Useful next calculations
Rates and sources, 2026/27
2026/27 annual PAYE illustration for comparing two offers. Non-cash benefits use only the personal value entered and are not treated as a taxable-benefit calculation.
| Band or figure | Rate |
|---|---|
| Personal allowance | £12,570 before taper |
| Employee NI | 8% then 2% |
| Student-loan plans | 2026/27 thresholds |
| Benefits in kind | not tax-modelled |
Source: HMRC — 2026/27 employer rates and thresholds. Source checked for 2026/27.
When to use this calculator
- Before accepting a pay change, bonus, pension contribution or salary-sacrifice option.
- When you want a simple take-home estimate before payroll or filing.
- When you are approaching the £100,000 income level and want to see the personal allowance taper.
- When you need to convert between hourly, monthly and annual pay.
A worked example
These are the example figures the calculator opens with.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Offer A salary (£) | £50,000 |
| Offer A expected cash bonus (£) | £3,000 |
| Offer A pension salary sacrifice (%) | 5% |
| Offer A employer pension (%) | 5% |
For those figures the calculator returns:
- Higher spendable offer: Offer A
- Annual spendable difference A minus B: £1,936.00
- Offer A monthly spendable: £3,070.62
- Offer B monthly spendable: £2,909.28
- Package proxy difference A minus B: £2,780.00
- Employer pension A: £2,500.00
- Employer pension B: £1,620.00
- Paid leave difference A minus B: 3.00 days
Method & assumptions
This comparator estimates the spendable annual and monthly cash from two UK job offers using 2026/27 Income Tax, Category A employee NI and the selected student-loan plan. Pension contributions are treated as salary sacrifice, and the recurring commuting and work costs entered are deducted after tax.
Employer pension, your own stated value for non-cash benefits and paid leave are kept visible rather than folded into take-home pay. The package proxy adds salary, expected cash bonus, employer pension and your personal benefits value, then subtracts work costs. It is not an accounting or taxable-benefit value.
Expected bonuses are not guaranteed. Tax codes, payroll timing, benefits in kind, postgraduate loans, share awards, multiple jobs and contract conditions are not modelled. Compare the written terms and use an HMRC or payroll estimate before relying on the result.
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 National Insurance or student-loan plan differences that apply to you.
What to do next
- Check the same scenario with related pay or deduction calculators.
- Keep a copy of the assumptions so you can compare the next tax year or pay period.
- If you are self-employed, compare this result with the self-employment tax calculator.
- Check whether a small pension contribution change moves take-home pay more than you expect.