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What do you actually take home?

Enter your salary — see tax, NI, pension and student loan at a glance

✓2026/27 HMRC rates✓No sign up✓Free

Your details

£
0%
0%60%

For public sector workers (NHS, teachers, civil servants) making additional pension contributions on top of your workplace pension.

The standard code for most UK employees. You receive the full £12,570 personal allowance tax-free.

Only relevant if you or your partner earns over £60,000 and claims Child Benefit

Your breakdown

Take-home pay

£12,000

/yr

Effective rate0.0%
Tax bandPersonal Allowance
Take-homeIncome TaxNI
Gross salary
£12,000
Income TaxPersonal Allowance
−£0
National Insurance
−£0
Take-home
£12,000

You earn more than the bottom 10% of UK full-time workers

Based on ONS ASHE 2025 data. See full breakdown →

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In plain English

On a £12,000 gross salary in England & Wales, you're in the Personal Allowance band (0% income tax). After paying £0 in income tax and £0 in National Insurance, you take home £12,000 per year — that's £1,000 a month or £231 a week. Your effective overall deduction rate is 0.0%.

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£12,000 salary after tax — 2026/27 breakdown

Annual take-home

£12,000

Monthly take-home

£1,000

Weekly take-home

£231

Tax band

Personal Allowance

Deductions at a glance

Gross salary£12,000
Income Tax (20%)−£0
National Insurance (8%)−£0
Take-home pay£12,000

A £12,000 salary falls below the personal allowance — you pay no income tax at all, though you may still pay National Insurance depending on your earnings.

On a £12,000 salary your annual take-home pay is £12,000 — that is £1,000 per month based on standard England rates with no pension contributions. Your personal figures are shown in the calculator above. After income tax of £0 and National Insurance of £0, your weekly take-home is £231. These figures assume the standard 1257L tax code and no student loan. Use the calculator above to model your exact situation including pension salary sacrifice, student loan deductions and Scottish tax rates.

With £1,000 landing in your account each month, budgeting becomes straightforward once you understand your fixed costs. The average UK household spends around £800–£1,000 per month on rent or mortgage, £300–£400 on food, and £150–£250 on transport. After these essentials a £1,000 monthly take-home leaves varying amounts for savings, leisure and discretionary spending depending on where in the UK you live. Use the Budget Calculator to see exactly what is left after your bills.

One of the most effective ways to increase your take-home pay at any salary level is pension salary sacrifice. Unlike paying into a pension from your net pay, salary sacrifice reduces your gross salary before tax and National Insurance are calculated — meaning you save tax and NI on every pound contributed. For basic rate taxpayers this saves around 28p per pound sacrificed. For higher rate taxpayers the saving is around 42p per pound. Use the pension slider in the calculator above to model the exact impact on your take-home pay.

Frequently asked questions

How much is £12,000 a year after tax?

On a £12,000 salary in England and Wales for 2026/27, your annual take-home pay is £12,000 — that is £1,000 per month or £231 per week. This assumes the standard 1257L tax code, no pension contributions and no student loan repayments. Your total deductions are £0 per year (£0 in income tax and £0 in National Insurance). If you have a pension, student loan or non-standard tax code, use the calculator above to model your exact situation and get a personalised take-home figure.

How much income tax do I pay on £12,000?

On a £12,000 salary your income tax for 2026/27 is £0 per year. Here is how that is calculated: the first £12,570 is completely tax-free — this is your personal allowance. The remaining £-570 is taxed at the basic rate of 20%, giving a total income tax bill of £0. All of your taxable income falls within the basic rate band, which means any salary sacrifice pension contributions reduce your income tax at 20p per pound contributed — plus 8p saved in National Insurance on the same amount.

How much National Insurance do I pay on £12,000?

On a £12,000 salary your National Insurance bill for 2026/27 is £0 per year. NI is charged at 8% on earnings between £12,570 (the Primary Threshold) and £50,270 (the Upper Earnings Limit). On a £12,000 salary that means 8% is applied to £-570, giving £0. National Insurance is calculated separately from income tax and funds the state pension, NHS and other benefits. Unlike income tax, NI has no equivalent of personal savings or pension relief — but salary sacrifice pension contributions do reduce your NI bill as well as your income tax.

Is £12,000 a good salary in the UK?

£12,000 is £25,430 below the UK median full-time salary of £37,430. It sits close to or below the National Living Wage and is common in retail, hospitality, care work and administration. The £1,000 monthly take-home is workable in lower cost-of-living areas outside major cities, but can feel stretched in London and the South East where housing costs are significantly higher. As your career progresses and your salary grows, you will move through the basic rate band without facing any additional complexity until your income exceeds £50,270.

Should I pay into a pension on £12,000?

Yes — even small pension contributions make a significant long-term difference and cost less than you might expect. If your employer offers salary sacrifice, every pound contributed reduces your gross salary before tax and National Insurance are calculated. On £12,000 this saves you around 28p per pound contributed (20p in income tax plus 8p in National Insurance) — so a 5% contribution of £600 per year actually costs only around £432 in lost take-home. Other options include a cycle to work scheme (save on commuting costs tax-efficiently) and checking your tax code on your payslip is correct — an incorrect code could mean you are overpaying tax. Use the calculator above to model the impact of different pension contribution levels.

How does £12,000 compare to UK earnings?

A £12,000 salary puts you among the bottom 10% of UK full-time workers.

The UK median full-time salary is £37,430 — your salary is £25,430 below the UK median.

All of your taxable income falls within the basic rate band, meaning you pay the same marginal rate of income tax as the majority of UK workers.

See the full UK salary breakdown →