UK Income Tax Calculator: What You’ll Pay in 2026/27
Quick answer
This income tax calculator shows exactly how much Income Tax you pay on your salary in the 2026/27 tax year, and what is left as take-home pay once National Insurance is taken into account. Enter your gross salary above and you get the tax due, the effective rate as a percentage of your wages, and your net pay broken down by month and by year.
It is a full UK tax calculator for employees on PAYE across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a note on where Scotland differs. You will see how the £12,570 personal allowance and the 20%, 40% and 45% bands apply to your income, plus how a pension or student loan changes the result.
Use the Income Tax Calculator
Your details
Salary-sacrifice / net-pay pension - taken before tax is worked out.
National Insurance uses employee Class 1 (Category A) rates.
after tax & NI · 2026/27 · effective rate
Yearly
Monthly
Weekly
- Gross income
- Pension contribution
- Personal Allowance
- Taxable income
- ( on )
- Total Income Tax
- National Insurance
- Take-home (after tax & NI)
Estimate only - not tax advice. Excludes student loans & other deductions.
Take-home across the salary range
Your salary is marked along the curve. The kink near £100k is the Personal Allowance taper.
Your rates
Effective tax rate
Marginal tax on next £1
Total deductions
What your Income Tax Calculator result means
The Income Tax Calculator does more than show a number. Below your result it explains what your figures mean in practice - your effective and marginal rates, any allowances or thresholds you are close to, and the specific steps to take next. Enter your details above and the guidance updates to match your situation.
Do this next, in order
Estimates only - not financial or tax advice. Confirm figures on GOV.UK or with an adviser.
Compare saved scenarios
| Scenario | Income Tax | NI | Take-home | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Source: GOV.UK official rates
Quick answer
If you earn £50,000 in the 2026/27 tax year in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you pay about £7,486 Income Tax and £2,994.40 National Insurance, leaving take-home pay of roughly £39,519.60 a year (about £3,293 a month). The first £12,570 is tax-free, the next £37,700 is taxed at 20%, and income above £50,270 at 40%. Use the calculator above for your exact salary, pension and student loan situation.
Key facts for 2026/27
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Tax year | 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027 |
| Personal Allowance | £12,570 (frozen until April 2031) |
| Basic rate | 20% on £12,571 to £50,270 |
| Higher rate | 40% on £50,271 to £125,140 |
| Additional rate | 45% above £125,140 |
| Employee National Insurance | 8% between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% |
| Allowance taper | Personal Allowance shrinks £1 per £2 earned over £100,000 |
How the calculation works
- Start with taxable income: salary plus benefits, minus pension contributions and other reliefs.
- Take off your Personal Allowance: usually £12,570, shown in tax code 1257L. Check yours with the tax code checker.
- Apply the bands in order: 20%, then 40%, then 45% on each slice, not your whole salary.
- Add National Insurance: a separate 8% then 2% charge on earnings, calculated per pay period.
Real examples, checked by hand
Example 1: £40,000 salary (England, tax code 1257L)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salary | £40,000 |
| Income Tax | £5,486.00 |
| National Insurance | £2,194.40 |
| Take-home pay | £32,319.60 (£2,693 a month) |
Example 2: £70,000 salary (England, tax code 1257L)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salary | £70,000 |
| Income Tax | £15,432.00 |
| National Insurance | £3,410.60 |
| Take-home pay | £51,157.40 (£4,263 a month) |
Both examples assume no pension contributions or student loan; add yours in the calculator above to see the difference they make.
England, Wales and NI vs Scotland
Scotland sets its own bands on earned income (savings and dividends use UK-wide rates). The same salary can be taxed differently either side of the border:
| Scottish band | Rate | Income range (with full allowance) |
|---|---|---|
| Starter rate | 19% | £12,570 to £16,537 |
| Basic rate | 20% | £16,537 to £29,526 |
| Intermediate rate | 21% | £29,526 to £43,662 |
| Higher rate | 42% | £43,662 to £75,000 |
| Advanced rate | 45% | £75,000 to £125,140 |
| Top rate | 48% | above £125,140 |
Live in Scotland? Use the Scotland tax calculator for exact figures.
Common mistakes that cost real money
- Wrong tax code: HMRC repaid about £3 billion to 4.2 million people who overpaid in 2024/25. Check yours free with the tax code checker.
- Thinking the 40% rate hits your whole salary: only the slice above £50,270 is taxed at 40%.
- Ignoring the £100,000 trap: the allowance taper makes income between £100,000 and £125,140 effectively taxed at 60%. See the 60% tax trap calculator.
- Forgetting the Child Benefit charge: between £60,000 and £80,000 it quietly claws back your household's Child Benefit. Check the Child Benefit tax calculator.
- Missing reliefs: work expenses, Marriage Allowance and pension relief go unclaimed by millions. Try the refund checker.
Legal ways to pay less
- Pension contributions reduce taxable income pound for pound: a higher-rate taxpayer gets £100 into their pot for a net £60. See pension tax relief.
- Salary sacrifice saves National Insurance too: model it with the salary sacrifice calculator.
- Marriage Allowance moves £1,260 of allowance between partners, worth £252 a year plus up to £1,260 backdated.
- ISAs shelter savings interest and gains entirely: £20,000 allowance per person per year.
- Gift Aid extends your basic-rate band, so higher-rate taxpayers get relief on donations.
Checklist before you rely on a number
- Confirm your tax code on your latest payslip (1257L is standard)
- Have your P60 (year end) or P45 (job change) to hand
- Include every income source: second jobs, savings interest, dividends, rental
- Deduct pension contributions before comparing bands
- Sign in to your Personal Tax Account to see what HMRC already knows
Sources
Every rate and threshold on this page is verified against official sources and re-checked each April by the TaxFly editorial team: GOV.UK income tax rates, HMRC rates and thresholds 2026/27, and Scottish Government income tax. See how we calculate.
Reviewed by
Laura Michelle Davis - Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA)
ACCA · CTA (Chartered Tax Adviser) · ATT · BSc Economics, UC Berkeley
Laura Michelle Davis is a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) who also holds the ACCA and ATT qualifications and a BSc in Economics from UC Berkeley. She specialises in UK personal tax, covering income tax, National Insurance, self-employment and capital gains, and has built her career making complicated rules easy to follow. At TaxFly, Laura writes and edits the tax guides and explainers, checking that figures reflect current HMRC rates and that every explanation answers the question a real person is actually asking. Her goal is plain-English clarity you can trust and act on.
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