Tax code 1257L
This is the standard tax code for the 2026/27 tax year. It gives you the full personal allowance of £12,570 on annual gross £36,000 (£3,000 per month). What does 1257L mean?
For anyone paid through UK PAYE
Your payslip could be wrong. Find out in 30 seconds, for free.
Photograph your payslip or type the figures in. You get a line-by-line verdict on your tax code, PAYE, NI, pension and student loan, and the question to put to payroll.
Check my payslip free
Processed in memory. Never stored by PayslipIQ. No signup.
- HMRC 2026/27 rates
- Method reviewed 13 Aug 2026
- No signup, no HMRC login
- Image not stored by PayslipIQ
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- ICO registered ZC214216 (opens in a new tab)
Not affiliated with HMRC. Not regulated tax, legal, financial, payroll or employment advice.
What is PayslipIQ?
PayslipIQ is a free, independent UK payslip checker. You upload a redacted payslip photo or enter your figures manually, and it checks your tax code, PAYE income tax, National Insurance, pension and student-loan deductions against published HMRC 2026/27 rates, then flags anything worth querying with payroll or HMRC. There is no signup, your payslip image is not stored after processing, and the output is educational guidance only — not regulated advice.
To check whether the tax, NI and PAYE lines look right on your own slip, see How do I check my payslip is correct?.
Latest research
1 in 9 UK payslips contains a calculation discrepancy
Our modelled study of 10,000 synthetic UK payslips for 2024/25 found tax-code mismatches, NI category errors, and miscoded salary sacrifice the most common issues - a modelled estimate of £148/year per affected employee. Both figures are modelled estimates, not measurements of user data - see the methodology.
Read the full UK Payslip Errors 2026 report →What your free check looks like
A synthetic UK example. Plain English. Honest about uncertainty.
Sample report
United Kingdom payslip - illustrative
Synthetic data
OK status: Looks consistent Check status: Worth checking £360.50
PAYE income tax
PAYE looks slightly higher than expected for your taxable pay. Could be a recent code change, an underpayment carried over, or extra taxable benefits.
Next step: Compare against the previous payslip and confirm your code on your latest HMRC coding notice.
OK status: Looks consistent £144.16
National Insurance
Class 1 NI is consistent with category A at the main rate above the primary threshold.
OK status: Looks consistent £150.00
Pension (salary sacrifice)
Treated as a salary sacrifice arrangement: contribution is deducted before tax and NI, lowering both.
Educational guidance only - not financial advice.OK status: Looks consistent £2,345.34
Net pay
Take-home matches gross pay minus tax, NI and pension within rounding tolerance.
Illustrative example only. PayslipIQ does not give financial, tax or legal advice.
What PayslipIQ actually does
Your payslip image is not kept
It is held in memory for the check and never written to storage by PayslipIQ. Cover your name, address and NI number first: only the figures are needed.
Every UK deduction line, checked against published rates
The 2026/27 PAYE bands, Class 1 NI thresholds, all five student loan plans and the three pension setups (net pay, relief at source, salary sacrifice).
Photograph it, or type four numbers
A JPEG, PNG or WebP photo or screenshot, up to 5 MB. PDFs are not read directly - screenshot the PDF instead. Manual entry needs gross, net, tax and NI: the rest is pre-filled.
It tells you what to ask, not what to do
PayslipIQ is not HMRC, your employer or a regulated adviser. Take the questions it raises to payroll; do not act on the figures alone.
How your payslip is processed
Seven steps. No hidden middle. AI processing is disclosed.
You redact sensitive details
Cover your name, address, NI number, bank details and date of birth. Pay figures, tax code, NI category and deductions stay visible.
File is uploaded for analysis
Sent over HTTPS to PayslipIQ. Stored only in memory for the duration of the analysis.
PayslipIQ processes the image in memory
Our worker extracts the printed figures, runs the UK 2026/27 PAYE, NI, pension and student-loan logic, and prepares the explanation.
AI provider performs analysis
Two paths. Manual entry sends only the numbers you type. Photo upload sends the image (after in-browser downscale and EXIF strip) to Anthropic; anything still visible in that image is visible to the model. Automatic redaction is not implemented. Inputs are not used for model training.
PayslipIQ does not store the image
Once the analysis is complete, the uploaded file is purged. We do not write the image or payslip figures to an application database. Hosting and rate-limit retention is listed on the Trust Centre.
You receive plain-English educational output
Per-line explanation, anomaly flags, and a list of next questions to ask payroll, HMRC, your pension provider or a qualified adviser.
You verify with payroll or HMRC before acting
PayslipIQ provides educational estimates only. Always confirm final figures with your payroll team, HMRC, your pension provider, your accountant or a qualified adviser.
Honest about scope
We are a check, not a replacement for your accountant.
What PayslipIQ can do
- ✓Read a redacted payslip and explain each line in plain English.
- ✓Sanity-check PAYE, NI, USC, PRSI and student loan deductions.
- ✓Flag tax codes that look unusual or emergency-style.
- ✓Reconcile gross, deductions and net pay so the maths is shown.
- ✓Give you a concrete next question to ask payroll or HMRC/Revenue.
What PayslipIQ cannot do
- Give you regulated tax, legal or financial advice.
- File or amend anything with HMRC or Revenue on your behalf.
- Replace a conversation with payroll about your specific case.
- Recover overpaid tax or chase missing pay for you.
