Original data study
UK Take-Home Pay by Salary: Effective Tax Rates for 2026/27
How much of your salary do you actually keep? This study breaks down take-home pay, effective tax rates, and marginal tax rates for selected salaries from £15,000 to £200,000, using the published 2026/27 Income Tax and National Insurance bands.
Key findings
- At the ONS April 2025 provisional median gross annual earnings of £39,039, estimated take-home pay under 2026/27 rates is £31,628 a year (£2,636 a month), an effective tax rate of 19.0%.
- At £40,000, the effective tax rate is 19.2%, even though the top of that salary sits in the 20% basic-rate band — because the Personal Allowance reduces the Income Tax average, while NI adds a separate deduction.
- The highest marginal rate in the table is 62%, reached at £100,000. Between £100,000 and £125,140 the Personal Allowance is tapered away, creating the well-known “60% tax trap”.
- Crossing £100,000 pushes the effective rate to 31.4% and rising, as higher-rate tax and the taper combine.
Detailed examples
Explore individual take-home pay calculations
Open a full annual, monthly and weekly breakdown, then adjust the tax code, region, pension or student loan.
Visual comparison
How take-home pay and deduction rates change
The marginal-rate line makes the Personal Allowance taper visible; the exact figures remain available in the table.
Swipe horizontally to read the complete chart.
Marginal deductions measure the next £100 of gross pay, so transitions span the £100 before each threshold. The table below contains selected exact values and assumptions.
Methodology
Every figure on this page is calculated with the same engine that powers our UK salary calculator. We assume an employee on the standard 1257L tax code in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, with no pension contributions or student-loan repayments. The effective tax rate is Income Tax plus National Insurance as a share of gross pay. The marginal tax rate is the share of the next £100 of gross pay lost to Income Tax and National Insurance. Rates are drawn from GOV.UK Income Tax rates and National Insurance rates. The median benchmark comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2025 provisional and is not projected forward to 2026/27. This annual model does not reproduce payroll-period rounding or irregular pay.
Take-home pay by salary (2026/27)
Income Tax, National Insurance, take-home pay, and effective and marginal tax rates for UK salaries from £15,000 to £200,000. Select any salary in range for a full breakdown.
Swipe horizontally to see all seven columns.
| Gross salary | Income Tax | National Insurance | Take-home (year) | Take-home (month) | Effective rate | Marginal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £15,000 | £486 | £194 | £14,320 | £1,193 | 4.5% | 28% |
| £20,000 | £1,486 | £594 | £17,920 | £1,493 | 10.4% | 28% |
| £25,000 | £2,486 | £994 | £21,520 | £1,793 | 13.9% | 28% |
| £30,000 | £3,486 | £1,394 | £25,120 | £2,093 | 16.3% | 28% |
| £35,000 | £4,486 | £1,794 | £28,720 | £2,393 | 17.9% | 28% |
| £40,000 | £5,486 | £2,194 | £32,320 | £2,693 | 19.2% | 28% |
| £45,000 | £6,486 | £2,594 | £35,920 | £2,993 | 20.2% | 28% |
| £50,000 | £7,486 | £2,994 | £39,520 | £3,293 | 21.0% | 28% |
| £50,270 | £7,540 | £3,016 | £39,714 | £3,310 | 21.0% | 42% |
| £55,000 | £9,432 | £3,111 | £42,457 | £3,538 | 22.8% | 42% |
| £60,000 | £11,432 | £3,211 | £45,357 | £3,780 | 24.4% | 42% |
| £65,000 | £13,432 | £3,311 | £48,257 | £4,021 | 25.8% | 42% |
| £70,000 | £15,432 | £3,411 | £51,157 | £4,263 | 26.9% | 42% |
| £75,000 | £17,432 | £3,511 | £54,057 | £4,505 | 27.9% | 42% |
| £80,000 | £19,432 | £3,611 | £56,957 | £4,746 | 28.8% | 42% |
| £85,000 | £21,432 | £3,711 | £59,857 | £4,988 | 29.6% | 42% |
| £90,000 | £23,432 | £3,811 | £62,757 | £5,230 | 30.3% | 42% |
| £95,000 | £25,432 | £3,911 | £65,657 | £5,471 | 30.9% | 42% |
| £100,000 | £27,432 | £4,011 | £68,557 | £5,713 | 31.4% | 62% |
| £110,000 | £33,432 | £4,211 | £72,357 | £6,030 | 34.2% | 62% |
| £125,140 | £42,516 | £4,513 | £78,111 | £6,509 | 37.6% | 47% |
| £150,000 | £53,703 | £5,011 | £91,286 | £7,607 | 39.1% | 47% |
| £175,000 | £64,953 | £5,511 | £104,536 | £8,711 | 40.3% | 47% |
| £200,000 | £76,203 | £6,011 | £117,786 | £9,816 | 41.1% | 47% |
Figures use the standard annual Personal Allowance, England/Wales/NI rates, and no pension or student-loan deductions. Source: GOV.UK Income Tax and National Insurance rates, 2026/27 tax year. You are free to cite or reproduce this table with attribution to AfterTaxCalculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the estimated take-home pay at the UK median salary?
What is the difference between the effective and marginal tax rate?
What is the 60% tax trap?
How much of a £100,000 salary do you keep?
Learn
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