Rates & sources
UK tax rates and thresholds, as published by HMRC. Scotland and Wales have devolved rates for income tax and property transactions.
Source: HMRC — Tax rates — figures refreshed at the start of each tax year.
When to use this calculator
- Before accepting a pay change, bonus, pension contribution, or salary-sacrifice option.
- When you want to compare employed, self-employed, or dividend-based income scenarios.
- When you need a simple take-home estimate before running payroll or filing returns.
- When you are approaching the £100,000 income level and want to understand the personal allowance taper effect.
- When you are planning a salary sacrifice arrangement and need to see the net pay impact before agreeing terms.
A realistic Australia planning example
Use these sample inputs as a quick scenario test, then change one variable at a time to compare outcomes.
Current HECS-HELP Debt (A$)
A$1,400
Annual Repayment Income (A$)
A$80,000
Expected Annual Income Growth (%)
A$80,000
Expected Annual Indexation Rate (%)
5%
After entering these figures, review annual repayment, repayment rate and years to pay off together rather than in isolation — each metric tells a different part of the story. Then rerun the tool with one input adjusted to see which variable has the biggest effect on all three outputs before you settle on a plan.
How to read your results
Annual Repayment
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Repayment Rate
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Years to Pay Off
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Total Repaid
This is the headline outcome of the calculation, but it is most useful when read alongside the supporting metrics below it rather than in isolation. Try changing one input at a time and watching how this total moves to understand which driver has the biggest impact.
Weekly Repayment
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Method & assumptionsAuthoritative sources
This calculator uses the 2024/25 HECS-HELP compulsory repayment thresholds published by the Australian Taxation Office. There are 19 repayment bands ranging from 1% of repayment income at $54,435 to 10% above $159,664. To project your payoff timeline, the model simulates year-by-year debt reduction: at the start of each year your balance is indexed by the CPI rate you specify, then your repayment (current income multiplied by the applicable rate) is subtracted. Your income then grows by the specified annual growth rate before the next year’s calculation begins. The simulation runs for up to 40 years.
Key limitations: this model uses annual compounding and does not account for voluntary repayments, changes in employment or career breaks, income years where you earn below the threshold, or the possibility of future legislative changes to thresholds and rates. Indexation rates can vary significantly year to year — the 3.9% default is an approximate medium-term average; you should test both lower (2%) and higher (6%+) scenarios. The ATO’s official HELP repayment calculator on the ATO website and the mygov portal provide confirmed figures based on your actual lodged tax data.
Common mistakes
- !Entering gross income when you really want take-home pay, or vice versa.
- !Ignoring pension contributions, deductions, or local tax rules that change the result.
- !Comparing monthly and annual figures without standardising them first.
- !Overlooking the National Insurance threshold changes that apply mid-year when rates or bands are adjusted in a Budget.
- !Assuming a salary sacrifice benefit reduces take-home pay by the full gross amount, rather than only the after-tax cost.
What to do next
- Check the same scenario with related pay or deduction calculators to see the full picture.
- Keep a copy of the assumptions you used so you can compare next tax year or pay period accurately.
- Read the related guides below if you are choosing between multiple income or deduction options.
- If you are self-employed, run the self-employment tax calculator alongside this result to compare the net position against employed income.
- Check whether increasing your pension contribution by even one or two percent changes the take-home significantly — use the pension calculator next.
Frequently asked
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End-of-article next steps
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