What is take-home for an account executive?

On the £57,625 median, with no pension contribution, take-home is about £43,980 a year or £3,665 a month after £10,482 Income Tax and £3,163 National Insurance. At the £106,958 top decile it is about £71,201, reduced by the personal allowance taper.

Why does commission above £100,000 feel so heavily taxed?

Because the personal allowance tapers by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000. Each extra pound is taxed at 40% and also costs 50p of allowance, itself taxed at 40%, which works out at 60% plus 2% National Insurance - a 62% effective marginal rate all the way to £125,140. A pension contribution that brings adjusted net income back below £100,000 recovers the allowance in full.

Does the rate improve above £125,140?

Yes, counter-intuitively. Once the personal allowance is fully tapered away there is nothing left to lose, so the marginal rate drops from 62% to 47% - the 45% additional rate plus 2% National Insurance. Commission landing above £125,140 is therefore taxed more lightly at the margin than commission landing between £100,000 and £125,140.

Account Executive Salary 2026/27: Base + Commission Take-Home

ONS groups account executives with sales accounts and business development managers (SOC 2020 3556), whose full-time median was £57,625 in ASHE 2025. The upper tail is long for a sales occupation, as you would expect where commission is a large part of pay: £79,598 at the upper quartile and £106,958 at the 90th percentile.

Typical pay & take-home

Median gross: £57,625
ASHE 2025, 10th to 90th percentile: £32,651–£106,958
Take-home at median: £43,980 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.

At the median for this profession, you earn about 48% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you between the 75th percentile (£54,009) and the 90th percentile (£76,903) of UK full-time earnings.

See exact take-home for £57,625 →

What influences account executive (b2b saas sales) pay

ASHE measures gross pay actually received, so commission that was genuinely earned is already inside these figures. That makes the published percentiles a better guide than a quoted on-target earnings number, which describes a target rather than an outcome.

Commission is taxed as ordinary employment income through PAYE at the marginal rate when paid. A large single payment makes withholding spike, because PAYE annualises it, then corrects across the year on the cumulative basis - the annual total comes out right regardless of timing.

The 90th percentile of £106,958 is inside the £100,000 to £125,140 band where the personal allowance tapers, so the strongest earners in this group face a 62% effective marginal rate on part of their commission.

Career progression

Bottom decile of the group: £32,651.
Lower quartile: £43,049.
Median: £57,625.
Upper quartile: £79,598.
Top decile: £106,958.

Frequently asked questions

What is take-home for an account executive?: On the £57,625 median, with no pension contribution, take-home is about £43,980 a year or £3,665 a month after £10,482 Income Tax and £3,163 National Insurance. At the £106,958 top decile it is about £71,201, reduced by the personal allowance taper.
Why does commission above £100,000 feel so heavily taxed?: Because the personal allowance tapers by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000. Each extra pound is taxed at 40% and also costs 50p of allowance, itself taxed at 40%, which works out at 60% plus 2% National Insurance - a 62% effective marginal rate all the way to £125,140. A pension contribution that brings adjusted net income back below £100,000 recovers the allowance in full.
Does the rate improve above £125,140?: Yes, counter-intuitively. Once the personal allowance is fully tapered away there is nothing left to lose, so the marginal rate drops from 62% to 47% - the 45% additional rate plus 2% National Insurance. Commission landing above £125,140 is therefore taxed more lightly at the margin than commission landing between £100,000 and £125,140.

All UK professions →

Sources

ONS - ASHE 2025 Table 14.7a, annual pay by SOC 2020 occupation (occupational pay)
ONS — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (UK full-time median and percentiles)
HMRC — Rates and thresholds 2026/27
Our full methodology & calculation sources →