£21,000 after tax
On a salary of £21,000, you take home £1,553.30 a month, or £18,639.60 a year, after income tax and National Insurance in 2026/27. These figures assume you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, with no pension or student loan.
Breakdown by pay period
| Year | Month | Week | Day | Hour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Daily and hourly figures assume a 5-day, 37.5-hour week.
How it's worked out
- Tax-free Personal Allowance: £12,570.
- Taxable income: £21,000 − £12,570 = £8,430.
- Basic rate (20%): £8,430.00 × 20% = £1,686.00.
- National Insurance: 8% of £8,430.00 (earnings between £12,570 and £50,270) = £674.40.
That leaves £18,639.60 a year. Overall you pay 11.2% of your salary in tax and NI. Your marginal rate is 28%, so of a £1,000 pay rise you'd keep £720.00.
With a pension or student loan
Most people have at least one of these coming out of their pay. Here's how each one changes the monthly figure on a £21,000 salary.
| Take-home per month | Change | |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax and NI only | £1,553.30 | - |
| 5% pension taken before tax | £1,483.30 | −£70.00 |
| 5% pension by salary sacrifice | £1,490.30 | −£63.00 |
| Plan 2 student loan | £1,553.30 | £0.00 |
| Plan 5 student loan | £1,553.30 | £0.00 |
| 5% pension and Plan 2 loan | £1,483.30 | −£70.00 |
Salary sacrifice leaves you more than a pension taken before tax, because it saves National Insurance as well as income tax. Our pension guide explains the difference.
Worth knowing at this salary
- At 37.5 hours a week, £21,000 works out at £10.77 an hour. That's below the 2026/27 National Living Wage of £12.71 for workers aged 21 and over, so this salary is most likely part-time. A full-time job at the National Living Wage pays about £24,785 a year.
- In Scotland the same salary takes home £18,679.27 a year, which is £39.67 more than in the rest of the UK, because Scotland has its own income tax bands.
Add your own pension, student loan or London weighting.
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