Continue your plan
Useful next calculations
Rates & sources
Twelve-month household cash-flow model using net leave-pay phases supplied by the user. It does not assess statutory entitlement or invent an employer enhancement.
Source: GOV.UK — maternity and paternity pay calculator — check the linked guidance and any live quote before acting.
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 UK planning example
Use these sample inputs as a quick scenario test, then change one variable at a time to compare outcomes.
Leave pay per month, months 1–6 (£)
6
Leave pay per month, months 7–9 (£)
6
Leave pay per month, months 10–12 (£)
6
Partner or other reliable monthly net income (£)
£35,000
After entering these figures, review required starting buffer, 12-month net movement and lowest monthly surplus 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
Required Starting Buffer
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.
12-Month Net Movement
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.
Lowest Monthly Surplus
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.
Lowest Month Number
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.
Return Month
Use this to compare scenarios over different time horizons and judge whether the projected outcome clears your minimum required target. Remember that real-world returns fluctuate, so also check the result under a more conservative growth assumption.
Method & assumptionsAuthoritative sources
This interactive planner creates a twelve-month household timeline from the net leave-pay phases, partner or other reliable income, return month, post-return net pay, essential household costs, childcare and one-off costs entered. The table shows income, costs, monthly surplus and cumulative movement for every month.
Use amounts from the employer's written leave-pay schedule, payroll team or an official statutory-pay estimate. The default six-, three- and three-month phases are editable cash buckets, not claims about statutory entitlement or the timing of a particular employer scheme.
The tool does not assess maternity, paternity, adoption, shared-parental or neonatal-care pay eligibility; benefits; tax; pension effects; funded childcare; or actual pay dates. Confirm the schedule and rerun it when the employer or childcare quote changes.
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
Use arrow keys to navigate items, Enter or Space to expand/collapse.