# UK Take Home Pay Calculator

Calculate UK take-home pay after income tax, National Insurance, pension, and student loan. Uses 2025/26 tax year rates and thresholds.

## What this calculates

Find out your actual UK take-home pay after income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions, and student loan repayments. Uses 2025/26 tax year rates for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

## Inputs

- **Gross Annual Salary** (£) — min 0 — Your total annual salary before deductions.
- **Pension Contribution** (%) — min 0, max 100 — Your employee pension contribution percentage (auto-enrolment minimum is 5%).
- **Student Loan Plan** — options: No Student Loan, Plan 1 (pre-2012), Plan 2 (post-2012), Plan 4 (Scotland), Plan 5 (post-2023) — Select your student loan repayment plan, if applicable.
- **Tax Code Allowance** (£) — min 0 — Your personal allowance from your tax code (default 1257L = 12,570).

## Outputs

- **Annual Take-Home Pay** — formatted as currency — Your net annual income after all deductions.
- **Monthly Take-Home Pay** — formatted as currency — Net pay per month.
- **Income Tax (Annual)** — formatted as currency — Total income tax for the year.
- **National Insurance (Annual)** — formatted as currency — Employee NI contributions for the year.
- **Pension (Annual)** — formatted as currency — Your annual pension contribution.
- **Student Loan (Annual)** — formatted as currency — Annual student loan repayment.
- **Effective Tax Rate** — formatted as percentage — Total deductions as a percentage of gross salary.

## Details

Your UK take-home pay is your gross salary minus income tax, National Insurance contributions (NICs), pension contributions, and any student loan repayments. On a typical salary of 35,000, you can expect to take home roughly 27,000-28,000 depending on your pension and student loan.

## How UK Income Tax Works

The UK uses a progressive tax system for 2025/26:
- **Personal Allowance:** The first 12,570 is tax-free
- **Basic rate (20%):** 12,571 to 50,270
- **Higher rate (40%):** 50,271 to 125,140
- **Additional rate (45%):** Over 125,140

Your personal allowance decreases by 1 for every 2 you earn above 100,000, disappearing entirely at 125,140. This creates an effective 60% tax rate in the 100,000-125,140 band.

## National Insurance

Employees pay Class 1 NICs at 8% on earnings between 12,570 and 50,270, and 2% on anything above 50,270. Your employer also pays 13.8% on top of your salary, though this does not come out of your pay.

## Pension Auto-Enrolment

Most employees are auto-enrolled into a workplace pension with a minimum 5% employee contribution (your employer adds at least 3%). Pension contributions are deducted before income tax, giving you tax relief at your marginal rate.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What is the personal allowance for 2025/26?**

A: The personal allowance for the 2025/26 tax year is 12,570. This is the amount you can earn before paying any income tax. If you earn more than 100,000, your personal allowance is reduced by 1 for every 2 of income above that threshold. At 125,140 and above, the personal allowance is zero.

**Q: How is National Insurance calculated?**

A: For 2025/26, employees pay 8% on earnings between 12,570 and 50,270 per year (the primary threshold and upper earnings limit). On earnings above 50,270, the rate drops to 2%. You pay nothing on earnings below 12,570. For example, on a 35,000 salary, you pay 8% on 22,430 (35,000 minus 12,570), which is 1,794.40 per year.

**Q: Which student loan plan am I on?**

A: Plan 1 applies if you started your course before September 2012 in England/Wales or any time in Northern Ireland. Plan 2 applies if you started after September 2012 in England/Wales. Plan 4 is for Scottish students. Plan 5 is for courses starting from August 2023 in England/Wales. Check your Student Loans Company account if you are unsure.

**Q: Does Scotland have different tax rates?**

A: Yes. Scotland sets its own income tax rates and bands, which differ from the rest of the UK. Scotland has six tax bands ranging from the starter rate (19%) to the top rate (48%). This calculator uses England, Wales, and Northern Ireland rates. Scottish taxpayers should adjust accordingly or use a dedicated Scottish tax calculator.

---

Source: https://vastcalc.com/calculators/finance/uk-take-home-pay
Category: Finance
Last updated: 2026-04-08