UK Paycheck calculator
Gross-to-net take-home pay for any pay frequency.
Your pay
Tax year: 2026/27 · Source: HMRC (gov.uk)
| Gross income | £80,000.00 |
| Income tax | −£19,432.00 |
| National Insurance (Class 1) | −£3,610.60 |
| Net take-home | £56,957.40 |
| Effective tax rate | 28.8% |
- · Rates for England, Wales & Northern Ireland. Scotland has separate bands.
- · Personal allowance: £12,570.
Understanding your inputs
- Gross annual salary
- Your yearly salary before tax, converted down to each pay period.
- Pay frequency
- How often you're paid — weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly — which sets the per-cheque figures.
Understanding your results
- Net per period
- Your take-home pay for each cheque after tax and deductions.
- Gross per period
- Your pre-tax pay for each cheque at the chosen frequency.
- Tax per period
- What's withheld each cheque for tax and contributions.
Common scenarios
Jump straight to a pre-calculated answer for a typical scenario.
How your UK payslip is calculated
Most UK employees are paid through PAYE (Pay As You Earn). Income tax and National Insurance are deducted automatically each pay run using your tax code:
Net pay = Gross − income tax − National Insurance − pension − student loan
Worked example (£40,000/yr, monthly)
- Personal Allowance £12,570, so taxable income £27,430 at 20% = £5,486/yr
- National Insurance: 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £40,000 = ~£2,194/yr
- Combined annual deductions ≈ £7,680
- Net ≈ £2,693/month before pension and student loan
Your tax code
The code (e.g. 1257L) tells your employer how much tax-free pay to give each period. A wrong code — common after changing jobs — means over- or under-payment until HMRC corrects it. Codes like BR (basic rate on everything) or K (negative allowance) are worth checking.
Salary sacrifice and pensions
Workplace pension contributions usually come out before tax (or via salary sacrifice), reducing both income tax and National Insurance. Salary sacrifice is especially efficient because it cuts NI as well — a benefit you don't get from personal-pension top-ups.
Common mistakes
- Not checking your tax code. An emergency code can cost hundreds before it's fixed.
- Forgetting student loan plans. Plans 1/2/4/5 and postgraduate loans deduct different percentages above different thresholds.
- Ignoring the £100k allowance taper. Above £100,000 each extra £2 of pay removes £1 of Personal Allowance.
What this doesn't cover
- Scottish tax bands (different rates)
- Benefits in kind (company car, private medical) taxed via your code
- Court orders and attachment of earnings
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Key terms
Frequently asked questions
How is take-home pay calculated?
What's deducted from my paycheck?
How does pay frequency affect tax?
Why is my first paycheck taxed differently?
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