UK take-home pay calculator

💷

Enter your annual salary to see your take-home pay breakdown.

About GetSalary

Free UK salary and take-home pay calculator — 2026/27

What is GetSalary?

GetSalary is a free, no-sign-up UK salary calculator that shows your take-home pay after income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and student loan repayments for the 2026/27 tax year. It supports Scottish income tax rates, marriage allowance, blind person's allowance, and multiple student loan plans.

How does UK income tax work?

Income tax is charged on your income above the personal allowance (£12,570 in 2026/27). The UK uses a banded system — you only pay higher rates on the portion of income that falls into each band, not your entire salary. This is why your effective tax rate is always lower than your marginal rate.

The personal allowance tapers for high earners: it reduces by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000, reaching zero at £125,140. This creates an effective 60% marginal income tax rate on income between £100,000 and £125,140 — a fact many people miss. Combined with 2% NI in that band, the true marginal rate is approximately 62%.

What is National Insurance?

National Insurance (NI) is a separate tax paid by employees, employers and the self-employed. Employee Class 1 contributions are 8% on earnings between the Primary Threshold (£12,570) and Upper Earnings Limit (£50,270), and 2% above that. NI funds the state pension and some welfare benefits.

How do pension contributions affect take-home pay?

This depends on your pension scheme type. Under a net pay arrangement (most employer workplace schemes), contributions are deducted before income tax is calculated — your taxable income is reduced immediately. Under relief at source (NEST, personal pensions, many SIPPs), contributions come from your net pay but HMRC tops them up by 20%. Under salary sacrifice, your employer reduces your contractual salary, which also reduces your NI bill — the most tax-efficient option for most employees.

What are the Scottish income tax rates?

Scotland has six income tax bands set by the Scottish Parliament, ranging from 19% (starter rate) to 48% (top rate). National Insurance is not devolved and is the same across the UK. GetSalary applies the correct Scottish bands when you select the Scotland toggle.

What is marriage allowance?

Marriage allowance lets a lower-earning spouse or civil partner transfer £1,260 of their personal allowance to their partner. The recipient must be a basic-rate taxpayer (earnings up to £50,270). The transfer saves up to £252 per year in income tax. It can be backdated for up to four previous tax years.

Student loan repayment thresholds 2026/27

Student loan repayments are calculated at 9% of income above the repayment threshold (6% for Postgraduate loans). The thresholds for 2026/27 are: Plan 1 — £24,990; Plan 2 — £28,470; Plan 4 (Scotland) — £31,395; Plan 5 — £25,000; Postgraduate — £21,000.

How accurate is GetSalary?

GetSalary uses the published HMRC rates and thresholds for 2026/27. Results are estimates — actual deductions on your payslip may differ slightly due to your tax code, company-specific pension rules, timing of payments, or other HMRC adjustments. Always check your payslip or speak to your payroll department or an accountant for precise figures.

Also from the Get suite

GetSalary is part of a suite of free UK financial tools. Also try GetPayslip.co.uk, GetInvoice.co.uk, GetVAT.co.uk, GetMileage.co.uk, GetStudentLoan.co.uk, and GetTimesheet.co.uk.

GetSalary provides estimates based on published HMRC rates. This is not financial or tax advice. For guidance on your personal tax position, consult a qualified accountant or visit GOV.UK — Income Tax.

Privacy Policy

Last updated:

GetSalary is committed to your privacy. This page explains how we handle data when you use this website.

Data we do not collect

GetSalary does not collect, transmit, or store any of the salary figures or personal details you enter. All calculations are performed locally in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing you type is ever sent to our servers. No account or sign-up is required.

Cookies

GetSalary does not set any first-party cookies. If advertising is displayed on this site (via Google AdSense), Google may set third-party cookies in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy.

Analytics

We may use anonymised, aggregate analytics to understand how the site is used. No personally identifiable information is collected for this purpose.

Advertising

This site may in future display adverts served by Google AdSense. If so, Google uses cookies to serve ads based on prior visits to this and other websites. You can opt out via Google's ad settings.

Third-party links

GetSalary links to other sites in the Get suite: GetInvoice.co.uk, GetVAT.co.uk, GetPayslip.co.uk, GetMileage.co.uk, GetStudentLoan.co.uk, and GetTimesheet.co.uk. Each site has its own privacy policy.

Your rights

As GetSalary does not collect personal data, there is no personal data to access, rectify or delete. For any privacy questions, contact us at [email protected].

Contact

Get in touch

Questions, feedback, or spotted something wrong with the calculations? We'd love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected]

Report a calculation issue

If you think there's an error in our tax rates or calculation logic, please include your gross salary, region (Scotland / rest of UK), tax year, and the figure you believe is incorrect. We take accuracy seriously and will investigate promptly.

Also from us

GetSalary is part of the Get suite of free UK business tools. Also try GetInvoice.co.uk, GetVAT.co.uk, GetPayslip.co.uk, GetMileage.co.uk, GetStudentLoan.co.uk, and GetTimesheet.co.uk.