UK Pay Rise Calculator 2026/27
Work out what a UK pay rise adds to take-home pay in 2026/27 and the marginal rate it lands at - 28% basic, 42% higher, 62% in the £100k taper.
Worked examples (2026/27, England)
- £30,000 -> £33,000 (10%)+£2,160 a year+£180 a month - effective 28.0% deducted
- £45,000 -> £50,000+£3,600 a year+£300 a month - effective 28.0% deducted
- £55,000 -> £60,000+£2,900 a year+£242 a month - effective 42.0% deducted
- £95,000 -> £105,000 (crosses £100k)+£4,800 a year+£400 a month - effective 52.0% deducted
- £110,000 -> £120,000 (PA taper)+£3,800 a year+£317 a month - effective 62.0% deducted
- £130,000 -> £140,000 (additional rate)+£5,300 a year+£442 a month - effective 47.0% deducted
Related calculators
Other UK tax calculators that pair with the Pay Rise.
Frequently asked questions
How much of a UK pay rise do I actually keep?
Depends entirely on where your current salary and the rise sit relative to the tax band thresholds. A pay rise fully inside the basic-rate band (£12,570 to £50,270) keeps 72p per £1 raised after 20% IT + 8% NI. A rise fully inside the higher-rate band (£50,270 to £100,000) keeps 58p per £1 after 40% IT + 2% NI. A rise inside the £100,000-£125,140 Personal Allowance taper keeps only 38p per £1 (a 62% effective marginal rate). These figures use the England, Wales and Northern Ireland Income Tax bands, which is what this calculator applies; Scotland has its own bands.
What is the effective tax rate on a pay rise?
The effective tax rate on a pay rise is the IT and NI taken from each marginal pound of the rise. It is the headline marginal rate where the rise lands (28% basic, 42% higher, 62% in the £100,000 to £125,140 taper, or 47% additional) unless the rise spans a threshold, in which case it is a weighted blend across the bands. The calculator computes the exact figure for your inputs.
Why does my pay rise feel smaller than expected?
Two common reasons: (1) the rise crossed a band threshold so part of it is taxed at the next higher rate, and (2) your tax code. On a normal code PAYE works out tax on your total pay so far in the tax year. On an emergency code (ending W1, M1 or X) tax is worked out on that week or month only, as if you were paid that amount every period - so a payslip that includes back pay for earlier months can take more tax than you expect.
Should I salary-sacrifice a pay rise into pension?
It is worth considering, especially if the rise pushes you into the £100k PA-taper band (62% effective marginal). Sacrificing the marginal pounds keeps the full uplift in your pension pot at zero Income Tax cost, vs receiving 38p per £1 as cash. The trade-off is liquidity - you normally cannot take pension money before the normal minimum pension age, which is 55 now and rises to 57 from 6 April 2028 (Finance Act 2022 s.10).
Does the rise affect my pension contribution amount?
If your contribution is a percentage of salary (common in workplace schemes), it goes up with the rise, so part of the rise goes into your pension rather than your take-home pay. If it is a fixed pound amount, the contribution does not change and the whole rise is extra gross pay. This calculator has no pension input: it shows the change in take-home before any change in pension contributions.