£20,000 after tax in the UK: full breakdown
| Year | Month | Week | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £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 |
On a £20,000 salary in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you keep about £17,920 a year in 2026/27, or 90p of every pound you earn. Income Tax takes £1,486 (7.43% of your salary) and National Insurance £594.
Your marginal rate is about 28.0%: of the next £100 you earn, roughly £28 goes in Income Tax and National Insurance. That is what a pay rise or a bonus is taxed at, and the rate at which a pension contribution saves Income Tax.
£20,000 a year → £1,493 a month after tax
Solid line: England, Wales and NI. Dashed line: Scotland. Shaded: Personal Allowance withdrawal (£100,000–£125,140).
England, Wales and NI vs Scotland
| Take-home (year) | Per month | Income Tax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England, Wales and NI (this page) | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | £1,486.00 |
| Scotland | £17,959.27 | £1,496.61 | £1,446.33 |
England, Wales and Northern Ireland leaves £40 a year less than Scotland at this salary. National Insurance is the same everywhere; the difference is Income Tax.
With a student loan
| Plan | Repayment (year) | Per month | Take-home per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,493.30 |
| Plan 2 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,493.30 |
| Plan 4 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,493.30 |
| Plan 5 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,493.30 |
| Postgraduate Loan | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,493.30 |
Undergraduate plans take 9% of gross pay above the plan threshold; the Postgraduate Loan takes 6% above £21,000 and is repaid on top of any undergraduate plan.
With a workplace pension
| Pension contribution | Into your pension (year) | Take-home per month | Cost to your take-home (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3% | £600.00 | £1,453.30 | £480.00 |
| 5% | £1,000.00 | £1,426.63 | £800.00 |
| 8% | £1,600.00 | £1,386.63 | £1,280.00 |
| 10% | £2,000.00 | £1,359.97 | £1,600.00 |
Contributions under a net pay arrangement come off your pay before Income Tax, so each pound into your pension costs you less than a pound of take-home pay. With salary sacrifice you would also save National Insurance.
Hourly and weekly equivalent
Based on a 37.5-hour week for 52 weeks (1,950 hours), £20,000 a year is £10.26 an hour before tax and about £9.19 an hour after tax. Take-home pay is £344.61 a week or £1,378.43 every four weeks.
Frequently asked questions
How much is £20,000 a year after tax in the UK?
About £17,920 a year in 2026/27, or £1,493.30 a month, for one job taxed on code 1257L with no student loan or pension contributions.
How much tax do you pay on £20,000?
£1,486.00 of Income Tax (an average rate of 7.43%) and £594.40 of National Insurance, £2,080.40 in total.
What is £20,000 a year per month after tax with a Plan 2 student loan?
£1,493.30 a month. Plan 2 takes 9% of your pay above £29,385: £0.00 a year.
What is £20,000 a year per hour?
£10.26 an hour before tax and about £9.19 after tax, assuming 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks.
Why is my payslip slightly different?
Your employer calculates tax per pay period with your tax code, and may deduct pension, salary sacrifice, union fees or benefits. Emergency or adjusted tax codes, bonuses and overtime also change each payslip. This page shows the figures for a full year on code 1257L.
Official sources
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 (HMRC, GOV.UK)
- Income Tax rates and allowances for current and previous tax years (HMRC)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances: income over £100,000 (GOV.UK)
- Scottish Income Tax: rates and bands 2026 to 2027 (Scottish Government)
- Rates and allowances: National Insurance contributions (HMRC)
- Repaying your student loan: how much you repay (GOV.UK)