UK Tax Rates 2026/27: Every Band, Threshold and Allowance
Every UK tax rate for 2026/27 in one place — income tax bands, National Insurance, student loan thresholds and Scotland's six bands, with examples.
TakeHomeWise Blog: UK Tax & Pay, Explained in Plain English
Every guide below answers one question about UK pay — with the figures worked out to the penny from the same 2026/27 rates our calculators use. No jargon, no generic advice, and every article hands you the calculator that checks your own numbers.
Most-used calculators
- Take-home pay calculator — your full breakdown for any salary.
- Pension & salary sacrifice calculator — what sacrificing really costs.
- Student loan calculator — your deduction under every plan.
- Scottish income tax calculator — Scotland vs England, side by side.
- Income tax calculator — your pay, slice by slice through the bands.
- UK tax rates 2026/27 — every band, threshold and allowance behind every figure.
National Insurance, Explained: What the 8% Actually Is
National Insurance, explained: the 8% is charged on pay between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above. What it costs at every salary, and what it pays for.
Income Tax Bands 2026/27, Explained With Worked Examples
UK income tax bands for 2026/27, explained with worked examples: 20% to £37,700 of taxable income, 40% to £125,140, 45% above — plus the £100k taper.
What Your Job Really Costs Your Employer
A £35,000 salary costs your employer far more than £35,000 in 2026/27 — employer NI, pension and more. The full breakdown of what sits on top of your pay.
1257L: What Your Tax Code Means (and When It's Wrong)
Your 1257L tax code means a £12,570 personal allowance at the standard 2026/27 bands. How to read it, what the other codes mean, and when yours is wrong.
Emergency Tax Codes: Why Your First Payslip Looks Wrong
Emergency tax on your first payslip can cost £209.50 a month on a £35,000 salary. What 0T, BR and Week 1/Month 1 mean, and how to get the money back.
Two Jobs? How Tax Codes BR and D0 Really Work
Second job taxed from the first pound? That is BR or D0 at work — your £12,570 allowance can only be used once. Worked examples and combined take-home pay.
How to Read Your Payslip, Line by Line
Your payslip, line by line: what gross pay, tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan mean — worked through on a real £35,000 example for 2026/27.
Got a Pay Rise? What a £2,000 Rise Really Puts in Your Pocket
A £2,000 pay rise is not £166 a month. At £35,000 you keep £113.33 a month, at £50,000 you keep £127.75, at £60,000 just £96.67. The real numbers for 2026/27.
Part-Time vs Full-Time: The Pro-Rata Maths, Honestly
Part-time pay is not simply pro-rata take-home: at £24,000 you keep 83.7% of your pay, against 77.4% at £40,000. The honest pro-rata maths for 2026/27.
Why Was My Bonus Taxed at 40%? PAYE, Explained
Your bonus looks taxed at 40% because PAYE treats one month's pay as if you earned it every month. The extra tax usually comes back by April — here's the maths.
The £100,000 Tax Trap: The 60% Band, Explained With Numbers
Above £100,000 you lose £1 of personal allowance for every £2 you earn — a 60% marginal rate, 71% with a Plan 2 student loan. The numbers, to the penny.
Salary Sacrifice: How Much Take-Home Does £100/Month Really Cost You?
Salary sacrifice of £100 a month costs £72 a month of take-home pay at basic rate — £58 at higher rate. The honest maths, worked out for 2026/27.
Plan 2 vs Plan 5: Why Your Student Loan Deduction Isn't Your Friend's
Plan 5 takes £394.65 a year more than Plan 2 at every salary above both thresholds — because its threshold is £4,385 lower. The full comparison for 2026/27.
Scotland vs England Take-Home: £30k / £50k / £75k Compared
Scotland vs England take-home pay at £30k, £50k and £75k for 2026/27 — Scotland is cheaper at £30k, dearer by £1,496.05 at £50k and £2,050.05 at £75k.
Maternity Pay, Explained: SMP Week by Week
Statutory Maternity Pay for 2026/27 — 6 weeks at 90% of earnings, then 33 weeks at £194.32. Week-by-week schedule, totals and who qualifies.
Statutory Sick Pay: What You Actually Get, Day by Day
Statutory Sick Pay for 2026/27 — £123.25 a week or 80% of earnings, paid from the first day of sickness. No waiting days, no earnings limit, 28 weeks.
Redundancy Pay: The Tax-Free £30,000 Rule, Explained
Redundancy pay for 2026/27 — how statutory pay is worked out, the £751 weekly cap, and why the first £30,000 of your package is tax-free, in full.
Minimum Wage 2026: The Age Bands and How to Check Your Pay
Minimum wage 2026/27 — April 2026 rates: £12.71 (21+), £10.85 (18–20), £8.00 (16–17, apprentice). How to work out your real hourly rate, overtime included.
Self-Employed? Your First Tax Bill — and the Payments-on-Account Shock
Your first Self Assessment bill for 2026/27 — income tax, Class 4 NI, and why the first 31 January demands 150% of your bill. Worked example on £30,000 profit.
Umbrella Companies, Explained: Where Every Deduction Goes
Umbrella company pay for 2026/27 — the full deduction waterfall from a £500 day rate to take-home pay: margin, employer NI, levy, pension, tax.
IR35 in Plain English: Inside vs Outside, With Numbers
IR35 inside vs outside for 2026/27 — what each route nets on a £110,000 contract, dividend rates 10.75%/35.75%/39.35%, and who decides status.
New Tax Year 2027/28: What Changes on 6 April
DRAFT (February 2027): what changes in 2027/28 — main rates unchanged, savings and property rates rise, and the trading allowance triples, in full.
Draft — not yet published.
The April Checklist: 7 Payslip Things to Check in the New Tax Year
DRAFT (April 2027): seven things to check on your April payslip in the new tax year — tax code, minimum wage, allowance, NI, loan, pension and rates.
Draft — not yet published.
Rates: GOV.UK — last checked 5 November 2026. This site is not affiliated with HMRC or GOV.UK. Figures are estimates for guidance, not financial advice.