Free UK Payslip Guides
Plain-English explanations of everything on your payslip: from tax codes and PAYE to pension deductions and student loans. All updated for the 2026/27 tax year.
127 expert guides available
Plain-English explanations of everything on your payslip: from tax codes and PAYE to pension deductions and student loans. All updated for the 2026/27 tax year.
How British Army pay works in 2026/27 - Other Ranks Private to WO1, Officers 2Lt to Colonel, the 14.5% X-factor, Pay Spine, specialist supplements, AFPS 15 pension and the Army payslip explained.
Full NHS Agenda for Change pay scales for 2026/27 — every band 2 to 9, London weighting, the NHS pension, and a worked Band 5 nurse payslip example.
A complete guide to UK police pay scales for 2025/26, the latest published figures. Constable pay points, sergeant and inspector salaries, London weighting and pensions.
How Royal Navy pay works in 2026/27 - Able Rating to Warrant Officer 1, Midshipman to Captain RN, the 14.5% X-factor, submarine pay, sea allowances, AFPS 15 pension and the RN payslip explained.
Verified England teacher pay scales for 2025/26 (M1–M6, UPS, leadership, TLR), London weighting, the Teachers Pension Scheme and a worked payslip example.
A side-by-side comparison of all three Armed Forces Pension Schemes - AFPS 75 final salary, AFPS 05 final salary closed, AFPS 15 CARE - covering accrual, retirement age, McCloud remedy and which scheme suits your circumstances.
UK apprenticeship pay 2026 - £7.55 apprentice minimum wage, age-band uplift, 20% off-the-job rule, NI category H, training and travel pay rights.
UK Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15) - non-contributory CARE accrual 1/47, EDP at 20 years service, resettlement grants, McCloud remedy.
How the £60,000 Annual Allowance affects Armed Forces Senior Officers in 2026/27 - Pension Input Amount calculation, Scheme Pays, carry forward, McCloud-period AA compensation, AFPS AVC strategy.
UK Attachment of Earnings Orders (AEO) explained - court fines, council tax, child maintenance (DEO), CCJ deductions, employer obligations, how to challenge.
UK Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) explained 2026/27 - Shared Cost AVC, tax relief, retirement strategy, when AVC beats SIPP, employer-arranged AVC.
UK basis period reform 2026/27 - fully transitioned to tax year basis, what changed for sole traders + partners, transitional spreading rules, overlap relief.
BR vs 0T UK tax codes compared side-by-side. When each applies, how much tax is deducted, common errors, and how to switch to a cumulative code.
UK CIS subcontractor annual reconciliation - how to recover the 20% (or 30%) deduction via Self Assessment, what records to keep, common refund triggers.
UK Civil Service Alpha Pension 2026/27 - tiered contributions 4.6% to 8.05%, CARE accrual 2.32%, McCloud remedy, partial retirement, opt-out math.
How NHS Clinical Excellence Awards work in 2026/27 - Local CEAs, National CEAs (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum), application, pensionable treatment, tax implications and the £100k taper interaction.
UK crypto income tax 2026 - when it appears on payslip, mining vs trading vs receiving as wages, capital gains vs income tax treatment, Self Assessment reporting.
UK company director NI explained - annual basis vs alternative, optimal salary £12,570 strategy, dividend interaction, Class 1A on benefits.
How UK dividend tax works in 2026/27 - £500 allowance, 8.75% basic rate, 33.75% higher rate, 39.35% additional rate, Self Assessment vs PAYE collection, payslip implications for company directors.
UK employer PAYE reference numbers explained - Employer PAYE Ref, Office Number, Accounts Office Reference, Employee Number, Works Number, NI number.
UK expat tax 2026/27 - Statutory Residence Test, non-dom regime abolition, FIG (Foreign Income and Gains) regime, double tax treaties, Self Assessment for expats.
UK Firefighters Pension Scheme 2015 (FPS) - tiered contributions 11% to 17%, CARE accrual 1/59.7, McCloud remedy, retirement age 60, RDS arrangements.
How UK PAYE handles foreign income - UK-resident vs non-domiciled, double taxation treaties, Self Assessment requirements, common situations.
UK gender pay gap reporting 2026 - 250+ employee threshold, mean/median calculations, snapshot date, narrative requirements, what the figures mean for you.
A complete guide to the High Income Child Benefit Charge in 2026/27 - £60,000 threshold, taper to £80,000, household earnings test, payslip and Self Assessment impact, and how to claim or opt out.
How the UK higher education pay spine works in 2026/27 - the JNCHES negotiated single pay spine, grade structure, London weighting, salary sacrifice and progression rules at pre-92 universities.
UK HMRC R40 form explained - reclaim overpaid tax on bank interest, dividends, gilts. Eligibility, deadlines, online + paper filing, what to expect.
