About AfterTaxUK
Independent tools and explanations for comparing take-home pay, checking assumptions and planning a budget.
Our Mission
UK personal taxation can be complicated. Between frozen personal allowances, graduated National Insurance cuts, student loan repayment thresholds across five different plans, and marginal rate clawbacks like the 60% tax trap above £100,000, understanding your real net income isn't straightforward.
AfterTaxUKis the publishing name used for this website. We provide free calculators and guides to help people understand payslips, plan household budgets and compare job offers. Results are estimates based on each tool's stated inputs and assumptions. The site is independent of HMRC, government departments and the providers mentioned in our comparisons.
Methodology & Statutory Data Sources
We check changing tax and payroll figures against published primary sources. The year, jurisdiction and assumptions matter: a standard annual estimate can differ from a particular payslip because of payroll rounding, irregular pay, benefits or pension arrangements.
Income Tax & Personal Allowance
Calculated using Finance Act statutory tax bands: 20% Basic Rate (£12,571–£50,270), 40% Higher Rate (£50,271–£125,140), and 45% Additional Rate, alongside the £1-for-£2 personal allowance taper above £100,000.
National Insurance (Class 1 Employee)
Applying the current 8% main rate between the Primary Threshold (£12,570) and Upper Earnings Limit (£50,270), and 2% thereafter.
Student Loan Repayments
Published repayment thresholds for Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4 (Scotland), Plan 5 and Postgraduate Loans. The main take-home calculator models one selected plan; use the relevant specialist tool and check its scope where more than one repayment applies.
Workplace Pensions
Pension treatment depends on the tool. The main take-home calculator models salary sacrifice as a percentage of gross pay; qualifying-earnings, net-pay and relief-at-source arrangements can give different results.
Editorial Independence & Quality Control
- Editorial attribution: AfterTaxUK Editorial Team identifies the site publisher. It is not a claim that a named accountant, financial adviser or external professional has reviewed every page. We do not invent reviewer identities, professional qualifications or endorsements.
- Review standard: Check the applicable official rates and effective dates, reconcile examples with the relevant calculator, and review changes before publication. Announced proposals must be distinguished from rules already in force. A page date records a content change; it does not certify every possible tax circumstance.
- Calculator privacy: Interactive salary calculations run in your browser. The calculator activity events contain only the event name, tool type and page path; they exclude entered salary, tax code and calculated amounts.
How to check one of our estimates
- Confirm the tax year, country, pay period and tax code. A regional budget does not create a different Income Tax rate within England.
- Check the pension method and student-loan selection. Salary sacrifice, net pay and relief at source affect deductions differently.
- Compare the worked example with the result using the same inputs. Annualised figures can differ from an individual payslip because of payroll periods, rounding or earlier pay and tax.
- Follow the source for the particular claim. A national tax table does not establish a local rent, rail fare, provider charge or typical salary.
Regional living-cost budgets and unverified private-sector pay presets are illustrative planning inputs, not market surveys or official earnings statistics. Replace them with your own pay offer, tenancy, travel quote and council bill.
Commercial comparisons should explain their selection criteria and link to provider terms. Desk research is not a first-hand product test. Product fees can change independently of tax-year rates.
Primary sources used for rate reviews
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances
- HMRC employer rates and thresholds for 2026/27
- Student-loan repayment thresholds
- National Minimum Wage rates
To report a correction, email the page URL, the figure or statement in question, and any relevant official source to the contact below.
Informational Advice Disclaimer
AfterTaxUK provides estimates for educational and budgeting purposes. Individual payroll circumstances, including taxable employee benefits, pension arrangements or emergency tax codes, can cause your employer's payslip to vary. We do not submit claims, access your HMRC account or provide regulated personal financial advice. Check actual liabilities with HMRC or a suitably qualified adviser before making a consequential decision.