UK take-home pay · 2026/27 tax year
£23,000 after tax in 2026/27
After Income Tax and National Insurance, £23,000 a year becomes £20,080 of take-home pay: £1,673 a month and £386 a week. You pay £2,086 in Income Tax and £834 in National Insurance, so you keep 87.3% of what you earn. This uses the 2026/27 rates that apply outside Scotland, with a Scottish comparison further down.
Figures checked against GOV.UK on .
Take-home pay
£20,080
per year
Per month
£1,673
after tax and NI
Income Tax
£2,086
per year
National Insurance
£834
per year
£23k take-home pay by year, month, pay period and hour
| Period | Gross pay | Income Tax | National Insurance | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | £23,000 | £2,086 | £834.40 | £20,079.60 |
| Month | £1,916.67 | £173.83 | £69.53 | £1,673.30 |
| 4 weeks | £1,769.23 | £160.46 | £64.18 | £1,544.58 |
| 2 weeks | £884.62 | £80.23 | £32.09 | £772.29 |
| Week | £442.31 | £40.12 | £16.05 | £386.15 |
| Day | £88.46 | £8.02 | £3.21 | £77.23 |
| Hour | £11.79 | £1.07 | £0.43 | £10.30 |
How tax and National Insurance are worked out on £23,000
- The first £12,570 is your Personal Allowance, so it is tax-free.
- £10,430 is taxed at 20% (basic rate), which is £2,086.
- National Insurance is 8% of the £10,430 you earn between £12,570 and £50,270: £834.40.
- £23,000 minus £2,086 tax and £834.40 NI leaves £20,079.60 a year.
Which tax band you are in
All of your taxable pay falls in the 20% basic-rate band. Higher-rate tax only starts at £50,270, so a pay rise of up to £27,270 is still taxed at 20%.
What a pay rise is worth
Out of the next £1,000 you earn, you would keep £720 after tax and National Insurance.
What you cost your employer
On top of your salary, your employer pays 15% National Insurance on earnings above £5,000 a year, which is £2,700 at £23,000. So employing you costs at least £25,700 a year before any workplace pension contribution. Small employers may be able to offset some of this with the Employment Allowance.
£23,000 after tax in Scotland
Scottish taxpayers on £23,000 take home £39.67 more a year, because the first £3,967 of taxable pay is charged at the 19% starter rate. Your National Insurance of £834.40 is the same wherever you live in the UK.
| England, Wales and NI | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | £2,086 | £2,046 |
| National Insurance | £834 | £834 |
| Take-home per year | £20,080 | £20,119 |
| Take-home per month | £1,673 | £1,677 |
Student loan repayments on £23,000
| Plan | Threshold | Per year | Per month | Take-home after repayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 (England or Wales before September 2012, or Northern Ireland) | £26,900 at 9% | £0 | £0 | £20,080 |
| Plan 2 (England or Wales between September 2012 and July 2023) | £29,385 at 9% | £0 | £0 | £20,080 |
| Plan 4 (Scotland) | £33,795 at 9% | £0 | £0 | £20,080 |
| Plan 5 (England from August 2023) | £25,000 at 9% | £0 | £0 | £20,080 |
| Postgraduate Loan (Master's or Doctoral loan) | £21,000 at 6% | £120 | £10 | £19,960 |
Pension contributions on £23,000
| You pay in | Into pension per year | Take-home per year | Per month | Cost to take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3% | £690 | £19,583 | £1,632 | £497 |
| 5% | £1,150 | £19,252 | £1,604 | £828 |
| 8% | £1,840 | £18,755 | £1,563 | £1,325 |
| 10% | £2,300 | £18,424 | £1,535 | £1,656 |
What a pay rise on £23k is worth
| Rise | New salary | New take-home | Extra per year | Extra per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3% | £23,690 | £20,576 | £497 | £41.40 |
| 5% | £24,150 | £20,908 | £828 | £69 |
| 10% | £25,300 | £21,736 | £1,656 | £138 |
How £23,000 compares with the UK average
A £23,000 salary is £16,900 less than the typical full-time wage in the UK. The Office for National Statistics measured median full-time pay at £766.60 a week in April 2025, which is roughly £39,900 over a year.
Nearby salaries after tax
- £18,000 after tax £16,480 a year
- £21,000 after tax £18,640 a year
- £22,000 after tax £19,360 a year
- £24,000 after tax £20,800 a year
- £25,000 after tax £21,520 a year
- £28,000 after tax £23,680 a year
- £33,000 after tax £27,280 a year
Full salary after tax table · Calculate with your own pension and tax code
Guides and definitions
- High Income Child Benefit Charge: how it is worked out and cut
- How to read your payslip: every line explained, with an example
- National Insurance rates 2026/27: what you pay and how it works
- Emergency tax code: An emergency tax code, marked W1, M1 or X, taxes each payday on its own, as if you were paid that amount every period of the year.
- Marginal tax rate: Your marginal tax rate is the share of your next pound or dollar of income that goes in tax and deductions.
- P60: A P60 is the yearly summary of your pay and tax from one employer, due by 31 May if you work there on 5 April.
- Personal Allowance: The Personal Allowance is the income you can earn each UK tax year before Income Tax starts: £12,570 for 2026/27.
- Tax code: A UK tax code tells your employer or pension provider how much tax-free pay to give you; 1257L, meaning £12,570, is the most common.
Questions about £23k after tax
How much is £23k a month after tax?
A £23,000 salary gives you £1,673.30 a month after Income Tax and National Insurance in 2026/27, before any pension or student loan deductions. Before tax, that is £1,916.67 a month.
How much tax do I pay on £23,000?
You pay £2,086 in Income Tax and £834.40 in National Insurance a year, £2,920.40 in total. That is an effective rate of 12.7% of your salary.
£23k a year is how much an hour?
£11.79 an hour before tax if you work 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks, or £11.06 on a 40-hour week. After tax and National Insurance it is £10.30 an hour, which is £386.15 a week.
How much is £23,000 after tax in Scotland?
In Scotland you would take home £20,119 a year, or £1,676.61 a month. Scottish Income Tax on £23,000 is £2,046.33, compared with £2,086 in the rest of the UK.
How much student loan do I repay on £23,000?
Nothing on Plan 1, 2 or 5 at £23,000, because it is below all of their thresholds. A Postgraduate Loan would take £120 a year (6% over £21,000).
How much more would I take home on £24,000?
On £24,000 you would take home £20,800 a year, £720 more than on £23,000. That is £60 extra a month.
Sources and assumptions
- Employee in England, Wales or Northern Ireland on the standard 1257L tax code, unless the Scotland section says otherwise.
- No student loan, pension contribution, benefits in kind or other deductions in the headline figures.
- Hourly figures assume 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks; daily figures assume 260 working days a year.
- Pension examples assume salary sacrifice, so contributions come off before tax and National Insurance.
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances
- Scottish Income Tax
- National Insurance: how much you pay
- Repaying your student loan: what you pay
- ONS: Employee earnings in the UK 2025
These are estimates. Your payslip can differ if your tax code, pension scheme or benefits are different.