UK Take-home PayTake-home pay on a £20,000 salary
On a salary of £20,000 a year in the 2026-27 tax year, you keep £17,920 a year, which is £1,493.30 a month or £344.61 a week, if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, have no pension and no student loan. That is 89.6% of your salary.
The working
| Salary | £20,000 |
| Personal Allowance | £12,570 |
| Taxable income | £7,430 |
| Income Tax | £1,486 |
| National Insurance | £594 |
| Take-home pay a year | £17,920 |
In Scotland
Scotland has its own Income Tax bands. On the same salary the tax is £1,446 and the take-home pay is £17,959 a year, £1,496.61 a month, which is £3.31 more a month than in the rest of the UK.
With a student loan
| Loan | Repayment a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £0 | £1,493.30 |
| Plan 2 | £0 | £1,493.30 |
| Plan 4 | £0 | £1,493.30 |
| Plan 5 | £0 | £1,493.30 |
| Postgraduate loan only | £0 | £1,493.30 |
What an extra £1,000 does
If your salary rose by £1,000, you would keep £720 of it (£280 tax and National Insurance on that £1,000).
Assumptions
A steady yearly salary from one job in the 2026-27 tax year, standard tax code, National Insurance category A, no pension contribution, no benefits in kind and no other income. Student loan is taken as 9% of earnings above the yearly threshold of the plan (HMRC works it per pay period). Scottish bands are used only where the page says Scotland. Take-home pay on your payslip can differ.
Common questions
How much is a £20,000 salary after tax?
In 2026-27, with no pension or student loan: £17,920 a year, £1,493.30 a month in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; £1,496.61 a month in Scotland.
What is the tax on £20,000?
Income Tax £1,486 and National Insurance £594, a total of £2,080 (England).
Sources
- Income Tax rates, Personal Allowance and its reduction above £100,000, for the tax year 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027: GOV.UK, "Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances" (gov.uk/income-tax-rates), read on 13 November 2026.
- Tax bands for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, Class 1 employee National Insurance (category A) and student loan thresholds, 2026 to 2027: GOV.UK, "Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027" (gov.uk), read on 13 November 2026.
Rates read on 13 November 2026 from GOV.UK and apply to the tax year 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027; after 5 April 2027 they will be out of date. This site is independent, not connected with HMRC, and gives arithmetic, not tax advice.