UK Take-Home Pay Calculator
Enter an annual salary — or an hourly rate and weekly hours — and see gross pay, income tax by band, employee National Insurance and the monthly net that actually lands in your account.
By the TipsPay UK editorial team · Updated $1
Key numbers at a glance
| Deduction (2025/26 & 2026/27, rUK) | Rate | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Allowance | 0% | first £12,570 |
| Income tax — basic rate | 20% | £12,571 – £50,270 |
| Income tax — higher / additional | 40% / 45% | to £125,140 / above |
| Employee National Insurance (Class 1) | 8% | £12,571 – £50,270, then 2% |
| £30,000 salary — net | £25,119.60/yr ≈ £2,093.30/month | |
2025/26 tax year estimates — verify current thresholds with GOV.UK income tax rates and GOV.UK National Insurance rates. Thresholds are frozen and unchanged for 2026/27.
Estimates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Not included: pension contributions, student loan repayments, childcare or benefits in kind — all of which change net pay. Tips and tronc payments are taxable but are not part of this salary calculation. This is not tax advice.
How UK take-home pay is calculated
Three steps produce your net pay. Step one — gross pay: salary, or hourly rate × weekly hours × 52. Step two — income tax: everyone gets a Personal Allowance of £12,570 tax-free (2025/26 and 2026/27 — the allowance is frozen). Everything above it to £50,270 is taxed at 20%; income from £50,271 to £125,140 at 40%; and income above £125,140 at 45%. One twist: the allowance itself is tapered away by £1 for every £2 earned over £100,000, hitting zero at £125,140. Step three — National Insurance: employee Class 1 NI is 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 a year, and 2% on everything above £50,270.
Worked example on £30,000: taxable income is £30,000 − £12,570 = £17,430, all inside the basic band, so income tax = 20% × £17,430 = £3,486. NI = 8% × £17,430 = £1,394.40. Net = £30,000 − £3,486 − £1,394.40 = £25,119.60 a year, or £2,093.30 a month — a take-home rate of 83.7%. Full-time on the National Living Wage (38 hours at £12.71 = £25,114.96) nets about £21,602 a year using the same steps — see the minimum wage calculator for the gross side.
Where the money goes: tax bands explained
Bands are marginal: the 40% rate never applies to your whole salary, only to the slice above £50,270. A worker on £52,000 pays 20% on the £37,700 above the allowance, and 40% only on the £1,730 above £50,270. The 45% additional rate works the same way above £125,140 — and because the Personal Allowance is fully tapered at that point, every pound from £100,000 to £125,140 is taxed at 40% while also destroying 50p of allowance, an effective rate above 60% on that slice.
| Salary | Income tax | NI (8%/2%) | Net / year | Net / month | Take-home % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £12,570 (minimum wage floor, part hours) | £0 | £0 | £12,570.00 | £1,047.50 | 100% |
| £20,000 | £1,486.00 | £594.40 | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | 89.6% |
| £25,114.96 (NLW, 38 h × 52) | £2,508.99 | £1,003.60 | £21,602.37 | £1,800.20 | 86.0% |
| £30,000 | £3,486.00 | £1,394.40 | £25,119.60 | £2,093.30 | 83.7% |
| £50,270 (top of basic band) | £7,540.00 | £3,016.00 | £39,714.00 | £3,309.50 | 79.0% |
| £60,000 | £11,432.00 | £3,210.60 | £45,357.40 | £3,779.78 | 75.6% |
| £80,000 | £19,432.00 | £3,610.60 | £56,957.40 | £4,746.45 | 71.2% |
2025/26 estimates using frozen rUK bands; the same thresholds apply for 2026/27 per GOV.UK. Figures exclude pension, student loans and other deductions. Scottish bands differ — see below.
Note what the table shows: between the minimum wage and £50,270, every extra pound earned loses 20p income tax plus 8p NI — a 28% marginal rate. Above £50,270 the marginal rate is 42% (40% + 2%), which is why overtime, promotions and taxed tips feel like they shrink in value past that line.
Scotland, pensions and the fine print
Scotland. Scottish income tax has more bands and different rates (including a starter rate below 20% and a top rate above the rUK additional rate), so identical salaries produce different net pay either side of the border. This calculator uses rUK bands — verify Scottish rates at GOV.SCOT income tax.
Pensions. Auto-enrolment pension contributions (minimum 5% of qualifying earnings from you, 3% from your employer) come out before tax relief, reducing net pay but not by the full contribution. Student loans. Plan 2 repayments take 9% of income above the repayment threshold — a real bite for many hospitality managers. Tips. Card tips through payroll are taxed via PAYE with Class 1 NI; genuine tronc payments escape NI but not income tax; cash tips you pocket directly are outside PAYE but still taxable. This is general information, not tax advice — verify with GOV.UK or HMRC.
FAQ
How much take-home pay is £30,000 a year in the UK?
Roughly £25,119.60 a year — about £2,093.30 a month. Income tax is £3,486 (20% on £17,430 above the £12,570 Personal Allowance) and employee Class 1 National Insurance is £1,394.40 (8% on the same band). This uses rUK bands; Scottish rates differ.
What are the UK tax bands for 2025/26 and 2026/27?
The Personal Allowance is £12,570 tax-free; 20% applies from £12,571 to £50,270; 40% from £50,271 to £125,140; and 45% above £125,140. The bands are frozen, so they apply to both 2025/26 and 2026/27 — verify current thresholds on GOV.UK.
What is the employee National Insurance rate?
Class 1 employee NI is 8% on earnings between the Primary Threshold (£12,570 a year, £1,048 a month) and the Upper Earnings Limit (£50,270 a year), and 2% on everything above that. There is no NI on income within your Personal Allowance.
Are tips included in take-home pay?
Tips, service charges and tronc payments are taxable income, so they add to your tax bill — but a genuine tronc is exempt from Class 1 National Insurance, and cash tips you receive directly sit outside PAYE. This calculator covers salary only; read our tronc and tips law guides for how tips are taxed.
Why is the 45% tax rate described as starting at £125,140?
The Personal Allowance shrinks by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000, reaching zero at £125,140. That is why the additional rate threshold and the end of the allowance line up — and why effective deductions between £100,000 and £125,140 can exceed 60% on each extra pound.
Do Scottish workers pay the same income tax?
No. Scotland sets its own bands and rates (a starter rate and different higher and top rates), so Scottish take-home pay differs from the rest of the UK at the same salary. This calculator uses England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands; check current Scottish rates on GOV.SCOT.