£29,000 after tax
A salary of £29,000 leaves you £24,399.60 a year after tax: £2,033.30 a month, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for 2026/27. That is £3,286.00 income tax and £1,314.40 National Insurance, so you keep 84.1% of what you earn. The figure is before any student loan repayment or pension contribution.
How much take home pay is £29,000? Written as 29k, the form most people type, 29k after tax is £24,399.60 a year and 29k take home pay is £2,033.30 a month, so take home pay on £29,000 in the UK is that monthly figure after income tax and National Insurance. Is 29k a good salary? It sits at the 48th percentile of UK taxpayers, so 48% earn less and 52% earn more.
- Annual
- £24,400
- Monthly
- £2,033.30
- Weekly
- £469.22
- Daily (5-day week)
- £93.84
£29,000 sits in the upper half of the basic rate, above 3 of the 5 student loan thresholds. For a borrower on one of those plans the effective marginal rate is 20% tax, National Insurance and 9% on top, which is why a rise at this salary feels thinner than the band suggests. Everything above the £12,570 allowance is taxed at 20%, with National Insurance on top, and that stays true until £50,270, £21,270 away. Plan 2 is the last to start, at £29,385. The next threshold is where higher-rate tax starts, at £50,270: £21,270 away.
£29,000 is £2,100 above the Plan 1 student loan threshold of £26,900, so a borrower on that plan repays 9% of that slice: £189.00 a year. This is one plan-specific example, not a recommendation of your plan. Your loan provider and course history determine the plan, not your current tax region. Compare your actual student loan plan.
Where the money goes
| Item | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £29,000.00 | £2,416.67 |
| Income tax | −£3,286.00 | −£273.83 |
| National Insurance | −£1,314.40 | −£109.53 |
| Take-home pay | £24,399.60 | £2,033.30 |
Income tax, band by band
| Basic rate (20%) | on £16,430.00 | £3,286.00 |
Personal allowance £12,570.00, so £16,430.00 is taxable.
Is £29,000 a good salary in the UK?
By HMRC's own income distribution (SPI 2023/24, the latest published), £29,000 puts you in roughly the top 52% of UK taxpayers, the median is £29,700, so this salary out-earns about 48% of everyone who pays income tax. As an hourly figure, £29,000 is £14.87 an hour at a 37.5-hour week, and £12.51 an hour after tax. Exact rank on the salary percentile calculator.
Which tax bands does £29,000 pass through?
- Tax free (personal allowance)
- £12,570
- Basic rate (taxed at 20%)
- £16,430 → £3,286 tax
Income tax £3,286, National Insurance £1,314, take-home £24,400, which is 84.1% of gross. The next pound is taxed at 28.0%.
Where £29,000 sits among UK taxpayers
Income at each percentile of UK taxpayers from HMRC's Survey of Personal Incomes. The median is £29,700, the 90th percentile £67,400 and the 99th £207,000. The vertical axis is logarithmic because the top of the distribution is many times the middle. A salary of £29,000 sits at about the 48th percentile.
Buying a home on £29,000? A lender will quote against the gross figure, but the repayments come out of the £2,033.30 a month above. The mortgage calculator shows what a given payment leaves of it, and the stamp duty on the price.
Jobs that pay about £29,000
Median full-time pay, ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a, 2025. Half of each profession earns more.
- Bakers and flour confectioners median £29,117
- Debt, rent and other cash collectors median £29,097
- Nursing auxiliaries and assistants median £29,084
- Financial administrative occupations n.e.c. median £28,996
- Caretakers median £28,950
- Veterinary nurses median £28,893
What a £1,000 pay rise is worth
On £29,000, a £1,000 rise leaves you £720.00 better off after tax and National Insurance, you keep 72% of it. Your marginal rate is 28%.
£29,000 after tax with a student loan or pension
The headline figure assumes neither. These are the same salary with the most common additions, each computed on the 2026/27 rates:
| Scenario | Extra deduction | Take-home | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a Plan 2 student loan | −£0.00 | £24,399.60 | £2,033.30 |
| With a Plan 5 student loan | −£360.00 | £24,039.60 | £2,003.30 |
| With a 5% salary-sacrifice pension | −£1,450.00 | £23,355.60 | £1,946.30 |
| Plan 2 loan and 5% pension together | −£1,450.00 | £23,355.60 | £1,946.30 |
Loan repayments apply only above each plan's threshold, so a £0 deduction means this salary is below it. Pension money is deferred pay, not lost: the 5% row's take-home excludes £1,450.00 going into the pension. Your own combination, with any plan and all three pension arrangements: run it on the calculator.
If you live in Scotland
Scotland sets its own income tax bands. On £29,000 a Scottish taxpayer takes home £24,439.27, which is £39.67 more than in England. National Insurance is the same everywhere because it was never devolved.
Add pension and student loan →
The calculator handles all five student loan plans and the three pension arrangements.
What rent does £29,000 support?
A letting agent referencing on 30× gross would accept rent up to £967 a month. Out of the £2,033.30 that arrives, 30% is £610, which is the figure a budget can live on. The gap between the two is £357 a month. Both are conventions rather than rules; the rent affordability calculator shows them side by side with a partner's income added.
Questions people ask about £29,000
What tax band is £29,000 in?
The basic rate. Income above £12,570 is taxed at 20% up to £50,270, and £29,000 is £21,270 below that.
How much can I earn before higher-rate tax?
£21,270 more. Higher-rate tax starts at £50,270 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for 2026/27.
Is £29,000 above the UK median salary?
Not quite. £29,000 is above about 48% of UK taxpayers; the median is £31,500 on HMRC's distribution.
2026/27 HMRC rates, checked 28 August 2026 by Hadi. Assumes the standard 1257L tax code, no pension and no student loan.