2026/27 & 2025/26 tax years · England, Wales, NI & Scotland
Most calculators just divide your salary by 12. This one runs your pay through HMRC's actual cumulative PAYE mechanics — month by month, tax code included — so it behaves the way your payslip does, not just what it adds up to at the end of the year.
Estimated take-home pay
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| Payslip line | Monthly | Weekly | Annual |
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Income Tax is worked out cumulatively across the tax year, the same way HMRC's PAYE system does it. National Insurance and Student Loan are recalculated fresh each pay period. Compare these columns against your payslip's YTD figures as a guide — small differences can still arise from your specific tax code or circumstances.
| Period | Gross YTD | Taxable pay YTD | Tax due YTD | Tax this period | NI this period | Student Loan | Net this period |
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Your Personal Allowance and tax bands build up month by month across the tax year. Tax due is calculated on your total pay to date, then last month's tax already paid is subtracted — the same mechanism your payroll software uses, which is why a bonus or a late starter month can shift the numbers.
Unlike Income Tax, National Insurance is not cumulative. Each pay period is assessed on its own against that period's thresholds, so a bonus month attracts a fair share of extra NI without affecting the months around it.
Salary sacrifice reduces the pay that both tax and National Insurance are calculated on. A net pay arrangement only reduces the pay Income Tax is calculated on. Relief at source is deducted after tax and NI, with basic-rate relief topped up separately in your pension pot.
Scotland sets its own Income Tax bands — six of them, from a 19% starter rate to a 48% top rate — which apply to earnings, though not to savings or dividend income. This calculator switches bands automatically based on your selection.
Most tax codes are cumulative. But if yours ends in "W1" or "M1" — often set temporarily after a job change, an emergency tax code, or a gap in your pay history — every payday is taxed in isolation instead, using only that period's own slice of the allowance. Switch the toggle to match your tax code and the figures adjust accordingly.
Take-home pay is your gross salary minus Income Tax, National Insurance, workplace pension contributions and any student loan repayments. Income Tax is calculated cumulatively across the tax year; National Insurance and student loan repayments are worked out separately for each pay period.
Small gaps usually come from a non-standard tax code, a mid-year salary or benefits change, irregular pay periods, or a relief-at-source pension where higher-rate relief is reclaimed through Self Assessment rather than shown on the payslip itself.
Salary sacrifice lowers your contractual gross pay before tax and National Insurance are worked out, saving NI on the sacrificed amount. A net pay arrangement deducts contributions before tax only. Relief at source deducts contributions from your net pay, after tax and NI, with basic-rate relief added into the pension pot afterwards.
On the standard cumulative basis, your Personal Allowance and tax bands build up across the whole tax year, so Income Tax evens out automatically as your total pay to date changes. On Week 1/Month 1, each payday is instead treated as if it were the very first period of the year — using only that period's own slice of the allowance, with no memory of earlier pay. It's typically applied via a "W1" or "M1" suffix on your tax code, often temporarily, after a mid-year job change, an emergency tax code, or when HMRC hasn't yet received your full pay history. It can mean paying more or less tax than the cumulative basis until HMRC issues an updated code.
No. This tool gives an estimate based on standard HMRC rates and thresholds for illustration only. It doesn't account for every personal circumstance — non-standard tax codes, multiple employments, benefits in kind and more can all change your actual figures. Speak to a qualified accountant or tax adviser for advice on your specific situation.