Calculator
Understanding your UK take-home pay is essential whether you are starting a new job, negotiating a salary, or simply planning your monthly budget. Your gross salary is only part of the picture — income tax, National Insurance, student loan repayments, and pension contributions all reduce what lands in your bank account. This free calculator gives you a complete breakdown of every deduction for the 2025/26 tax year, including support for Scottish tax rates.
Step 1: Enter Your Salary
Type your gross salary into the input field. You can switch between annual, monthly, weekly, or hourly using the pay period dropdown. If you enter an hourly rate, the calculator assumes a standard 37.5-hour working week and 52 weeks per year. The tool instantly converts your input to an annual figure for all calculations.
Step 2: Choose Your Tax Region
If you pay Scottish income tax, toggle the Scotland switch on. Scotland has six income tax bands with different rates from the rest of the UK: a 19% starter rate, 20% basic, 21% intermediate, 42% higher, 45% advanced, and 48% top rate. National Insurance rates are the same across all UK nations, so only the income tax calculation changes when you select Scotland.
Step 3: Set Up Student Loan and Pension
Select your student loan plan if applicable. Each plan has a different repayment threshold, and repayments are 9% of earnings above that threshold (6% for postgraduate loans). For pensions, the default is 5% employee contribution with salary sacrifice. Toggle salary sacrifice off if your employer uses net-pay arrangement instead. With salary sacrifice, you save NI on your pension contribution; without it, you save only income tax.
Step 4: Review Your Results
The results show your gross salary, income tax, National Insurance, student loan repayment, pension deduction, and final take-home pay. The effective tax rate shows the overall percentage of your salary going to deductions, while the marginal rate shows the tax rate on your next pound earned. The stacked bar chart gives a visual breakdown of where your money goes, and the period table shows figures for annual, monthly, and weekly time frames.
Understanding Marginal vs Effective Rates
Your effective rate is the total tax and NI as a percentage of your gross income. Your marginal rate is what you would pay on additional income — this is important for overtime, bonuses, or salary negotiations. Note that earners between £100,000 and £125,140 face a 60% effective marginal rate due to the personal allowance taper, which the calculator accounts for automatically.
For a detailed walkthrough, see our guide: UK vs US Income Tax Comparison 2026.
FAQ
Is this UK take-home pay calculator free?
Yes, this calculator is completely free with no signup, no account, and no usage limits. All calculations run locally in your browser using JavaScript. You can calculate take-home pay for any salary as many times as you need at no cost.
Is my salary data private?
Absolutely. All calculations happen entirely in your web browser. No salary figures or personal information are ever sent to any server or stored anywhere. You can disconnect from the internet after loading the page and the calculator will still work perfectly.
What tax year does this calculator use?
This calculator uses 2025/26 tax year rates and thresholds (6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026). Income tax bands, National Insurance thresholds, and student loan repayment thresholds are all based on the latest HMRC published rates for this tax year.
How does the personal allowance taper work for high earners?
The standard personal allowance of £12,570 is reduced by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000. This means it reaches zero at £125,140, creating an effective 60% marginal tax rate in the £100,000 to £125,140 range. The calculator automatically applies this taper.
What is the difference between Scottish and rest-of-UK tax rates?
Scotland sets its own income tax rates and bands, which differ from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Scottish rates have six bands ranging from 19% starter rate to 48% top rate, compared to three bands elsewhere. National Insurance rates remain the same across the whole UK.
How does salary sacrifice pension work?
With salary sacrifice, your pension contribution is deducted from your gross salary before income tax and National Insurance are calculated. This saves you both income tax and NI on the pension amount. Without salary sacrifice, pension is deducted after NI but gets income tax relief. Toggle the salary sacrifice option to compare both methods.
Which student loan plan am I on?
Plan 1 covers loans taken before September 2012 in England/Wales, or any time in Scotland/NI. Plan 2 covers post-2012 England/Wales loans. Plan 4 is for Scottish loans from September 2007. Plan 5 covers post-2023 loans. Postgraduate covers master's and doctoral loans. Check your Student Loans Company account if unsure.
Can I calculate take-home pay from a monthly or hourly rate?
Yes. Use the pay period toggle to switch between annual, monthly, weekly, or hourly input. The calculator converts your input to an annual figure and then shows your take-home breakdown across all periods. For hourly rates, it assumes a standard 37.5-hour week and 52 weeks per year.