How to set up an HMRC Time to Pay arrangement. Eligibility, online vs phone routes, instalment limits, interest rate, what happens if you miss.
UK IR35 / off-payroll working 2026/27 - inside vs outside IR35, CEST tool, who decides, financial impact for contractors and the new compliance regime.
How junior (resident) doctor pay works in 2026/27 - the 2024 BMA settlement, nodal points, additional rostered hours, weekend allowance, on-call supplement, less than full time pay, and pay protection.
UK Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) 2026/27 - tiered contributions 5.5% to 12.5%, CARE accrual 1/49, Rule of 85, AVC top-ups, McCloud remedy.
A complete walkthrough of the McCloud remedy - Remediable Service Statements, the choice between legacy and reformed scheme periods, deferred choice underpin, tax implications and pension Annual Allowance.
How to prepare your UK payslips for a mortgage application. What lenders check, common red flags, what to fix BEFORE you submit.
How NHS Consultant pay is built - 10 PA basic, additional PAs, on-call supplement, Clinical Excellence Awards, private practice and the £100k Personal Allowance taper, fully explained for 2026/27.
NHS Pension Scheme 2026/27 explained - contribution tiers 5.2% to 14.5%, 2015 CARE structure, Annual Allowance charge, McCloud remedy, opt-out trade-offs.
UK National Insurance Class 2 (voluntary self-employed), Class 3 (voluntary general), Class 4 (compulsory self-employed) - rates, thresholds, when to pay each.
How HMRC values benefits in kind on your UK P11D for 2026/27 - company cars, private medical, beneficial loans, accommodation, vouchers, expenses.
UK P2 PAYE Coding Notice explained line-by-line. How HMRC calculates your tax code, what each adjustment means, how to challenge errors.
UK P800 tax calculation letter explained - what it is, when it arrives, how to claim a refund, what to do if you owe HMRC, common errors.
UK P85 form explained - claim tax refund when leaving the UK, split-year treatment, what HMRC needs, what happens to your tax code afterwards.
P85 vs Self Assessment when leaving the UK - which form to file, when to file both, mid-year departure mechanics, ongoing UK income reporting.
10 common UK payslip myths debunked - bonus tax 50%, salary sacrifice traps, pension free money, NI thresholds, and what the rules actually say in 2026/27.
Step-by-step UK guide to checking your P60 against the previous 12 monthly payslips. Catch underpaid tax, missing pension, wrong NI category before HMRC does.
UK pension Annual Allowance 2026/27 - £60,000 standard, taper from £260k income, MPAA £10k after access, carry-forward rules, charge calculation.
Step-by-step UK Personal Tax Account walkthrough - sign-up, identity verification, what you can do (refunds, code corrections, NI record, P800, address change).
UK Police Pension Scheme 2015 explained - tiered contributions 12.44% to 14.34%, CARE accrual 1/55.3, McCloud remedy, commutation rights and ill-health.
How Royal Air Force pay works in 2026/27 - Other Ranks AC to WO1, Officers Plt Off to Air Marshal, X-factor 14.5%, aircrew supplements, AFPS 15 non-contributory pension and the RAF payslip explained.
UK redundancy notice pay 2026 - statutory minimum notice, contractual notice, PILON, garden leave, tax treatment, and how it shows on your final payslip.
UK salary sacrifice rules 2026/27 - pension cap, cycle to work, Optional Remuneration Arrangements (OpRA), and which schemes still save tax and NI.
How UK salary sacrifice works for pension, EV cars, cycle-to-work, childcare. Tax + NI savings worked examples, mortgage impact, when to avoid.
How UK lenders treat salary sacrifice on mortgage applications - gross vs post-sacrifice income, lender-by-lender approach, when to pause sacrifice before applying.
The UK Personal Savings Allowance for 2026/27 - £1,000 for basic-rate taxpayers, £500 for higher-rate, zero for additional-rate. Plus the Starting Rate for Savings, ISA interaction and how HMRC collects tax on excess interest.
First UK payslip explained for school leavers and apprentices - tax codes, NI, apprentice rate, what each line means, common errors to flag.
The complete Scottish income tax bands for 2026/27 - Starter, Basic, Intermediate, Higher, Advanced, and Top rates. Worked examples for £30k, £45k, £60k, £100k. How Scottish tax differs from rest of UK.
UK Scottish tax codes (S1257L, SBR, SD0, SD1, SD2, SD3) explained - Scottish income tax bands, when codes get applied, common errors.
How to register for UK Self Assessment for the first time. UTR, Government Gateway, deadlines, what supplements you need, common mistakes.
UK self-employed National Insurance - Class 2 voluntary, Class 4 8% / 2% rates, Self Assessment payment, when to top up State Pension. 2026/27 guide.
