Take-home pay calculator
Your pay after tax, National Insurance or FICA, student loan and pension, by year, month, week and day.
About the take-home pay calculator
Your pay after tax, National Insurance or FICA, student loan and pension, by year, month, week and day.
Part of SmartCalcy’s tax & salary tools. It runs in your browser with no account, uses your own currency and units (change them at the top of the page), and gives estimates for information only, so check official guidance before you rely on a result.
How to use the take-home pay calculator
What it calculates and when to use it
Turns a gross salary into take-home pay after income tax, National Insurance or FICA, student loan repayments and pension contributions, and shows it by year, month, week and day.
How to use it, step by step
- Choose where you pay tax and enter your pay with the period it covers.
- Enter your pension or 401(k) percentage and, if relevant, your student loan plan.
- Enter your working days per week.
- Read the take-home figures and the breakdown.
What each input means
- Pay before tax – Per year, month or week.
- Pension contribution – A percentage of pay taken before tax.
- Student loan plan – UK plans collect 9% of pay above a threshold, 6% for postgraduate.
How to read the results
- Take-home pay – Pay left after all deductions.
- Breakdown – Tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension.
- By period – Year, month, four weeks, week and day.
The formula
Take-home = gross − income tax − National Insurance (or FICA) − student loan − pension. Tax uses the bands in the income tax calculator, applied to pay after pension.
A worked example
A UK worker on 45,000 paying 5% into a pension has 2,250 of pension and 6,036 of income tax. After 2,594 of National Insurance, take-home pay is 34,120 a year, or 2,843.30 a month.
Assumptions and limits
- A standard tax code and a full tax year.
- No benefits in kind, bonuses or other income.
- US: federal tax and FICA only.
Common mistakes
- Using the figure as your exact payslip pay. Your tax code and deductions may differ.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my payslip different?
Tax codes, benefits, salary sacrifice and the timing of bonuses can all change the amounts.
Dated rules: UK tax year 2026 to 2027 (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), from GOV.UK. Rates and thresholds change each year, so check GOV.UK before relying on a figure. Dated rules: US federal figures for tax year 2026 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and IRS notices). These calculators are estimates for planning, not tax advice.
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Where the year’s pay goes
- Gross pay
- £45,000
- Income tax
- £6,036
- National Insurance
- £2,594
- Pension / 401(k)
- £2,250
Take-home by period
| Period | Amount |
|---|---|
| Year | £34,120 |
| Month | £2,843.30 |
| Four weeks | £2,624.58 |
| Week | £656.15 |
| Day | £131.23 |