2026/27 tax year

£18,000 after tax: your take-home pay in 2026/27

On a £18,000 salary in 2026/27 you take home £16,480 a year, £1,373 a month or £317 a week after tax and National Insurance. That assumes the standard 1257L tax code, no pension and no student loan. Income tax is £1,086 and National Insurance £434, an effective rate of 8.4%.

Take-home pay · 2026/27

Per month

£1,373.30

Per year

£16,479.60

Per week

£316.92

Gross: £18,000
Income tax: £1,086
National Insurance: £434
Effective rate: 8.4%

Take-home pay breakdown by period for 2026/27
Item	Yearly	Monthly	Weekly	Daily	Hourly
Gross pay	£18,000.00	£1,500.00	£346.15	£69.23	£9.23
Income tax	−£1,086.00	−£90.50	−£20.88	−£4.18	−£0.56
National Insurance	−£434.40	−£36.20	−£8.35	−£1.67	−£0.22
Take-home pay	£16,479.60	£1,373.30	£316.92	£63.38	£8.45

Where your gross pay goes

Take-home £16,480(92%)Income tax £1,086(6%)National Insurance £434(2%)

Effective tax rate: 8.4%
Marginal rate: 28%
Personal allowance: £12,570
Tax code: 1257L

Effective rate is income tax, NI and loan repayments as a share of gross pay. Marginal rate is what you lose from the next £1 earned. Employer NI on this salary is £1,950 a year on top.

Income tax by band
Band	Rate	Taxable	Tax
Basic rate	20%	£5,430	£1,086.00
Total income tax		£5,430	£1,086.00

Different pension, tax code or student loan? Adjust £18,000 in the calculator

How does £18,000 compare with the UK median?

A gross salary of £18,000 is £21,039 (54%) below the UK median full-time salary of £39,039. £1,520 of it goes in deductions, leaving you with 92% of what you earn. Your income sits in the basic rate band, so the top slice of pay is taxed at 20%, and each extra £100 earned above £18,000 would add £72 to your take-home because the marginal rate is 28%.

How much income tax and National Insurance do you pay on £18,000?

The first £12,570 is tax-free personal allowance; income tax applies only to the £5,430 above it. National Insurance is 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, which comes to £434 a year or £36 a month.

What is £18,000 after tax in Scotland?

A Scottish taxpayer on £18,000 takes home £40 more a year (£16,519), because the Scottish starter rate of 19% applies to the first slice of taxable income.

What does £18,000 look like monthly, weekly and hourly?

Spread across a 37.5 hour week, £18,000 is £9.23 an hour before tax and £8.45 after. Adding a 5% pension contribution would reduce take-home pay by about £720 a year while saving £900 into the pension, and a Plan 2 student loan would take a further £0.

Scenario	Take-home per year	Per month	Effective rate
Standard, rest of UK	£16,480	£1,373	8.4%
Standard, Scotland	£16,519	£1,377	8.2%
With 5% pension (net pay)	£15,760	£1,313	7.4%
With Plan 2 student loan	£16,480	£1,373	8.4%
With 5% pension and Plan 2 loan	£15,760	£1,313	7.4%

Frequently asked questions

How much is £18,000 a month after tax?

£18,000 a year is £1,373 a month after tax and National Insurance in 2026/27, from a gross monthly pay of £1,500. Deductions each month are £91 income tax and £36 NI.

How much is £18,000 a week after tax?

£18,000 a year works out at £317 a week after tax, or £63 a day on a five-day week. Before tax it is £346 a week.

Is £18,000 a good salary in the UK?

£18,000 is £21,039 (54%) below the UK median full-time salary of £39,039. Whether it is good depends on where you live, your housing costs and your household, but it puts you in the bottom half of full-time earners.

What is £18,000 after tax with a pension and student loan?

With a 5% net-pay pension the take-home is £15,760 a year. With a Plan 2 student loan and no pension it is £16,480. With both it is £15,760, or £1,313 a month.

How much tax do you pay on £18,000 in Scotland?

A Scottish taxpayer on £18,000 pays £1,046 income tax in 2026/27, compared with £1,086 in the rest of the UK. National Insurance is the same at £434, so take-home pay is £16,519.