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
£26970
≈ £2247 / month
- Gross
- £35000
- Income tax
- £4486
- National Insurance
- £1794
- Pension
- £1750
- Student loan
- £0
- Effective tax + NI rate
- 17.9%
Based on the figures provided. Assumes standard tax code 1257L, no benefits in kind. This does not prove your actual take-home will match.
What a result looks like
£35,000 gross with 5% pension, no student loan: take-home ~£28,300 / yr (~£2,358 / mo). Effective tax + NI ≈ 14.9%.
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 the contribution comes off gross pay before tax and NI. The toggle reduces both your tax and NI base.
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.