How to write your first UK self-employed invoice - required fields, VAT considerations, payment terms, late-payment rights, free template.
A complete guide to the tax reliefs available to UK Armed Forces personnel - Operational Allowance tax-free, LSA, GYH Travel, EFE concession, FSE deduction and the post-FY24/25 changes for Service personnel.
How to top up missing UK State Pension years via Class 3 voluntary NI. £907 to fix one year that pays back £6,500+ over retirement. 2025 deadline.
UK Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) 2026/27 - eligibility, weekly rate, 39-week pay + 13-week unpaid, surrogacy and overseas adoption rules.
UK Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) 2026/27 - eligibility, weekly amount, 2-week entitlement, Bereaved Parent rules, and how it shows on your payslip.
UK tax code 0T explained - meaning, when HMRC uses it, why it's probably wrong, and how to get the right code applied. 2026/27 worked examples.
UK K tax code (K475, K325 etc) explained - negative allowance, BIK trigger, prior-year underpayment recovery, 50% cap, how to challenge.
UK tax codes M and N explained - Marriage Allowance receiver vs giver, the £252 saving, eligibility, how to spot on your payslip, what to do if wrong.
How to maximise UK redundancy take-home - pension salary sacrifice from PILON, Section 401 vs PENP planning, settlement-agreement structuring, AA management.
A complete guide to tax refund timing in the UK 2026/27 - P800 letter, P87 claim, online vs paper, bank vs cheque, and what happens after HMRC issues your refund.
UK tax refund timeline week-by-week after you submit a P87, Personal Tax Account claim, or Self Assessment return. What to expect at each stage.
UK Teachers Pension Scheme 2026/27 - tiered contributions 7.4% to 11.7%, 2015 CARE accrual, McCloud remedy, phased and flexible retirement options.
How UK Universal Credit interacts with your payslip - RTI feed, 55% taper rate, work allowance, monthly assessment period, common reporting errors.
How Universal Credit treats self-employed UK earners - Minimum Income Floor, monthly profit reporting, allowable expenses, what counts as self-employment.
How the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) works in 2026/27 - 6.1% employee, 14.5% employer, defined benefit up to the £40,000 threshold, defined contribution above, AVCs and matching contributions explained.
How to claim unpaid wages in the UK 2026 - internal grievance, Acas early conciliation, employment tribunal, time limits, and small-claims route.
UK Welsh tax codes (C1257L, CBR, C0T, CK475) explained - when applied, how Welsh rates currently mirror rest-of-UK, future divergence risk.
A complete walkthrough of the Armed Forces X-factor - what it covers, why it exists, how it interacts with tax and pension, who is exempt, and how it appears on Service personnel payslips.
UK zero-hours contract rights 2026 - guaranteed-hours request, NMW, holiday pay, NI, statutory pay, exclusivity ban, Employment Rights Bill changes.
Why your UK bonus felt like it lost 50% to tax and NI - and the salary-sacrifice routes that legally avoid it. 2026/27 guide with worked examples.
How UK CIS subcontractors recover overpaid PAYE tax. Step-by-step Self Assessment, materials offset, expenses, and when an accountant is worth it. 2026/27.
UK company car tax explained for 2026/27 - BIK percentages by CO2 emissions, EV 3% rate, list price interaction, employee vs employer cost.
Every UK employee tax relief on a single page - uniform, mileage, working from home, professional fees, tools, training. Eligibility, amounts, P87 route.
How UK holiday pay is calculated under the post-2024 average-earnings rule. Includes overtime, commission, allowances. Worked examples for monthly, weekly, irregular hours.
How UK jury service is paid - Loss of Earnings allowance, employer duties, top-up pay, tax treatment, claim form 5223 walkthrough.
How UK London weighting allowance is taxed - civil service, NHS, teachers, police, transport. Inner/outer/fringe rates, NI treatment, pension impact.
How to claim the UK Marriage Allowance (£252/year) - eligibility, backdate to 2022/23, free HMRC route, no refund firm commission needed.
How to claim Mileage Allowance Relief from HMRC if your employer pays less than 45p/mile. Free P87 walkthrough, backdate 4 years, no refund firm needed.
Overtime missing from your UK payslip - what to check, what to ask payroll, and the email template that gets it fixed in one cycle. 2026/27 guide.
Exactly what UK mortgage lenders look for on a payslip - gross pay, deductions, employer name, YTD figures, bonus treatment. 5-point pre-application check.
UK National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates from 1 April 2026 - adult, 18-20, under-18, apprentice. How to spot underpayment on your payslip.
Your UK P11D explained - what benefits in kind appear, how they affect your tax code, the K-code trigger, deadlines, and what to check.
How UK redundancy pay is taxed - £30,000 tax-free threshold, statutory minimums, Class 1 NIC treatment, payment in lieu of notice (PILON), holiday pay.