- Verify the authenticity of a payslip image you upload.
How we work
PayslipIQ reads each payslip line, applies the public PAYE, NI, USC and PRSI rules for the relevant tax year, and compares the result to what your payslip shows. We are explicit about ranges and uncertainty, we cite official sources, and we never pretend to be regulated advice. Read more in our payroll accuracy methodology, payslip processing privacy notice and Trust Centre.
Common questions
- Is PayslipIQ HMRC?
- No. PayslipIQ is an independent UK educational utility. We are not affiliated with HMRC and we do not have access to your HMRC record. Always verify with HMRC before acting on what we show.
- Can PayslipIQ tell me exactly what I am owed?
- No. PayslipIQ gives an educational read of the figures on the payslip you upload. The legally correct number sits with your employer and HMRC. We surface anomalies worth questioning — we do not issue refunds or rulings.
- Does PayslipIQ store my payslip?
- No. The image is processed in memory by our AI provider, the educational summary is returned to your browser, and the file is discarded. We do not retain payslip images or extracted personal data.
- Is PayslipIQ free?
- Yes. The core payslip check, take-home-pay calculator, and all UK checker tools are free to use. There is no signup wall and no paid tier required for the educational output.
More on how the checks are produced in the payroll accuracy methodology.
The checks people search for
Targeted plain-English checkers for the most common UK payroll problems.
Choose your country
Tax systems differ. Pick the one that matches your payslip.
Pay scales and payroll guides
The guides people use PayslipIQ for most: 2026/27 pay scales for the armed forces and the public sector, and the payroll forms, deductions and HMRC letters that employers and employees look up.
Forces and public-sector pay scales
Full pay tables by rank, band or spine point, with the allowances and reliefs that go with them.
RAF pay scales 2026/27
Full RAF pay scale tables for 2026/27: Other Ranks and Officer rates, the 14.5% X-factor and the Aircrew Pay Spines, with AFPRB sources.
Army pay scales 2026/27
British Army pay for 2026/27 - Private to WO1, 2Lt to Colonel, the 14.5% X-factor, trade supplements and Longer Separation Allowance levels, with AFPRB sources.
Royal Navy pay scales 2026/27
Royal Navy pay for 2026/27 - Able Rating to WO1, Midshipman to Captain RN, the 14.5% X-factor, submarine pay, sea allowances and the AFPS 15 pension scheme.
Armed forces tax reliefs
UK Armed Forces tax reliefs for 2026/27 - Operational Allowance, the sixteen LSA levels and their rates, GYH Travel and the Continuity of Education Allowance.
Higher education pay spine
How the UK higher education pay spine works in 2026/27 - the grade-to-spine-point map, annual increments, London weighting, and the disputed 1.8% UCEA offer.
Police pay scales 2026/27
A constable starts on £31,164 and banks about £1,896 a month. No constable or sergeant point pays 40% tax on basic pay - the pension comes off first.
Teacher pay scales 2026/27
Teacher M1 rises to £34,069 from 1 September 2026, about £2,169 a month after deductions. The statutory pay document is not out yet, so payslips may lag.
Resident doctor pay 2026/27
Resident doctor pay for 2026/27 - all ten nodal points, additional rostered hours, weekend allowance, on-call supplement and flexible pay premia explained.
NHS consultant pay 2026/27
How NHS Consultant pay is built - 10 PA basic, additional PAs, on-call supplement, Clinical Excellence Awards, private practice and the £100k Personal.
All forces pay guidesAll public-sector pay guidesPayslip checks by job
Payroll forms, deductions and HMRC letters
What each form, code and deduction means, who is responsible for it and what to check.
P11D and benefits in kind
What a P11D is, which benefits in kind appear on it, how it changes your tax code, when it triggers a K-code, the two HMRC deadlines, and what to check.
NI category letters
Understand the NI category letters on your UK payslip. Learn what categories A, B, C, H, M, and others mean for your National Insurance contributions.
USS pension
How the Universities Superannuation Scheme works in 2026/27 - the 6.1% employee and 14.5% employer rates, the DB salary threshold and the DC Investment Builder.
Attachment of earnings orders
UK Attachment of Earnings Orders (AEO) explained - court fines, council tax, child maintenance (DEO), CCJ deductions, employer obligations, how to challenge.
Employer PAYE reference
Your employer PAYE reference explained - the 120/AB12345 format, where it sits on a payslip, P60 and P45, when HMRC needs it, and every other payslip reference.
P800 tax calculation letter
What an HMRC P800 tax calculation letter means, when it arrives, how to claim a refund in 5 working days, and what happens if you owe under or over £3,000.
Apprentice pay 2026/27
The £8.00 apprentice rate from April 2026, the age-band uplift most employers miss, the 20% off-the-job training rule, NI category H and travel-to-training pay.
Jury service pay
What you are paid for UK jury service - the daily loss of earnings caps by trial length, your employer's legal duty, Form 5223, tax treatment and overruns.
How long an HMRC refund takes
A P800 bank transfer claimed online lands in 5 working days, an automatic cheque in 14 days, a requested one in up to 6 weeks. Other claims have no fixed time.
Educational guidance only. Not regulated tax, legal, financial, payroll or employment advice. Not affiliated with HMRC. Always verify figures with your payroll team, HMRC, your pension provider or a qualified adviser before acting. UK & Ireland.