Section 1
How UK tax works
Your salary moves through tax bands rather than being taxed at one flat rate. Personal allowance, Income Tax, National Insurance, and any student loan repayments all combine to shape your final take-home pay.
See what you really keep.
A clearer view of what actually lands in your account after tax and deductions.
Updated for HMRC 2025/26UK tax rulesPrivate by designNo login required
Enter your salary
Enter your gross salary to see what actually lands in your account after tax and deductions.
Enter your salary to see what you really keep.
We'll show your take-home pay, deductions, marginal rate, and any tax traps that apply.
£100k Tax Trap Explorer
Explore how the taper zone changes salary efficiency
Move the slider to see how take-home pay shifts between £80,000 and £140,000, and where the 60% effective tax zone starts to bite.
Salary
£100,000
Take Home
£65,657
£80k£100k£125,140£140k
Status
60% Effective Tax Rate Zone
Each extra £1 earned is hit by tax and personal allowance tapering.
Kept percentage65.7%
Marginal rate42.0%
Learn As You Scroll
The key rules behind your take-home pay
These sections keep the calculator educational without turning it into a tax manual.
Section 2
The £100k tax trap
Above £100,000, your personal allowance starts tapering away. That makes each extra pound less efficient than many people expect, which is why the calculator highlights the 60% effective rate zone so clearly.
Section 3
Pension tax efficiency
Pension contributions can improve tax efficiency because they reduce the income that is exposed to tax and, depending on pension type, can also lower NI and student loanable pay.