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Tax & Salary · 2025/26

UK Tax Bracket Checker

See your Income Tax bill broken down by band — and exactly what a pay rise is worth after the government takes its share.

Your income

£

Salary, freelance, rental — anything taxable as income.

Personal Allowance£12,570
Taxable income£22,430
What a £1,000 pay rise really gives you
You’d keep£800
HMRC takes−£200
Marginal Income Tax rate: 20% (excludes NI)

England, Wales & Northern Ireland · 2025/26 tax year. Excludes dividend income, which is taxed at separate rates.

Total Income Tax
£4,486
Effective rate on income: 12.8%

Band by band

  • Basic rate (20%)
    £12,571 – £50,270
    −£4,486
  • Higher rate (40%)
    £50,271 – £125,140
    −£0
  • Additional rate (45%)
    Over £125,140
    −£0
  • Total Income Tax
    £4,486

How we calculated your result

The UK uses a band system: you don’t pay one flat rate on everything. Each slice of your income gets taxed at the rate for that band.

We take your income, subtract your Personal Allowance (tax-free amount) and apply each rate to its slice:

  1. First £12,570 — taxed at 0%.
  2. Next slice up to £50,270 — taxed at 20%.
  3. Next slice up to £125,140 — taxed at 40%.
  4. Anything above £125,140 — taxed at 45%.

The “pay rise” figure shows what you’d actually keep from an extra £1,000 — your marginal rate, not your average rate.

Official UK rules in simple English

HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) publishes the bands once a year. For 2025/26 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

BandIncomeRate
Personal Allowance£0 – £12,5700%
Basic rate£12,571 – £50,27020%
Higher rate£50,271 – £125,14040%
Additional rateOver £125,14045%

Common pitfalls to watch out for

  • ⚠ The £100,000 trap — a hidden 60% marginal rate

    Above £100,000, your Personal Allowance shrinks by £1 for every £2 you earn. Between £100,000 and £125,140 every extra £1 you earn loses you 50p of allowance — which then gets taxed at 40%. Combined with the 40% on the extra £1 itself, the marginal rate is 60%. Salary sacrifice into a pension is the usual fix.

  • ⚠ Pay rises straight into the higher rate

    A bonus or rise that lifts you over £50,270 has 40% taken off the top. Use the pay-rise box to see exactly how much you’d keep before you negotiate.

  • ⚠ Dividends and savings interest aren't included

    Dividend income has its own rates (8.75%, 33.75%, 39.35%) and savings interest has its own allowance. This page only covers earned income.

Frequently asked questions

Does this include National Insurance?

No — NI is a separate tax. Use the Salary Calculator to see Income Tax and NI combined.

What about Scotland?

Scottish taxpayers use six bands. A Scotland-specific calculator is on the way.

Figures are estimates for the 2025/26 tax year (England, Wales & Northern Ireland). GovMath is not affiliated with HMRC.

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