2026/27 tax year

£20,000 after tax: your take-home pay in 2026/27

On a £20,000 salary in 2026/27 you take home £17,920 a year, £1,493 a month or £345 a week after tax and National Insurance. That assumes the standard 1257L tax code, no pension and no student loan. Income tax is £1,486 and National Insurance £594, an effective rate of 10.4%.

Take-home pay · 2026/27

Per month

£1,493.30

Per year

£17,919.60

Per week

£344.61

Gross: £20,000
Income tax: £1,486
National Insurance: £594
Effective rate: 10.4%

Take-home pay breakdown by period for 2026/27
Item	Yearly	Monthly	Weekly	Daily	Hourly
Gross pay	£20,000.00	£1,666.67	£384.62	£76.92	£10.26
Income tax	−£1,486.00	−£123.83	−£28.58	−£5.72	−£0.76
National Insurance	−£594.40	−£49.53	−£11.43	−£2.29	−£0.30
Take-home pay	£17,919.60	£1,493.30	£344.61	£68.92	£9.19

Where your gross pay goes

Take-home £17,920(90%)Income tax £1,486(7%)National Insurance £594(3%)

Effective tax rate: 10.4%
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 £2,250 a year on top.

Income tax by band
Band	Rate	Taxable	Tax
Basic rate	20%	£7,430	£1,486.00
Total income tax		£7,430	£1,486.00

Different pension, tax code or student loan? Adjust £20,000 in the calculator

How does £20,000 compare with the UK median?

A gross salary of £20,000 is £19,039 (49%) below the UK median full-time salary of £39,039. £2,080 of it goes in deductions, leaving you with 90% 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 £20,000 would add £72 to your take-home because the marginal rate is 28%.

How much income tax and National Insurance do you pay on £20,000?

The first £12,570 is tax-free personal allowance; income tax applies only to the £7,430 above it. National Insurance is 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, which comes to £594 a year or £50 a month.

What is £20,000 after tax in Scotland?

A Scottish taxpayer on £20,000 takes home £40 more a year (£17,959), because the Scottish starter rate of 19% applies to the first slice of taxable income.

What does £20,000 look like monthly, weekly and hourly?

Spread across a 37.5 hour week, £20,000 is £10.26 an hour before tax and £9.19 after. Adding a 5% pension contribution would reduce take-home pay by about £800 a year while saving £1,000 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	£17,920	£1,493	10.4%
Standard, Scotland	£17,959	£1,497	10.2%
With 5% pension (net pay)	£17,120	£1,427	9.4%
With Plan 2 student loan	£17,920	£1,493	10.4%
With 5% pension and Plan 2 loan	£17,120	£1,427	9.4%

Frequently asked questions

How much is £20,000 a month after tax?

£20,000 a year is £1,493 a month after tax and National Insurance in 2026/27, from a gross monthly pay of £1,667. Deductions each month are £124 income tax and £50 NI.

How much is £20,000 a week after tax?

£20,000 a year works out at £345 a week after tax, or £69 a day on a five-day week. Before tax it is £385 a week.

Is £20,000 a good salary in the UK?

£20,000 is £19,039 (49%) 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 £20,000 after tax with a pension and student loan?

With a 5% net-pay pension the take-home is £17,120 a year. With a Plan 2 student loan and no pension it is £17,920. With both it is £17,120, or £1,427 a month.

How much tax do you pay on £20,000 in Scotland?

A Scottish taxpayer on £20,000 pays £1,446 income tax in 2026/27, compared with £1,486 in the rest of the UK. National Insurance is the same at £594, so take-home pay is £17,959.