UK pay rise planner 2026/27
Enter your current salary and the new figure you're being offered — or picking between. We'll show how much actually reaches your bank after Income Tax, NI, pension and student loan. The marginal "keep rate" tells you how much of each extra pound you actually get.
Your scenario
Numbers stay in your browser. No tracking of salary values.
The real pay rise
Enter the figures on the left and click. We'll show the gross headline, the real net gain, and the marginal keep-rate on the extra income.
Why "keep rate" matters more than headline rise
A pay rise is only as valuable as the slice of it that reaches your bank. The keep rate is the percentage of each extra pound you actually get after Income Tax, NI and (optionally) student loan.
- Basic-rate band (£12,570–£50,270): 20% tax + 8% NI = 28% deducted → keep rate ~72p per £1.
- Higher-rate band (£50,270–£100,000): 40% tax + 2% NI = 42% deducted → keep rate ~58p per £1.
- Personal allowance taper (£100,000–£125,140): 40% tax + 2% NI + 20% from losing allowance = 62% deducted → keep rate ~38p per £1. This is why a rise from £100k to £125k is worse value per £ than a rise from £80k to £100k.
- Additional-rate band (above £125,140): 45% tax + 2% NI = 47% deducted → keep rate ~53p per £1.
- Add Plan 2 student loan (9%): subtract 9 percentage points from the keep rate above the £29,385 threshold.
When a rise crosses a threshold, your keep rate changes mid-way — the planner handles this and shows the aggregate.
Related tools and guides
Methodology and assumptions
Uses UK 2026/27 Income Tax bands (England/Wales/Northern Ireland or Scotland by region), 8%/2% employee NI, pension deducted before tax by default, and your selected student loan plan. The marginal rate on the uplift is calculated by comparing net on new salary with net on current salary. Pension amount is a flat percentage of each gross salary — real-life schemes can be more complex (banded earnings, salary-sacrifice employer NI uplift).
This is a planning tool, not a guarantee. Your real payslip can differ because of tax code adjustments, mid-year rises, bonus payments, benefit changes and employer-side settings we can't see.
Last reviewed October 2026. Sources: GOV.UK Income Tax rates and allowances, HMRC NI rates and letters, gov.scot Scottish Income Tax rates, GOV.UK student loan repayment thresholds.
Not financial advice. This is an educational calculator. Material pay decisions warrant professional advice.