£20,000 after tax (2026/27)
On a salary of £20,000 you take home £17,919.60 a year – £1,493.30 a month or £344.61 a week – in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and £1,496.61 a month in Scotland, in the 2026/27 tax year.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
| Item | Year | Month | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £20,000.00 | £1,666.67 | £384.62 |
| Income tax | −£1,486.00 | −£123.83 | −£28.58 |
| National Insurance | −£594.40 | −£49.53 | −£11.43 |
| Take-home pay | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | £344.61 |
Scotland
| Item | Year | Month | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £20,000.00 | £1,666.67 | £384.62 |
| Income tax | −£1,446.33 | −£120.53 | −£27.81 |
| National Insurance | −£594.40 | −£49.53 | −£11.43 |
| Take-home pay | £17,959.27 | £1,496.61 | £345.37 |
Someone living in Scotland on £20,000 takes home £39.67 a year more, thanks to the 19% starter rate. National Insurance is the same across the UK.
What these numbers mean
- Your Personal Allowance is £12,570, so £7,430 of your pay is taxed.
- Income tax and National Insurance together take 10.4% of your salary.
- At this salary all of your taxable pay is in the basic-rate band (20%), and you pay 8% National Insurance on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270.
- A £1,000 pay rise would add about £720.00 a year to your take-home pay (£60.00 a month).
- Paying 5% into a pension by salary sacrifice (£1,000.00 a year) would lower your take-home pay by only £720.00, because you save tax and National Insurance on it.
- A Plan 2 student loan takes nothing at this salary – it is below the £29,385 threshold.
Use the take-home pay calculator
Estimate only – not financial or tax advice. Tax year 2026/27, standard tax code 1257L, no other income, no pension unless stated. Source: GOV.UK, gov.scot. Figures last checked 13 Nov 2026.