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Salary & tax

From your payslip to your tax return — here are free calculators for take-home pay, self-employment, dividends, Capital Gains, VAT and more, plus plain-English guides, all on 2026/27 rates.

Where to start

Calculators

Take-home pay calculatorIncome tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan from your salary.Self-employed tax calculatorIncome tax and Class 4 NI on sole-trader profit, with payments on account.Dividend tax calculatorTax on dividends with the £500 allowance and the 2026/27 rates.Capital Gains Tax calculatorCGT on shares and property with the £3,000 allowance and 18%/24% rates.Crypto tax calculatorCapital Gains Tax on selling, swapping or spending cryptocurrency.VAT calculatorAdd or remove VAT at 20%, 5% or any rate, with a net / VAT / gross breakdown.Scottish income tax calculatorTake-home pay using the Scottish income tax bands.Child Benefit calculatorHow much Child Benefit you get and the High Income Charge.Marriage Allowance calculatorSee if transferring allowance saves you tax as a couple.Couple Marriage AllowanceBoth incomes in, household saving out — who transfers and how much you save.

Guides

Income tax explainedAllowances, the bands and how income tax is actually worked out.National InsuranceThe Class 1 thresholds, the rates and what your NI actually pays for.How dividend tax worksThe £500 allowance, the dividend rates and how they stack on your income.How Capital Gains Tax worksThe £3,000 allowance, the 18%/24% rates and what counts as a disposal.How crypto is taxedWhen crypto is CGT vs income, swaps as disposals, and HMRC reporting.How VAT worksThe rates, the £90,000 registration threshold, and returns.Student loan repaymentThe plans, the thresholds and how repayments come out of your pay.Salary sacrificeHow sacrificing salary for pension or benefits cuts your tax and NI.

Common questions

How is my take-home pay calculated?

Your gross salary has income tax, National Insurance and any pension or student loan deducted. Income tax uses your personal allowance (£12,570 for most people in 2026/27) and the 20%, 40% and 45% bands; National Insurance is charged separately on your earnings. The take-home pay calculator does it all for your salary.

How much tax do the self-employed pay?

Sole traders pay income tax on their profit using the same bands as employees, plus Class 4 National Insurance, and may make payments on account towards the next year. There’s no employer doing it for you, so it’s settled through Self Assessment. The self-employed tax calculator estimates the bill.

What is the personal allowance for 2026/27?

The standard personal allowance is £12,570 — the amount you can earn before paying income tax. It’s reduced by £1 for every £2 you earn above £100,000, disappearing entirely at £125,140. Scotland uses the same allowance but different tax bands above it.

How does salary sacrifice save tax?

You give up part of your gross salary in exchange for a benefit — usually pension contributions. Because the sacrifice comes out before tax and National Insurance, you pay less of both, so more of your money ends up working for you. The salary sacrifice guide explains the trade-offs.