How Takehome works
Start with gross pay for the year. If you are paid monthly, weekly or hourly, Takehome converts that into an annual figure first. Salary-sacrifice pension is taken off before income tax and employee Class 1 National Insurance. Relief-at-source pension still attracts income-tax relief, but National Insurance is charged on the unreduced pay.
Income tax then uses your tax code’s personal allowance — £12,570 for 1257L — reduced by £1 for every £2 of adjusted net income above £100,000. England, Wales and Northern Ireland share the same bands; Scotland uses starter, basic, intermediate, higher, advanced and top rates. Employee National Insurance is 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above that. Student loans, if selected, use the 2026/27 repayment thresholds.
Results update as you type. Use Calculate if you want to jump to the net pay panel. Daily take-home is the annual net divided by 260 working days.
Who uses Takehome
Job offers — compare two salaries with different pension or student-loan setups before you accept. Payslip checks — enter what you earn and see whether tax, NI and loan deductions look roughly right for your region and code. Side income planning — estimate how much of an employed second job might reach your bank after PAYE. Scotland vs rest of UK — switch region to see how Scottish bands change the split at your salary level.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland vs Scotland
National Insurance is the same across the UK. Income tax is not. A Scottish taxpayer can pay less than the rest of the UK at some lower salaries because of the 19% starter rate, and more at higher salaries because of 42%, 45% and 48% bands. Choose the region that matches your tax code prefix: Scottish codes usually begin with S.
Frequently asked questions
Which UK tax year does Takehome use?
The 2026/27 tax year, from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. Rates are taken from HMRC’s published employer thresholds for that year.
Does Scotland pay different income tax?
Yes. Scotland sets its own non-savings income tax bands. National Insurance remains UK-wide. Plan 4 is the Scottish undergraduate student loan.
How are student loan repayments calculated?
Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5 take 9% of income above the plan threshold. A postgraduate loan takes 6% above £21,000 and can run at the same time as an undergraduate plan.
What is the difference between salary sacrifice and relief at source?
Salary sacrifice lowers pay before tax and employee NI, so both usually fall. Relief at source gives income-tax relief on the contribution, but NI is still calculated on full pay.
Is this a replacement for a payslip or tax advice?
No. It is a planning estimate for a standard employed salary. Benefits in kind, month-1 tax codes, directors’ NI and self-employment are outside this model.
Does Takehome store my salary?
No. The calculation runs in your browser. We do not receive the figures you type. Theme and last-used settings may stay in local storage on this device.
What does tax code 1257L mean?
The number is the personal allowance without the final digit: 1257 means £12,570. L is the standard suffix. You can enter BR, 0T, D0, D1 or a K code if that is what HMRC has given you.
Why does take-home fall after £100,000?
The personal allowance tapers by £1 for every £2 over £100,000 and is zero at £125,140. That creates a higher effective rate until the allowance has gone.