Take-Home Pay Calculator
The HMRC headline number says one thing; what arrives in your account says another. Enter your gross salary and the calculator returns annual, monthly and weekly net pay for 2026/27, with income tax, employee NI, student loan plans, and any salary-sacrifice pension contributions all factored in.
Take-Home Pay Calculator
The HMRC headline number says one thing; what arrives in your account says another. Enter your gross salary and the calculator returns annual, monthly and weekly net pay for 2026/27, with income tax, employee NI, student loan plans, and any salary-sacrifice pension contributions all factored in.
Effective rate (income tax + NI): 20.2%. Assumes standard tax code, no benefits in kind, PAYE only.
Sense-check your figure with an accountant
Calculators give you a solid starting point, but the final number depends on timing, reliefs you may not have considered, and how different taxes interact. A quick conversation with one of our accountants puts a firm figure on it, with no obligation.
How this works
The calculator applies the standard 2026/27 personal allowance of £12,570 (tapering above £100,000), the three income tax bands, and employee NI at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 plus 2% above. Salary-sacrifice pension contributions are deducted before tax and NI are calculated, so they save you both.
Student loan deductions are added if you select a plan. The model assumes a standard tax code (1257L), no taxable benefits in kind, no other income, and that you are paid through PAYE.
Frequently asked questions
- What is in 2026/27 take-home pay?
- For a UK employee: gross salary, minus income tax (20% basic, 40% higher, 45% additional), minus employee National Insurance (8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above), minus any student loan deductions, minus any salary-sacrifice pension contribution. The personal allowance is £12,570 and tapers by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000.
- How does salary sacrifice pension affect take-home pay?
- Salary sacrifice reduces your gross salary by the contribution amount before income tax and NI are calculated, so you save income tax AND NI on the sacrificed amount. This is more tax-efficient than a relief-at-source contribution because you also get NI relief.
- Which student loan plan am I on?
- Plan 1 if you started uni before September 2012 in England/Wales. Plan 2 if you started September 2012 to August 2023 in England/Wales. Plan 4 for Scottish loans. Plan 5 for England loans from August 2023. Postgraduate loan is separate at 6% above £21,000.
- Does this work for limited company directors?
- Only partly. If you run a limited company and pay yourself a small salary plus dividends, this calculator covers the salary portion only. For the full picture across salary, dividend, and corporation tax, use the Salary and Dividend Optimiser instead.
Numbers are one thing. Getting the timing right is another.
Every figure here is modelled on standard 2026/27 thresholds. Your actual position depends on prior-year usage, pension carry-forward, other income sources, and how your decisions interact with each other. We build those models as part of our advisory work.
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