UK PAYE tool
Take-home Pay Sandbox
Slide gross salary, pension, and student loan to see how your 2026/27 take-home moves in real time.
Estimated 2026/27 take-home
£27,569
≈ £2,297 / month
- Gross
- £35,000
- Income tax
- £4,198
- National Insurance
- £1,794
- Pension (from pay)
- £1,438
- Student loan
- £0
- Effective tax, NI and student loan rate
- 17.1%
£1,438 a year reaches the pension pot.
Assumes 5% of qualifying earnings (£6,240–£50,270) under a net-pay arrangement, so it comes out of gross pay before income tax but not before National Insurance. Assumes standard tax code 1257L, England/Wales/Northern Ireland bands and no benefits in kind. Based on the figures provided; this does not prove your actual take-home will match.
What a result looks like
£35,000 gross with the 5% auto-enrolment pension, no student loan: take-home £27,569 / yr (£2,297 / mo). Effective tax + NI 17.1%. Assumes 5% of qualifying earnings (£6,240–£50,270) under a net-pay arrangement, so it comes out of gross pay before income tax but not before National Insurance.
What we check
- Personal allowance taper above £100k.
- Basic / higher / additional rate bands.
- NI Class 1 (8% / 2%).
- Plan 1 / 2 / 4 / 5 / Postgrad student loans.
- Salary sacrifice vs net-pay pensions.
When to use this tool
- Comparing two job offers.
- Modelling a pension uplift.
- Considering salary sacrifice.
- Estimating monthly budget after a pay review.
What the result bands mean
Effective rate < 20%
Mostly basic rate.
20-30%
Some higher rate exposure.
> 30%
Higher / additional bands and / or PA taper.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the £100k PA taper.
- Mixing salary sacrifice with relief at source.
- Adding two student loan plans (only one main plan applies, plus optional PGL).
Worked example
Gross £60,000, salary sacrifice 8% pension = £4,800. Taxable £55,200.
Tax: PA £12,570 free, basic to £50,270 = £37,700 x 20% = £7,540. Higher band £4,930 x 40% = £1,972. Total tax £9,512.
NI: (£50,270-£12,570) x 8% + (£55,200-£50,270) x 2% = £3,016 + £99 = £3,115.
Take-home ≈ £42,573 / yr.
Frequently asked questions
Which tax year does it use?
2026/27 UK thresholds. PA £12,570, basic to £50,270, higher to £125,140.
Does it cover Scottish income tax bands?
Not in this version - we use rest-of-UK bands. A Scottish-specific build is on the roadmap.
What is salary sacrifice?
A pension method where you give up the pay and your employer pays it in, so it comes off before both income tax and NI. Choosing it in the pension arrangement list reduces both your tax and your NI base; net pay reduces the tax base only, and relief at source reduces neither on the payslip because the provider adds the basic-rate relief inside the pot instead.
Are blind person's allowance or marriage allowance included?
Not in this version. Add them via your tax code in real life.
Will my actual payslip match exactly?
Not always - employer pension method, benefits in kind, and tax code can change the figures.
Sources
- HMRC: Income Tax rates 2026/27.
- HMRC: National Insurance rates and Class 1 thresholds.
- SLC: 2026/27 student loan thresholds.
Last verified: 2026-05-03.
Disclaimer: Estimates based on the figures you enter. Not tax or financial advice.