Income tax calculator: how much tax will I pay?
This free UK tax and National Insurance calculator shows exactly what HMRC will take from any salary for the 2026/27 tax year (rates checked 28 August 2026 against HMRC). On £30,000 you pay £3,486.00 income tax and £1,394.40 National Insurance; on £50,000 it is £7,486.00 tax and £2,994.40 NI, every figure computed band by band below, not estimated. Unlike HMRC's own estimate-your-income-tax tool, this one also handles the three pension arrangement types, all five student loan plans, Scottish bands, and the personal allowance taper above £100,000. Enter your salary, the tax, NI and PAYE breakdown updates instantly.
Calculator
Income tax calculator
Take-home pay, 2026/27
Gross £30,000.00 · England & Northern Ireland · tax code 1257L · rates checked 28 August 2026
Your estimated take-home
£2,093.30
per month
£25,120 a year · £483.07 a week · from £30,000 gross
HMRC 2026/27 · checked 28 August 2026 · standard 1257L unless set
- You keep
- 83.7%
- of gross pay
- Tax + NI rate
- 16.3%
- effective, overall
- Marginal rate
- 28.0%
- on your next £1
- Hourly take-home
- £12.88
- at 37.5 hrs/week
- Before the next rate
- £20,270
- more before higher rate starts
- Costs your employer
- £33,750
- your pay plus £3,750 employer NI
Where it goes
| Item | Annual | Monthly | Weekly | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £30,000.00 | £2,500.00 | £576.92 | £115.38 |
| Income Tax | −£3,486.00 | −£290.50 | −£67.04 | −£13.41 |
| National Insurance | −£1,394.40 | −£116.20 | −£26.82 | −£5.36 |
| Take-home pay | £25,119.60 | £2,093.30 | £483.07 | £96.61 |
How your tax was calculated
Your first £12,570.00 is covered by your personal allowance, so you pay no income tax on it. The remaining £17,430.00 is taxed band by band, each band's rate applies only to the slice of income inside it, never to the whole salary:
| Basic rate (20%) | on £17,430.00 | £3,486.00 |
National Insurance is worked out separately, per pay period, at 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above.
Assumes the standard 1257L tax code and no benefits in kind. Rates from HMRC for 2026/27, checked 28 August 2026. Your payslip may differ if your tax code is different or you have other income.
truetakehome.co.uk · Free UK take-home pay calculator on published HMRC rates.
Full rate tables: truetakehome.co.uk/tax-rates/2026-27/ · How we check the figures: truetakehome.co.uk/about/ · Corrections: truetakehome.co.uk/corrections/
Check this against HMRC's own estimator at gov.uk/estimate-income-tax. If they disagree, HMRC is right and we fix it at source.
Estimate only, not tax advice. Independent of HMRC and GOV.UK. © 2026 True Take-Home.
Tax calculator 2026/27: how much tax and NI at common salaries
| Salary | Income tax | National Insurance | Total to HMRC |
|---|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £3,486.00 | £1,394.40 | £4,880.40 |
| £50,000 | £7,486.00 | £2,994.40 | £10,480.40 |
| £80,000 | £19,432.00 | £3,610.60 | £23,042.60 |
Common questions
How much income tax will I pay?
It depends on your salary and where you live, and it is charged band by band rather than at one rate. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the first £12,570 is tax free on the standard 1257L code, the next slice to £50,270 is taxed at 20%, and income above that at 40% until £125,140, then 45%. Only the slice inside each band is charged at that band's rate, so a pay rise never taxes your whole salary at a higher rate.
How is PAYE worked out on my payslip?
PAYE is cumulative. It spreads your personal allowance and each rate band evenly across the tax year, then recalculates the whole year to date every payday and corrects any difference. That is why a bonus month looks over-taxed and settles later, and why a mid-year job change can produce a large refund through payroll rather than a claim. National Insurance works differently: it is charged per pay period and never trued up.
Is income tax different in Scotland?
Yes. Scotland sets its own rates and bands and has six of them rather than three, running from a 19% starter rate to a 48% top rate. National Insurance is not devolved, so it is identical across the UK. The personal allowance is also UK-wide. Select Scotland in the calculator above to see the difference on your own salary.
Why is my tax higher than this calculator says?
The most common reason is your tax code. This assumes the standard 1257L; an emergency code, a code carrying an underpayment from a previous job, or a BR code on your only job will all deduct more. Benefits in kind such as a company car reduce your allowance too. The tax code checker decodes any code, and the payslip checker compares what your payslip says against what these rates produce.
A pay rise never taxes your whole salary at the higher rate
This is the most common misunderstanding in UK pay, and it is easiest to settle by looking at it. Each rate applies only to the money inside its own band.
- Tax free (personal allowance)
- £12,570
- Basic rate (taxed at 20%)
- £37,700 → £7,540 tax
- Higher rate (taxed at 40%)
- £9,730 → £3,892 tax
Income tax £11,432, National Insurance £3,211, take-home £45,357, which is 75.6% of gross. The next pound is taxed at 42.0%.
How to use the income tax calculator
- 1
Enter your gross salary and your region.
- 2
Add pension, student loan and your tax code if it is not the standard one.
- 3
Read the tax band by band, each rate applying only to the slice inside it.
- 4
Check the marginal rate, which is what your next pound is taxed at.
When should you use the income tax calculator?
Use it whenever you need the tax on a salary broken down band by band, including Scottish rates and a non-standard tax code.
You want to know your tax bill
Band-by-band is the only way to see it, since no rate applies to your whole salary.
You are checking a payslip
The annual figure divided by twelve is what a normal month should look like.
You are comparing salaries
The tax on the difference is what decides whether a rise is worth it.
You live in Scotland
Six bands rather than three, and the figures differ from the rest of the UK.
Where to go next
- National Insurance calculatorTo the other deduction on the same salary.Open
- Tax code checkerTo check the code the calculation assumes.Open
- Scottish income tax calculatorTo the Scottish bands instead.Open
All 51 calculators share one tested engine, so a figure from the income tax calculator agrees with every other page here. See the full calculator index or the pay and tax guides.
How is PAYE calculated?
PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is how your employer collects the tax this page calculates: your tax code tells payroll how much tax-free allowance to spread across the year (the standard 1257L code gives £12,570), income tax is then worked out cumulatively, each payday looks at your total pay and tax so far this tax year, while National Insurance is charged per pay period at 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above. That cumulative-versus-per-period difference is why a bonus month looks over-taxed and why a wrong tax code compounds every payday until it is fixed.
Looking for HMRC's own calculator?
HMRC's official estimate-your-income-tax tool is at gov.uk/estimate-income-tax, this site is independent and not affiliated with HMRC. The official tool is deliberately simple; use this page when you need pension arrangements, student loan plans, Scottish rates or the £100,000–£125,140 taper handled properly.
Related calculators
- Take-home pay calculator: the same engine, framed around what you keep.
- National Insurance calculator: NI on its own, band by band.
- Scottish tax calculator: all six Scottish bands.
- Self-employed tax calculator: income tax plus Class 4 NI on profits.
- Tax rebate calculator: over-taxed by PAYE mid-year.
2026/27 rates, checked 28 August 2026 by Hadi. Method on the about page.