START WITH THE TAKE-HOME
What salary do I need?
Set the monthly amount you want to take home. Find an estimated annual gross salary for 2026/27, with your tax region, pension and student loans included.
Tax year 2026/27
Full-year estimate
Your Salary Estimate
2026/27Estimated annual gross salary
£45,110.99Before tax and employee-funded pension contributions.
- Your monthly target
- £3,000.00
- Estimated monthly take-home
- £3,000.00
Monthly figures are full-year averages, not a guaranteed payslip. This is a supported salary estimate, not a unique or exact minimum: payroll rounding can make nearby salaries produce slightly different results.
England, Wales & Northern Ireland · No student or postgraduate loan
No pension included. Tax year 2026/27.
| Annual amount | 2026/27 estimate |
|---|---|
| Reference gross salary | £45,110.99 |
| Employee-funded pension | £0.00 |
| Income Tax | £6,508.19 |
| Employee National Insurance | £2,602.80 |
| Student & postgraduate loans | £0.00 |
| Take-home cash | £36,000.00 |
Employer pension: £0.00 a year. This is separate from your take-home cash and is not deducted from it. Total pension contributions: £0.00 a year.
Calculation Assumptions & Limits
One employment for the full tax year, 12 regular monthly pay periods, Category A National Insurance and employment income only. The model finds a gross salary with annual take-home at least equal to your monthly target multiplied by 12. The annual amount above that target is £0.00.
Not included: bonuses, irregular pay, other income, benefits, custom tax codes, relief-at-source pensions, childcare, pension tax charges and loan payoff timing. Salary sacrifice requires an employer agreement. Minimum wage, scheme eligibility and auto-enrolment eligibility are not assessed.
Read the method and official sources. These automated estimates are not professionally certified payroll advice.
Your inputs changed. Select “Find My Salary” to update the estimate.
WORKED EXAMPLES
Monthly Targets, Annual Salaries
A £3,000 take-home target is not the same as £36,000 gross pay. Income Tax and National Insurance sit between the salary you negotiate and the cash you receive. Pension contributions and loan deductions can widen that difference.
These examples use the same calculation model as the tool above. They assume a full year of regular monthly pay in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, with no pension or student loans. Use your own settings before relying on a result.
See where a salary ranks in the UK once you have an estimate. The earnings benchmark compares gross pay, not take-home income.
| Monthly target | Estimated annual gross salary |
|---|---|
| £2,000.00 | £28,444.34 |
| £3,000.00 | £45,110.99 |
| £4,000.00 | £64,555.12 |
| £5,000.00 | £85,244.72 |
Amounts are rounded to pennies. An estimate meeting a target is not necessarily the unique or exact minimum salary because payroll deductions have rounding steps.
HOW IT WORKS
An Estimate You Can Check
The tool turns your monthly target into an annual amount, then tests gross salaries against our existing 2026/27 pay model. It returns a salary whose estimated annual take-home meets that target. The breakdown lets you check the deductions.
The calculation runs in your browser. Financial inputs are not added to the URL, stored as a saved scenario or submitted to a calculation service.
Read the full calculation method or report an error using a fictional example.
Why Can My Payslip Differ?
This is one employment across the full tax year, paid over 12 regular monthly periods, with Category A employee National Insurance. Monthly results are averages of the annual calculation. A mid-year job change, variable pay, a different tax code, bonuses, benefits or other income can change an actual payslip. The estimate does not assess benefit entitlement or household income.
What Changes When I Add a Pension?
Employee-funded contributions reduce spendable cash and can change tax and, with salary sacrifice, National Insurance and loan deductions. The auto-enrolment preset uses 5% employee and 3% employer on qualifying earnings; custom percentages use full reference salary. The employer addition is shown separately and is not cash you can spend. Relief-at-source pensions and pension tax charges are not modelled.
Compare net pay with salary sacrifice if you want to explore those arrangements in more detail.
Can I Use This to Negotiate a Pay Rise?
It can give you an estimated gross figure to compare with an offer, but it does not determine what a role should pay. To compare an existing salary with a proposed one directly, use the pay rise take-home calculator. Neither tool models a one-off bonus or guarantees payroll outcomes.
METHOD & SOURCES
Official Rules, Independent Tool
PayFigured is not an HMRC service. Automated tests check representative calculations, but are not professional payroll certification or a guarantee that every situation is covered.
- HMRC: rates and thresholds for employers, 2026 to 2027
- GOV.UK: student loan repayments
- HMRC: salary sacrifice and PAYE
- PayFigured: conventions, pension assumptions and limitations
Tool and explanation prepared 18 October 2026 for the 2026/27 tax year. This is an employment-pay estimate, not personal financial advice.
PayFigured is operated by ELENOVO HOLDINGS LTD, registered in England and Wales. Company number: 16703117. Registered office: 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom. Contact: hello@payfigured.co.uk.