UK Take-Home Pay & What-If Calculator
See what a pay rise really adds to your pocket after tax, pension and student-loan deductions.
Your numbers stay in this browser tab. Nothing you enter is saved or submitted.
Your numbers
Illustrative figures to start. Change them to explore your decision.
Pension, student loans and extra earnings
Personal Allowance / tax-code adjustment
Standard handling corresponds to the usual 1257L allowance (C/S prefix by region). Complex and emergency tax codes are outside this estimate.
Your perspective
Current monthly take-home £2,693.30. Proposed £2,993.30.
What you actually keep
Moving from £40,000.00 to £45,000.00 changes annual take-home by £3,600.00. You keep 72.0% of the gross change under these assumptions. Bonus and overtime stay the same in both cases.
| Annual gross | £40,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Monthly gross (average) | £3,333.33 |
| Income Tax | £5,486.00 |
| Employee National Insurance | £2,194.40 |
| Pension contribution | £0.00 |
| Undergraduate loan | £0.00 |
| Postgraduate loan | £0.00 |
| Annual take-home | £32,319.60 |
| Personal Allowance used | £12,570.00 |
Proposed salary breakdown
| Annual gross | £45,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Monthly gross (average) | £3,750.00 |
| Income Tax | £6,486.00 |
| Employee National Insurance | £2,594.40 |
| Pension | £0.00 |
| Undergraduate loan | £0.00 |
| Postgraduate loan | £0.00 |
| Annual take-home | £35,919.60 |
| Monthly take-home | £2,993.30 |
An annual comparison, not an exact payslip. Pension eligibility, annual limits, benefits and other income can change your position. Rules checked 5 October 2026.
A worked example
On £40,000 in England, Wales or Northern Ireland in 2026/27, with the standard allowance, no pension and no student loan: Income Tax is £5,486 and employee NI is £2,194.40. Annual take-home is £32,319.60, or £2,693.30 a month on average. A rise to £45,000 adds £300 a month under the same assumptions.
What this calculation assumes
- One UK employment for a full tax year, below State Pension age, NI category A. This is an annual estimate divided by 12, not a payslip calculation. Irregular bonuses, pay-period NI and whole-pound student-loan payroll rounding can produce different deductions.
- Pension percentage applies to base salary only. Net-pay contributions reduce taxable pay; salary sacrifice also reduces NI and student-loan earnings. Salary sacrifice must meet minimum-wage rules; eligibility is not assessed. Employer contributions, qualifying-earnings schemes, relief-at-source pensions, contribution-limit tax charges, benefits in kind, other income and benefit withdrawals are outside this model.
- Standard allowance falls by £1 for each £2 of adjusted income over £100,000. A custom allowance is a final annual tax-free amount you supply; it is not tapered again. Emergency, K, BR, D0/D1 and split-job tax codes need a payroll calculation.
- Plan 5 deductions begin in 2026/27. Select one undergraduate plan; postgraduate deductions can apply alongside it. Balances, settlement dates and refunds are not modelled.
Sources and rules
Rules and guidance checked 5 October 2026. Rates entered in mortgage, debt and car comparisons are your assumptions, not live offers.
Put the numbers in perspective
Illustrative information, not personal financial, tax or debt advice. Check your circumstances and contractual terms before acting. Read our disclaimer.