Calculate your income tax, National Insurance, and take-home pay for the 2024/2025 tax year.
Enter your details and click the button to see your personalised results.
Navigating the UK tax system can feel complex. This calculator is designed to simplify the process, giving you a clear estimate of your take-home pay after major deductions. It uses the official rates and thresholds for the 2024-2025 tax year (6th April 2024 to 5th April 2025) for England and Northern Ireland. Understanding what these deductions are and how they're calculated is the first step toward better financial planning.
Your "take-home" or "net" pay is what’s left of your gross salary after Income Tax, National Insurance, pension contributions, and student loan repayments have been deducted. Let's break down each of these components in detail.
Income Tax is a tax you pay on your earnings. In the UK, most people are entitled to a Personal Allowance, which is the amount of income you can earn each year without paying any tax. For the 2024/25 tax year, the standard Personal Allowance is £12,570. Your income above this allowance is then taxed according to a series of bands.
However, the Personal Allowance is reduced for high earners. For every £2 you earn over £100,000, your Personal Allowance is reduced by £1. This means if you earn £125,140 or more, you don't get any Personal Allowance.
For England and Northern Ireland, the Income Tax bands for 2024/25 are:
It's important to note that Scotland has its own set of Income Tax bands and rates, which are different from the rest of the UK. This calculator uses the rates for England and Northern Ireland.
National Insurance is another mandatory contribution taken from your earnings. Unlike Income Tax, which funds general public services, NI contributions build your entitlement to certain state benefits, such as the State Pension, Employment and Support Allowance, and Maternity Allowance. For employees (paying Class 1 NI), contributions are calculated weekly or monthly based on your gross earnings.
For the 2024/25 tax year, following changes made by the government to reduce the rate, you pay Class 1 National Insurance as follows:
Workplace pensions are a vital part of saving for retirement, and they come with a significant tax advantage. When you contribute to a pension, the government provides tax relief, essentially boosting your savings. This calculator assumes you are part of a 'net pay' scheme, which is common for workplace pensions. In this arrangement, your employer deducts your pension contribution from your salary *before* calculating Income Tax.
This lowers your taxable income. For example, if you earn £55,000 and contribute 5% (£2,750) to your pension, your taxable income becomes £52,250. This means a portion of your income that would have been taxed at the higher rate (40%) is now taxed at the basic rate (20%), and the rest of your pension contribution gets 20% tax relief. It's a powerful way to reduce your tax bill while saving for the long term.
If you have a student loan from the Student Loans Company, your repayments are linked to how much you earn. You only start repaying once your income goes over a certain threshold. The threshold and repayment rate depend on which loan plan you are on.
These deductions are made automatically through your payroll, just like tax and NI. Our calculator accounts for these different plans to give you a more accurate picture of your net pay.
Our tool performs a sequence of calculations to arrive at your take-home pay:
1. Which tax year do these calculations apply to?
This calculator uses the rates and thresholds for the 2024-2025 tax year, which runs from 6th April 2024 to 5th April 2025. Tax and National Insurance rates can change each year.
2. Are the tax rates the same across the entire UK?
No. While National Insurance rates are the same UK-wide, Scotland has its own set of Income Tax rates and bands which are different from those used in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This calculator uses the rates for England and Northern Ireland.
3. What is a tax code and why isn't it an option here?
A tax code is used by your employer or pension provider to work out how much Income Tax to take from your pay. This calculator assumes you are on the standard tax code for 2024/25, which is 1257L. This code means you have the standard Personal Allowance of £12,570. If you have a different tax code (e.g., due to a second job or benefits in kind), your actual tax deduction will be different.
4. How exactly does my pension contribution reduce my tax bill?
By contributing to a pension from your pre-tax salary, you reduce the amount of your income that is subject to tax. This is because the calculation for Income Tax is based on your salary *after* the pension contribution has been taken off. This can be particularly beneficial for higher earners, as it can reduce the amount of income taxed at the 40% or 45% rate.
5. Is National Insurance the same as Income Tax?
No, they are two separate deductions. Income Tax funds general government services like schools, roads, and defense. National Insurance contributions primarily build your entitlement to state benefits, such as the State Pension. They are calculated differently and have separate thresholds.
6. Why might my National Insurance deduction be lower than in previous years?
The main rate of employee National Insurance was cut by the government. It was reduced from 12% to 10% in January 2024, and then further reduced from 10% to 8% in April 2024. This means for the same salary, you will pay less NI in the 2024/25 tax year than before.
7. What happens to my Personal Allowance if I earn over £100,000?
Your tax-free Personal Allowance of £12,570 is reduced by £1 for every £2 that you earn above £100,000. This means your allowance becomes zero if you earn £125,140 or more. This creates an effective tax rate of 60% on income between £100,000 and £125,140.
8. Is this calculator suitable for self-employed individuals?
No. This calculator is designed for employees who are paid via PAYE (Pay As You Earn). Self-employed individuals pay tax differently through Self Assessment and pay different classes of National Insurance (Class 2 and Class 4). They also have different rules for allowable expenses.
9. What does "take-home pay" mean?
Take-home pay, also known as net pay, is the final amount of money you receive in your bank account after all deductions—such as Income Tax, National Insurance, pension contributions, and student loan repayments—have been taken from your gross salary.
10. How accurate are these calculations?
This tool provides a very close estimate based on the information you provide and standard tax rules. However, it is an estimation tool and should not be considered financial advice. [10] Your individual circumstances, such as different tax codes, benefits in kind, or other sources of income, can affect the final figures. For precise calculations, always refer to official documents from your employer or HMRC.