£21,000 after tax in the UK
Updated Updated for 2026 tax law
On a £21,000 salary you take home £18,640 a year in England, Wales or Northern Ireland in 2026/27 — £1,553.30 a month or £358.45 a week. You pay £1,686 Income Tax and £674.40 National Insurance. In Scotland you’d take home £18,679 (£1,556.61 a month).
| Per | Gross | Income Tax | NI | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | £21,000 | £1,686 | £674 | £18,640 |
| Month | £1,750.00 | £140.50 | £56.20 | £1,553.30 |
| 4 weeks | £1,615.38 | £129.69 | £51.88 | £1,433.82 |
| Week | £403.85 | £32.42 | £12.97 | £358.45 |
| Day | £80.77 | £6.48 | £2.59 | £71.69 |
| Hour | £10.77 | £0.86 | £0.35 | £9.56 |
- Take-home pay£18,640 · 88.8%
- Income Tax£1,686 · 8%
- National Insurance£674 · 3.2%
| Band | Rate | Income in band | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax-free allowance | 0% | £12,570 | £0.00 |
| Basic rate | 20% | £8,430 | £1,686.00 |
How the tax on £21,000 is worked out
- Tax-free Personal Allowance: £12,570.
- Taxable income: £21,000 − £12,570 = £8,430.
- Basic rate: £8,430 × 20% = £1,686
- National Insurance: 8% × £8,430 = £674.40.
- Take-home: £21,000 − £1,686 − £674.40 = £18,639.60.
Your marginal rate — what you lose from the next £100 — is 28%.
£21,000 after tax in Scotland
| England, Wales & NI | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | £1,686 | £1,646.33 |
| National Insurance | £674.40 | £674.40 |
| Take-home / year | £18,639.60 | £18,679.27 |
| Take-home / month | £1,553.30 | £1,556.61 |
| Marginal rate | 28% | 28% |
Scottish taxpayers keep £40 more a year at this salary thanks to the 19% starter rate.
£21,000 with a pension or student loan
| Scenario | Take-home / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| No pension or loan | £18,640 | £1,553.30 |
| 5% pension, relief at source (£1,050 into pot) | £17,800 | £1,483.30 |
| 5% pension, salary sacrifice (£1,050 into pot) | £17,884 | £1,490.30 |
| Plan 2 student loan (£0 / yr) | £18,640 | £1,553.30 |
| Plan 5 student loan (£0 / yr) | £18,640 | £1,553.30 |
Calculate your own take-home pay
Change the salary, add your pension, student loan or tax code:
- Gross pay
- £21,000.00
- Tax-free allowance
- £12,570
- Taxable income
- £8,430
- Income Tax
- −£1,686.00
- National Insurance
- −£674.40
- Take-home pay
- £18,639.60
- Take-home pay£18,640 · 88.8%
- Income Tax£1,686 · 8%
- National Insurance£674 · 3.2%
| Band | Rate | Income in band | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax-free allowance | 0% | £12,570 | £0.00 |
| Basic rate | 20% | £8,430 | £1,686.00 |
| Per | Gross | Income Tax | NI | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | £21,000 | £1,686 | £674 | £18,640 |
| Month | £1,750.00 | £140.50 | £56.20 | £1,553.30 |
| 4 weeks | £1,615.38 | £129.69 | £51.88 | £1,433.82 |
| Week | £403.85 | £32.42 | £12.97 | £358.45 |
| Day | £80.77 | £6.48 | £2.59 | £71.69 |
| Hour | £10.77 | £0.86 | £0.35 | £9.56 |
In Scotland you would take home £40 a year more (£3.31 a month) on the same pay.
2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027). Annual figures; payslips apply thresholds per pay period, so they can differ by a few pounds.
Nearby salaries
- £18,000£1,373 a month
- £19,000£1,433 a month
- £20,000£1,493 a month
- £22,000£1,613 a month
- £23,000£1,673 a month
- £24,000£1,733 a month
Related tools
- UK salary calculator
- Scotland salary calculator
- Income Tax calculator
- National Insurance calculator
- Student loan repayment calculator
- Salary sacrifice calculator
- Hourly to annual salary
Sources
Every rate and threshold on this page is for the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027) and was checked against these official pages on 18 October 2026:
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 (HMRC)
- Income Tax rates and allowances for current and previous tax years (HMRC)
- Scottish Income Tax: rates and bands 2026 to 2027 (Scottish Government)
- Income Tax in Scotland (GOV.UK)
- Marriage Allowance (GOV.UK)
- Repaying your student loan: what you pay (GOV.UK)
- When your student loan gets written off or cancelled (GOV.UK)
- Tax codes (GOV.UK)
- Annual allowance (GOV.UK)
- Changes to salary sacrifice for pensions from April 2029 (HM Treasury/HMRC)
Disclaimer: Estimates for information only — not tax or financial advice. Results are annual figures for a single employment paid evenly through the year. Payroll applies thresholds per pay period and rounds some deductions, so your payslip can differ by a few pounds. Check your tax code and personal tax account on GOV.UK.
Frequently asked questions
How much is £21,000 a month after tax?
£1,553.30 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,556.61 in Scotland (2026/27, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan).
How much tax do I pay on £21,000?
£1,686 Income Tax and £674.40 National Insurance a year — 11.2% of your salary in total. Your top band is the basic rate (20%).
What is £21,000 after tax in Scotland?
£18,679 a year (£1,556.61 a month): £40 more than in England because Scottish Income Tax is £1,646.33 instead of £1,686.
How much is £21,000 a week after tax?
£358.45 a week, or £9.56 an hour at 37.5 hours a week.
How much is £21,000 after tax with a student loan?
With a Plan 2 loan you repay £0 a year, leaving £18,640 (£1,553.30 a month). On Plan 5 it’s £18,640.
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Estimates for information only — not tax, legal or financial advice.