Bonus Tax Calculator

Work out how much of a UK bonus you keep after Income Tax, National Insurance and student loan in 2026/27, and what your payslip looks like the month it is paid.

Reviewed by Dany, RightSums team · Updated

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salary-tax · Daily life · UK

Enter your salary and your bonus to see how much of the bonus you actually keep in the 2026/27 tax year. The calculator compares a year on your salary alone with a year including the bonus, so the tax on the bonus is the real extra cost at your own rates, including the 40% band, the £100,000 allowance trap and Scottish bands. It then shows the payslip for the month the bonus is paid next to a normal month, because Income Tax is worked out on your pay so far in the year while National Insurance and student loans are worked out on that month alone. It flags the thresholds your bonus crosses, including the Child Benefit charge, and shows what paying some or all of it into your pension by bonus sacrifice would change.

Accepted inputs

  • Yearly salary before tax
  • Bonus before tax
  • Month the bonus is paid
  • England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or Scotland
  • Student loan: Plan 1, 2, 4 or 5, plus Postgraduate Loan
  • Amount of the bonus paid into a pension by bonus sacrifice

Outputs

  • Take-home from the bonus
  • Income Tax, National Insurance and student loan on the bonus
  • Rate taken from the bonus
  • Year with and without the bonus side by side
  • Payslip for the bonus month, a normal month and the month after
  • Thresholds the bonus crosses, including £50,270, £100,000 and the Child Benefit charge
  • Pension sacrifice options with the cost of each £1 paid in

How to use the Bonus Tax Calculator

  1. Enter your normal yearly salary, the bonus before tax, the month it will be paid and where in the UK you live.
  2. The calculator works out Income Tax for the year with and without the bonus, so the difference is what the bonus really costs in tax at your rates.
  3. National Insurance and any student loan are worked out on the bonus month alone, as payroll does, and the payslip table shows that month next to a normal one.
  4. Add an amount to pay into your pension by bonus sacrifice to see how much tax and NI it saves and what each £1 in your pension costs you.

Frequently asked questions

How much tax will I pay on my bonus?

It is taxed at your top rate plus National Insurance for the month it is paid. On a £45,000 salary a £5,000 bonus costs £1,000 Income Tax and £126.34 NI, so you keep £3,873.66. A £10,000 bonus on the same salary crosses £50,270, so you keep £6,827.66 in 2026/27.

Why is my bonus taxed so much on my payslip?

The whole bonus lands in one payslip. Income Tax is worked out on your pay so far in the tax year, so a large bonus paid part-way through can take more than the year needs, and the following months take less. On £45,000, a £10,000 bonus in December takes £3,209.50 extra tax that month against £2,946 for the year.

What is the bonus tax rate in the UK?

There is no special bonus rate. The bonus is taxed as pay at 20%, 40% or 45% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or 19% to 48% in Scotland, depending on your total pay. Between £100,000 and £125,140 the effective rate is 60% because your Personal Allowance is withdrawn.

Why is the National Insurance on my bonus less than 8%?

Employee NI is worked out on each month's pay, at 8% between £1,048 and £4,189 a month and 2% above that. A bonus usually pushes that month well over £4,189, so much of it only pays 2%. On £45,000 a £5,000 bonus costs £126.34 NI, not £400.

Can I pay my bonus into my pension to save tax?

If your employer offers bonus sacrifice, yes. You give up the cash and the amount goes into your pension with no Income Tax or employee NI. On £95,000, sacrificing the £5,000 of a £10,000 bonus that sits over £100,000 cuts take-home by only £1,900, so each £1 in your pension costs 38p.

Sources

The rates and rules in this tool come from:

Guides that use this tool

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