2026/27 tax year

£21,000 after tax: your take-home pay in 2026/27

On a £21,000 salary in 2026/27 you take home £18,640 a year, £1,553 a month or £358 a week after tax and National Insurance. That assumes the standard 1257L tax code, no pension and no student loan. Income tax is £1,686 and National Insurance £674, an effective rate of 11.2%.

Take-home pay · 2026/27

Per month

£1,553.30

Per year

£18,639.60

Per week

£358.45

Gross: £21,000
Income tax: £1,686
National Insurance: £674
Effective rate: 11.2%

Take-home pay breakdown by period for 2026/27
Item	Yearly	Monthly	Weekly	Daily	Hourly
Gross pay	£21,000.00	£1,750.00	£403.85	£80.77	£10.77
Income tax	−£1,686.00	−£140.50	−£32.42	−£6.48	−£0.86
National Insurance	−£674.40	−£56.20	−£12.97	−£2.59	−£0.35
Take-home pay	£18,639.60	£1,553.30	£358.45	£71.69	£9.56

Where your gross pay goes

Take-home £18,640(89%)Income tax £1,686(8%)National Insurance £674(3%)

Effective tax rate: 11.2%
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 £2,400 a year on top.

Income tax by band
Band	Rate	Taxable	Tax
Basic rate	20%	£8,430	£1,686.00
Total income tax		£8,430	£1,686.00

Different pension, tax code or student loan? Adjust £21,000 in the calculator

How does £21,000 compare with the UK median?

A gross salary of £21,000 is £18,039 (46%) below the UK median full-time salary of £39,039. £2,360 of it goes in deductions, leaving you with 89% 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 £21,000 would add £72 to your take-home because the marginal rate is 28%.

How much income tax and National Insurance do you pay on £21,000?

The first £12,570 is tax-free personal allowance; income tax applies only to the £8,430 above it. National Insurance is 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, which comes to £674 a year or £56 a month.

What is £21,000 after tax in Scotland?

A Scottish taxpayer on £21,000 takes home £40 more a year (£18,679), because the Scottish starter rate of 19% applies to the first slice of taxable income.

What does £21,000 look like monthly, weekly and hourly?

Spread across a 37.5 hour week, £21,000 is £10.77 an hour before tax and £9.56 after. Adding a 5% pension contribution would reduce take-home pay by about £840 a year while saving £1,050 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	£18,640	£1,553	11.2%
Standard, Scotland	£18,679	£1,557	11.1%
With 5% pension (net pay)	£17,800	£1,483	10.2%
With Plan 2 student loan	£18,640	£1,553	11.2%
With 5% pension and Plan 2 loan	£17,800	£1,483	10.2%

Frequently asked questions

How much is £21,000 a month after tax?

£21,000 a year is £1,553 a month after tax and National Insurance in 2026/27, from a gross monthly pay of £1,750. Deductions each month are £141 income tax and £56 NI.

How much is £21,000 a week after tax?

£21,000 a year works out at £358 a week after tax, or £72 a day on a five-day week. Before tax it is £404 a week.

Is £21,000 a good salary in the UK?

£21,000 is £18,039 (46%) 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 £21,000 after tax with a pension and student loan?

With a 5% net-pay pension the take-home is £17,800 a year. With a Plan 2 student loan and no pension it is £18,640. With both it is £17,800, or £1,483 a month.

How much tax do you pay on £21,000 in Scotland?

A Scottish taxpayer on £21,000 pays £1,646 income tax in 2026/27, compared with £1,686 in the rest of the UK. National Insurance is the same at £674, so take-home pay is £18,679.