UK take-home pay · 2026/27 tax year
£31,000 after tax in 2026/27
A £31,000 salary leaves you with £25,840 a year once Income Tax and National Insurance are paid. That works out at £2,153 a month, or £497 a week. You pay £3,686 in Income Tax and £1,474 in National Insurance, so you keep 83.4% of what you earn. That is for 2026/27 in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Scottish rates are compared below.
Figures checked against GOV.UK on .
Take-home pay
£25,840
per year
Per month
£2,153
after tax and NI
Income Tax
£3,686
per year
National Insurance
£1,474
per year
£31k take-home pay by year, month, pay period and hour
| Period | Gross pay | Income Tax | National Insurance | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | £31,000 | £3,686 | £1,474.40 | £25,839.60 |
| Month | £2,583.33 | £307.17 | £122.87 | £2,153.30 |
| 4 weeks | £2,384.62 | £283.54 | £113.42 | £1,987.66 |
| 2 weeks | £1,192.31 | £141.77 | £56.71 | £993.83 |
| Week | £596.15 | £70.88 | £28.35 | £496.92 |
| Day | £119.23 | £14.18 | £5.67 | £99.38 |
| Hour | £15.90 | £1.89 | £0.76 | £13.25 |
How tax and National Insurance are worked out on £31,000
- The first £12,570 is your Personal Allowance, so it is tax-free.
- £18,430 is taxed at 20% (basic rate), which is £3,686.
- National Insurance is 8% of the £18,430 you earn between £12,570 and £50,270: £1,474.40.
- £31,000 minus £3,686 tax and £1,474.40 NI leaves £25,839.60 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 £19,270 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 £3,900 at £31,000. So employing you costs at least £34,900 a year before any workplace pension contribution. Small employers may be able to offset some of this with the Employment Allowance.
£31,000 after tax in Scotland
Scottish taxpayers on £31,000 take home £24.93 more a year, because the first £3,967 of taxable pay is charged at the 19% starter rate. Your National Insurance of £1,474.40 is the same wherever you live in the UK.
| England, Wales and NI | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | £3,686 | £3,661 |
| National Insurance | £1,474 | £1,474 |
| Take-home per year | £25,840 | £25,865 |
| Take-home per month | £2,153 | £2,155 |
Student loan repayments on £31,000
| 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% | £369 | £30.75 | £25,471 |
| Plan 2 (England or Wales between September 2012 and July 2023) | £29,385 at 9% | £145 | £12.11 | £25,694 |
| Plan 4 (Scotland) | £33,795 at 9% | £0 | £0 | £25,840 |
| Plan 5 (England from August 2023) | £25,000 at 9% | £540 | £45 | £25,300 |
| Postgraduate Loan (Master's or Doctoral loan) | £21,000 at 6% | £600 | £50 | £25,240 |
Pension contributions on £31,000
| You pay in | Into pension per year | Take-home per year | Per month | Cost to take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3% | £930 | £25,170 | £2,098 | £670 |
| 5% | £1,550 | £24,724 | £2,060 | £1,116 |
| 8% | £2,480 | £24,054 | £2,005 | £1,786 |
| 10% | £3,100 | £23,608 | £1,967 | £2,232 |
What a pay rise on £31k is worth
| Rise | New salary | New take-home | Extra per year | Extra per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3% | £31,930 | £26,509 | £670 | £55.80 |
| 5% | £32,550 | £26,956 | £1,116 | £93 |
| 10% | £34,100 | £28,072 | £2,232 | £186 |
How £31,000 compares with the UK average
A £31,000 salary is £8,900 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
- £26,000 after tax £22,240 a year
- £29,000 after tax £24,400 a year
- £30,000 after tax £25,120 a year
- £32,000 after tax £26,560 a year
- £33,000 after tax £27,280 a year
- £36,000 after tax £29,440 a year
- £41,000 after tax £33,040 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 £31k after tax
How much is £31k a month after tax?
A £31,000 salary gives you £2,153.30 a month after Income Tax and National Insurance in 2026/27, before any pension or student loan deductions. Before tax, that is £2,583.33 a month.
How much tax do I pay on £31,000?
You pay £3,686 in Income Tax and £1,474.40 in National Insurance a year, £5,160.40 in total. That is an effective rate of 16.6% of your salary.
£31k a year is how much an hour?
£15.90 an hour before tax if you work 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks, or £14.90 on a 40-hour week. After tax and National Insurance it is £13.25 an hour, which is £496.92 a week.
How much is £31,000 after tax in Scotland?
In Scotland you would take home £25,865 a year, or £2,155.38 a month. Scottish Income Tax on £31,000 is £3,661.07, compared with £3,686 in the rest of the UK.
How much student loan do I repay on £31,000?
On £31,000 you repay £145.35 a year on Plan 2 (£12.11 a month): 9% of everything you earn over £29,385. Plan 1 would take £369 and Plan 5 £540, because their thresholds are lower.
How much more would I take home on £32,000?
On £32,000 you would take home £26,560 a year, £720 more than on £31,000. 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.