Salary calculator

Steps

1. Enter your gross salary before tax and choose whether the amount is yearly, monthly, or weekly.
2. Choose the tax year in other settings so the calculation uses the right UK tax rates and thresholds. The tax year defaults to the current year if not changed.
3. Add workplace pension details in other settings if you want the take-home pay to reflect pension contribution deductions.
4. Review the rest of the settings to make any applicable adjustments such as student loan payments or non standard tax codes.
5. Review the annual, monthly, and weekly results, then use the salary breakdown chart to see how gross pay is split between take-home pay and deductions.

Input notes

Salary

Use your gross pay before tax, national insurance, pension contributions, student loan repayments, or any other payroll deductions.

Salary period

Choose whether the salary figure is yearly, monthly, or weekly. The calculator converts monthly or weekly pay into an annual salary estimate before calculating take-home pay.

Tax year

The default setting is the current 2026/27 tax year but you can change this to see the results for the previous two years. Tax bands, allowances, and national insurance thresholds can change by tax year, so check this setting if you want accurate figures for a previous year.

Scottish residence

Choose yes if Scottish income tax rates apply to your employment income. Scotland has different income tax rates and thresholds than the rest of the UK so make sure to select this option for accurate results if you are a Scottish tax payer.

State pension age

People over State Pension age usually stop paying employee national insurance. Select this option to remove employee national insurance from the estimate.

Student loan

Choose yes if student loan or postgraduate loan repayments should be included in the take-home pay calculation.

Student loan plan

Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4, Plan 5 and postgraduate loans use different thresholds and repayment rates. Select every plan that applies.

Workplace pension

Select yes if you have a workplace pension. Pension contributions reduce the take-home pay shown in the headline results.

Pension contribution

Enter the employee pension contribution percentage or a fixed monthly amount. Percentage contributions use qualifying earnings between the annual lower and upper limits by default, but you can change this if your scheme applies the percentage to full salary. The calculator default is 5% as this is a common amount for auto enrolment pension schemes. Press the £ sign if you want to switch from a percentage to a fixed monthly amount and enter the amount in the box.

Pension type

Relief at source is an after-tax employee deduction with basic-rate tax relief applied inside the pension. This is common in auto enrolment pension schemes such as NEST or The Peoples Pension. Net pay reduces taxable pay. Salary sacrifice reduces taxable and national insurance pay.

Use qualifying earnings

Choose yes if your pension percentage is based on qualifying earnings between the lower and upper limits. Choose no if your employer applies the percentage to your full pensionable salary.

Tax code

Enter a PAYE tax code such as 1257L, S1257L, BR, D0, D1, 0T or a K-code. The calculator applies recognised allowance and rate instructions.

Blind persons allowance

Select this if blind person's allowance applies. The allowance of £3,250 (for 2026/27) is added on to the basic personal allowance.

Benefits in kind

Enter the taxable value of benefits in kind received e.g. a company car or private medical insurance. Do not use this if you have already entered a tax code that accounts for the benefit.

Salary sacrifice

Enter non-pension salary sacrifice amounts here. Pension salary sacrifice should be entered in the workplace pension section.

Other deductions before tax

Use this for deductions that reduce taxable pay before income tax is calculated, such as some payroll benefit arrangements.

Other deductions after tax

Use this for deductions taken after tax and national insurance, such as repayments or workplace deductions. These reduce the final take-home pay shown.