How UK sleep-in shift pay works for care workers. Mencap Supreme Court ruling, National Minimum Wage exclusion, what your contract should include.
UK Student Loan Plan 5 - the new repayment plan for English/Welsh students starting 2023+. £25,000 threshold, 9% rate, 40-year write-off, what to check.
UK Tax-Free Childcare vs legacy Childcare Vouchers - eligibility, savings comparison, salary sacrifice impact, when to switch. Worked examples for 2026/27.
How UK tronc and tips are taxed and distributed under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023. Income tax, NI exemption, troncmaster role.
How to claim the UK uniform tax rebate (flat-rate expense allowance) directly from HMRC. Eligibility, amounts, P87 walkthrough. Backdate up to 4 years.
Working-from-home tax relief explained for UK employees in 2026/27. Eligibility post-pandemic, £6/week flat rate, P87 walkthrough, evidence required.
How SMP, OMP, SPP, ShPP and KIT day pay appear on a UK payslip in 2026/27. Spot underpayments, understand tax treatment, and check your figures line by line.
Real Time Information (RTI), Full Payment Submissions, dynamic coding and why your tax code can suddenly change mid-year. Plain English UK guide for 2026/27.
Twelve must-do payroll checks before handing in your notice in the UK. P45 timing, holiday pay, notice pay, untaken leave, final pension contribution and tax-code reset.
Mileage at 45p/25p, the £6 a week working-from-home allowance, BIK, P11D entries and what should never appear in your taxable pay. Updated for 2026/27.
How SSP works in the UK in 2026/27. Rate, qualifying days, how it appears on a payslip, when it stops, and what happens at the Universal Credit handover.
The real reason your UK bonus payslip looks like 50% has been deducted - cumulative PAYE, marginal tax rates, and how the rebate evens out by year-end.
How DC and DB pensions appear on a UK payslip, the difference between salary sacrifice, net pay and relief at source, AVCs, employer match and the post-LTA landscape.
A side-by-side comparison of UK and Irish payslips. PAYE vs PAYE-IE, National Insurance vs PRSI, USC, tax credits vs personal allowance - with a 2026/27 comparison table.
Step-by-step guide to chasing payroll errors with your UK employer, including a copy-paste letter template and the ACAS escalation route if it is not fixed.
Running a side hustle alongside PAYE in 2026/27? Learn how the £1,000 trading allowance, Self Assessment threshold and second-job tax codes change what you owe.
Understand what YTD means on your UK payslip, how year-to-date figures are calculated, and how to use them to check your tax and NI.
Think your tax code is wrong? Learn how to check, what causes errors, and the steps to get HMRC to correct it and refund any overpaid tax.
Understand how workplace pensions and auto-enrolment work on your UK payslip. Contribution rates, qualifying earnings, and how to check your deduction.
Find out why your tax deduction is higher than usual this month. We cover the most common UK reasons and what you can do about it.
A clear UK guide to PAYE on your payslip. Cumulative vs non-cumulative codes, monthly and weekly pay examples, and what to do when PAYE looks wrong.
Understand how an umbrella company payslip works, what deductions to expect, and how to spot errors or non-compliant practices.
Learn how tax refunds appear on your UK payslip, when you might be owed one, and how to claim overpaid tax from HMRC.
Understand how Plan 2 student loan repayments are calculated on your payslip, current thresholds, and how to check the deduction is correct.
Understand how Scottish income tax works on your payslip, the current rates and bands, and how to check your S-prefix tax code is correct.
Understand the difference between a payslip, P60, and P45. Learn what each document contains, when you receive it, and why it matters.
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.
Understand how salary sacrifice works in the UK, how it reduces your tax and NI, and what to look for on your payslip. Includes worked example.
Understand how overtime pay appears on your UK payslip, how it is taxed, and how to check the figures are correct. Includes worked example.
Understand the difference between gross and net pay on your UK payslip. Worked examples, deduction breakdown, and how to check your figures.
Understand how National Insurance works in the UK, current rates and thresholds, and how to check the NI deduction on your payslip.
Understand how your bonus is taxed on your UK payslip. Learn why the deduction looks high, how cumulative tax works, and whether you will get any back.
Learn what PAYE means on your payslip, how it is calculated, and why the amount changes. Clear UK guide with worked example and FAQ.
Understand your payslip as a UK agency worker. Learn about your deductions, holiday pay, the 12-week rule, and how to check your figures.
Understand UK emergency tax codes like 1257L W1 and 1257L M1. Learn why they are applied, how they affect your pay, and how to get a refund.
Understand the 1257L tax code, how it affects your payslip, and what to do if yours is different. Plain-English guide with worked examples for 2026/27.
Learn how to read a UK payslip step by step. We explain every section, from gross pay to deductions, so you can check your pay is correct.