Your take-home pay is your salary minus income tax, National Insurance and, for many people, a pension contribution and student loan. Here's what each salary from £20,000 to £150,000 leaves you with in the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), using the rates published on GOV.UK.
For your exact figure, including your pension and any student loan, use the UK take-home pay calculator.
Take-home pay by salary, 2026/27
Income tax and National Insurance for an employee with a standard 1257L tax code, no pension and no student loan. The last two columns show the monthly take-home pay in the rest of the UK and in Scotland.
| Salary | Income tax | National Insurance | Take-home a year | A month | A month (Scotland) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £20,000 | £1,486 | £594 | £17,920 | £1,493 | £1,497 |
| £25,000 | £2,486 | £994 | £21,520 | £1,793 | £1,797 |
| £30,000 | £3,486 | £1,394 | £25,120 | £2,093 | £2,096 |
| £35,000 | £4,486 | £1,794 | £28,720 | £2,393 | £2,392 |
| £40,000 | £5,486 | £2,194 | £32,320 | £2,693 | £2,688 |
| £45,000 | £6,486 | £2,594 | £35,920 | £2,993 | £2,960 |
| £50,000 | £7,486 | £2,994 | £39,520 | £3,293 | £3,169 |
| £60,000 | £11,432 | £3,211 | £45,357 | £3,780 | £3,634 |
| £70,000 | £15,432 | £3,411 | £51,157 | £4,263 | £4,101 |
| £80,000 | £19,432 | £3,611 | £56,957 | £4,746 | £4,555 |
| £100,000 | £27,432 | £4,011 | £68,557 | £5,713 | £5,438 |
| £125,000 | £42,432 | £4,511 | £78,057 | £6,505 | £6,074 |
| £150,000 | £53,703 | £5,011 | £91,286 | £7,607 | £7,113 |
Figures are rounded to the nearest pound.
How it's worked out
Income tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The first £12,570 is tax-free (the Personal Allowance). You pay 20% on the next £37,700, up to £50,270, then 40% up to £125,140 and 45% above that.
Income tax (Scotland). Same allowance, then six bands: 19% starter rate to £16,537, 20% basic to £29,526, 21% intermediate to £43,662, 42% higher to £75,000, 45% advanced to £125,140 and 48% top rate. Scots earning under about £33,000 pay slightly less than the rest of the UK; above that they pay more, by around £1,500 a year at £50,000 and £3,300 at £100,000.
National Insurance. Employees pay 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% on everything above, wherever they live in the UK.
The 60% tax trap between £100,000 and £125,140
Above £100,000 your Personal Allowance shrinks by £1 for every £2 you earn, until it's gone at £125,140. So in that range, each extra £100 of pay costs £40 in tax at the higher rate, plus another £20 of tax because £50 of allowance disappears, plus £2 National Insurance: you keep just £38. That's why take-home pay rises by only about £9,500 between £100,000 and £125,000 in the table above.
Pension contributions are the usual way out. On £110,000, putting £11,000 into a pension by salary sacrifice brings your income back to £99,000, restoring the full allowance. It costs only £4,380 of take-home pay, while £11,000 goes into your pension.
What else comes out of your pay
- Workplace pension: auto-enrolment means most employees pay at least 5% of qualifying earnings, with tax relief. Salary sacrifice also saves National Insurance.
- Student loan: 9% of income above your plan's threshold: £26,900 (Plan 1), £29,385 (Plan 2), £33,795 (Plan 4, Scotland) or £25,000 (Plan 5). For a Postgraduate Loan it's 6% above £21,000.
- Tax code changes: a company car, unpaid tax from a previous year or a second job can change your tax code and your take-home pay.
See the effect of each on your own salary, by month or week, with the take-home pay calculator. If you're buying a home, the Stamp Duty calculator and affordability calculator show what that pay can buy.
Rates from GOV.UK for the 2026/27 tax year. Estimates for planning, not tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026.