Last reviewed: 12 September 2026. WorkSmartMoney is an independent educational website. Our calculators provide estimates, not payroll, tax or financial advice.
What the calculators do
The take-home-pay tools begin with gross annual pay, then estimate Income Tax and employee National Insurance using the selected tax year and region. Where you enter pension contributions or student loans, the calculation applies the treatment selected in the tool. Salary, hourly-rate and freelance tools use the same transparent conversions shown beside their results.
Assumptions you can check
Every result depends on the figures entered. Unless a tool lets you change them, annual-to-hourly conversions use 37.5 hours a week and 52 weeks a year; daily figures use 260 working days. Freelance comparisons are illustrations, not a prediction of earnings: unpaid leave, gaps between projects, expenses, insurance, tax administration and pension provision can materially change the outcome.
Tax-year scope
Tax rules differ between England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and they can change between tax years. The calculator labels the tax year it uses and explains which region a result covers. We review the figures when a new tax year begins, but a payslip can differ because of bonuses, benefits, tax codes, multiple jobs, payroll timing or arrangements not modelled here.
Sources and review
We use official UK government guidance to check Income Tax rates, allowances, National Insurance and student-loan repayment rules. Source material is reviewed when calculations are updated, and readers can report an issue through our contact page.
- HMRC: Income Tax rates and allowances
- HMRC: National Insurance rates and categories
- GOV.UK: Student loan repayments
How to use a result responsibly
Use a result to compare scenarios and form questions, then check a current payslip, official guidance or a qualified professional before making an important financial, tax or employment decision. Read our guides for context and our disclaimer for the full limits of the service.