PAYE Tax Calculator
PAYE is how employers collect tax before you're paid. Enter your monthly pay and the tax code printed on your payslip to check whether the deduction looks right.
Tax year 2026/27 · Estimates, not personal tax advice
Your results
Enter your salary to see take-home pay by year, month, week, day and hour.
Using 2026/27 rates (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027). Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.
Rates and rules used
Tax year 2026/27Default year 2026/27 (6 April to 5 April). 2025/26 and 2024/25 figures are kept for comparison where the calculator offers a year choice.
- Income Tax bands, rates and Personal Allowance2026/27GOV.UK: Income Tax rates and allowances (opens in new tab)
- Employee Class 1 National Insurance rates and thresholds2026/27GOV.UK: National Insurance rates and category letters (opens in new tab)
- Tax codes and emergency codes2026/27GOV.UK: Tax codes (opens in new tab)
- Student and Postgraduate Loan thresholds and rates2026/27GOV.UK: Repaying your student loan (opens in new tab)
- Pension tax relief2026/27GOV.UK: Tax on your private pension (opens in new tab)
Independent site, not affiliated with HMRC. Always check GOV.UK for the latest figures.
How this calculation works
- 01Start with your gross income and convert it to an annual figure.
- 02Take off salary sacrifice and net pay pension contributions.
- 03Apply your Personal Allowance, tapered above £100,000 or set by your tax code.
- 04Calculate Income Tax band by band using rates for your region.
- 05Calculate employee National Insurance on earnings after salary sacrifice.
- 06Deduct relief at source pension contributions at 80% of the gross amount.
- 07Apply student and postgraduate loan repayments above each threshold.
- 08Subtract everything to reach estimated net pay, then split it by period.
Real payroll can differ because tax and NI are worked out per pay period, and your tax code may include adjustments HMRC hasn't told you about. See our methodology.
Reading your tax code
The number in a code like 1257L is your tax-free pay divided by ten. An S prefix means Scottish rates, C means Welsh. K codes mean you owe tax on benefits or underpayments that exceed your allowance, so income is added rather than deducted.
BR, D0 and D1 tax all pay at a single rate, which is normal for second jobs.
Week 1 and Month 1 codes
A W1, M1 or X suffix means your employer is taxing each period on its own rather than cumulatively. Our estimate is annual, so it won't reflect any refunds or catch-up that cumulative coding would produce.
Understanding your paye calculator result
This result estimates the deductions an employer would make through PAYE using the pay period and tax code you enter. It is designed for checking a payslip rather than calculating tax on dividends, rent or self-employed profits.
Investigating a changed payslip
Scenario: Copy the gross pay, pay frequency and tax code from the payslip. Then compare the estimated Income Tax and NI with the deductions shown by payroll.
How to use the result: A close result suggests the standard rules explain the deduction. A large gap may point to a cumulative adjustment, taxable benefit, underpayment or an emergency code that needs checking.
Details to check before relying on the estimate
- Include an S or C prefix shown on the tax code.
- A Month 1, Week 1 or X marker prevents a simple annual comparison.
- Ask the employer about payroll inputs before assuming HMRC has the wrong record.
Putting the estimate into perspective
Compare the same lines and payment dates before asking payroll to investigate. A year-to-date tax total and an estimate for one regular month are not directly interchangeable.
Frequently asked questions
What is PAYE?
Pay As You Earn. Your employer deducts Income Tax, National Insurance and student loan repayments each payday and passes them to HMRC, so most employees never file a tax return.
Check it on GOV.UK: Repaying your student loan (opens GOV.UK in a new tab) · National Insurance rates and category letters (opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
What does 0T mean?
No tax-free allowance. Every pound is taxed. It's often an emergency code used when HMRC doesn't yet have your details, so check your Personal Tax Account.
Check it on GOV.UK: Tax codes (opens GOV.UK in a new tab) · Income Tax rates and allowances (opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
Who operates PAYE, me or my employer?
Your employer or pension provider operates PAYE. They deduct Income Tax and National Insurance from each payment and report it to HMRC, so you do not normally send anything yourself.
Check it on GOV.UK: Tax on your private pension (opens GOV.UK in a new tab) · National Insurance rates and category letters (opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
How do I check my PAYE tax code?
Your tax code appears on your payslip and in your Personal Tax Account on GOV.UK. If it looks wrong, tell HMRC rather than your employer, because HMRC issues the code.
Check it on GOV.UK: Tax codes (opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
Related calculators
- Income Tax Calculator — View the tax calculation band by band.
- Salary Calculator — Translate PAYE deductions into take-home pay by period.
- National Insurance Calculator — Check the NI line independently of the tax code.
Related guides
- How PAYE Tax Works — A plain-English explanation of PAYE: how employers deduct tax, what cumulative coding means, and why your payslip changes month to month.
- Tax Codes Explained — What your tax code means, from 1257L to K codes, BR, D0, NT and emergency codes, and what to do if yours looks wrong.
- What Is a P45? — What a P45 is, when you get one, which parts to give a new employer, and what happens if you don't have one.