Take-home pay calculator
Work out what actually lands in your bank account after income tax, National Insurance, your pension and any student loan. Switch between Scotland and the rest of the UK, model a workplace or salary-sacrifice pension, and see a mock monthly payslip alongside what the job costs your employer.
Your monthly payslip
An illustrative month.
Income tax band breakdown
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How this is calculated
- We start with your gross salary and the part of the UK you live in, because Scotland has different income-tax bands.
- If you pay into a pension, we take your contribution off your pay. A workplace pension lowers the pay you are taxed on; salary sacrifice lowers the pay you are taxed on and the pay you pay National Insurance on.
- We work out your Personal Allowance, reducing it if your income is over £100,000, then apply your region income-tax bands to what is left, plus any taxable benefits in kind.
- We work out your Class 1 National Insurance on the right slice of your pay.
- If you have a student loan, we take the right percentage of your income over that plan threshold, and the same again for a postgraduate loan if you have one.
- We subtract income tax, National Insurance, student loan and your pension contribution from your gross salary. What is left is your take-home pay, shown per year, per month and per week, with a mock monthly payslip and what the job costs your employer.
Frequently asked questions
How is my take-home pay worked out?
We take your gross salary, subtract income tax and National Insurance for your part of the UK, take off any pension contribution and student loan repayment, and what is left is your take-home pay. The monthly payslip shows the same figures divided by twelve.
What is the difference between a workplace pension and salary sacrifice?
A standard workplace pension contribution is taken from your pay before income tax, so it lowers your tax but not your National Insurance. Salary sacrifice swaps part of your salary for a pension contribution, so it lowers both your tax and your National Insurance, which usually means slightly higher take-home pay for the same pension input. Your employer also pays less National Insurance under salary sacrifice.
What are the student loan plan types?
Plan 1 is for pre-2012 English and Welsh students and most Northern Irish students. Plan 2 is for English and Welsh students who started between 2012 and July 2023. Plan 4 is for Scottish students. Plan 5 is for English and Welsh students who started from August 2023. The postgraduate loan is separate and is repaid at the same time as any undergraduate plan. Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5 take 9% of income over their threshold; the postgraduate loan takes 6%.
What is a benefit in kind?
A benefit in kind is something your employer gives you that has a cash value but is not salary, such as a company car, private medical insurance or an interest-free loan. It is taxed: the cash-equivalent value is added to your taxable income, so you pay income tax on it even though it does not arrive as money in your bank account. It does not change your National Insurance in this calculator.
Why does the calculator show employer National Insurance?
Your employer pays National Insurance on top of your salary. It never comes out of your pay, but it is part of what the job costs them, which is useful context when you are negotiating salary or comparing an offer with going self-employed.
Are these figures exact?
They are a close annual estimate using current rates and thresholds. A real payslip is calculated period by period and can differ slightly because of your tax code, mid-year pay changes, pension scheme rules and rounding. Treat this as a guide, not a payroll statement.
If you are weighing a pension contribution against your take-home pay, a plain-English UK personal-finance handbook is the natural next read.
This calculator is for general guidance only. It does not replace advice from a tax adviser or accountant on your personal circumstances.
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