UK Payslip Calculator
Verify your expected take-home pay instantly. Calculate your Income Tax, National Insurance, and net pay per payslip based on your gross salary and specific tax code.
Check Your Expected Payslip
Enter your gross pay, tax code, and pay frequency. The calculator will estimate exactly what should appear on your monthly or weekly payslip.
Payslip Deduction Solver
Estimate your net pay and verify your deductions per pay period
Payslip Quick Facts
Essential insights into reading your UK payslip
Understanding Your Payslip
Employers use payroll software to calculate your payslip. Here is the exact order in which your gross pay is reduced to your net pay.
Decode the Tax Code
Your tax code determines your tax-free allowance. For ‘1257L’, the number 1257 is multiplied by 10, giving a £12,570 annual tax-free allowance.
Calculate Annual Income Tax
Your gross salary minus your allowance equals your taxable income. This is taxed at 20% (Basic), 40% (Higher), or 45% (Additional) rates.
Deduct National Insurance
Class 1 Employee NI is calculated on your gross earnings: 8% on main earnings (£12,570 to £50,270) and 2% on earnings above £50,270.
Divide by Pay Frequency
The total annual deductions are divided by 12 (monthly), 52 (weekly), or 13 (4-weekly) to show the exact amounts deducted on each individual payslip.
Common UK Tax Codes
A quick guide to the most common tax codes you might see on your payslip and what they mean for your pay.
| Tax Code | Tax-Free Allowance | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 1257L | £12,570 | Standard code. You receive the full personal allowance. |
| BR | £0 | Basic Rate. All income from this job is taxed at 20%. |
| D0 | £0 | Higher Rate. All income from this job is taxed at 40%. |
| D1 | £0 | Additional Rate. All income from this job is taxed at 45%. |
| 0T | £0 | All income is taxed at the appropriate band (20%, 40%, or 45%), often used as an emergency code. |
| 1257L W1/M1 | £12,570 | Emergency tax code. Tax is calculated on a non-cumulative ‘Week 1/Month 1’ basis. |
Payslip Calculator FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about reading UK payslips, tax codes, and payroll deductions.
Your tax code tells your employer how much tax-free income you are entitled to. For example, ‘1257L’ is the standard code, meaning you can earn £12,570 tax-free. The number multiplied by 10 equals your tax-free allowance.
YTD stands for ‘Year-to-Date’. It shows the cumulative total of your gross pay, tax, National Insurance, and net pay from the start of the tax year (6 April) up to the current payslip period.
‘BR’ stands for Basic Rate. It means all income from this job is taxed at the basic rate of 20%, with no tax-free personal allowance applied. This is common if you have multiple jobs or a new job before your P45 is processed.
Verify that your gross pay matches your contracted hours/salary, your tax code is correct (usually 1257L), and that National Insurance is only deducted on earnings above £12,570 annually. Use our calculator to estimate your expected net pay per period.