£20,000 after tax: the short answer
If you earn £20,000 a year in England, Wales or Northern Ireland in the 2026/27 tax year, you take home £17,919.60 a year after Income Tax (£1,486.00) and National Insurance (£594.40). That is £1,493.30 a month, £344.61 a week, and your total deductions are 10.4% of your gross pay. These figures assume a standard 1257L tax code, no pension contributions and no student loan; the scenarios below show how each of those changes the result.
| Period | Gross pay | Income Tax | National Insurance | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | £20,000.00 | £1,486.00 | £594.40 | £17,919.60 |
| Month | £1,666.67 | £123.83 | £49.53 | £1,493.30 |
| Week | £384.62 | £28.58 | £11.43 | £344.61 |
| Day (5-day week) | £76.92 | £5.72 | £2.29 | £68.92 |
| Hour (37.5 h/week) | £10.26 | £0.76 | £0.30 | £9.19 |
How the tax on £20k is worked out
- Personal Allowance: £12,570 tax-free, leaving taxable income of £7,430.
- Income Tax: £7,430 at 20% = £1,486.00.
- National Insurance: 8% of £7,430 = £594.40.
- Take-home pay: £20,000 − £1,486.00 − £594.40 = £17,919.60 a year.
A £20,000 salary sits entirely in the basic-rate band: everything above the £12,570 Personal Allowance is taxed at 20%, and NI is charged at 8% on earnings above £12,570.
£20k after tax with a pension, student loan or in Scotland
Your real take-home pay depends on more than salary. Here is the same £20,000 salary with the most common deductions, calculated with 2026/27 rates:
| Scenario | Take-home per year | Per month | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| England, Wales or NI, no pension or loan | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | — |
| Living in Scotland | £17,959.27 | £1,496.61 | £39.67 |
| 5% pension, net pay / relief at source | £17,119.60 | £1,426.63 | -£800.00 |
| 5% pension via salary sacrifice | £17,199.60 | £1,433.30 | -£720.00 |
| Student loan Plan 2 | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | £0.00 |
| Student loan Plan 5 | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | £0.00 |
Salary sacrifice leaves you £80.00 a year better off than a net-pay pension of the same size because it also saves National Insurance — and the full 5% (£1,000) still goes into your pension. Below £29,385 you make no Plan 2 repayments. Scottish taxpayers take home slightly more at this salary (£39.67 a year) thanks to the 19% starter rate.
What a £1,000 pay rise is worth at £20k
Going from £20,000 to £21,000 adds £720.00 to your annual take-home pay (£60.00 a month), so you keep 72% of the rise. Your marginal Income Tax rate is 20%.
Compare take-home pay on similar salaries
| Salary | Take-home per year | Per month | Total deductions |
|---|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £21,519.60 | £1,793.30 | 13.9% |
| £28,000 | £23,679.60 | £1,973.30 | 15.4% |
| £30,000 | £25,119.60 | £2,093.30 | 16.3% |
UK salary after tax table (2026/27)
- £20,000 after tax
- £25,000 after tax
- £28,000 after tax
- £30,000 after tax
- £32,000 after tax
- £35,000 after tax
- £40,000 after tax
- £45,000 after tax
- £50,000 after tax
- £55,000 after tax
- £60,000 after tax
- £65,000 after tax
- £70,000 after tax
- £80,000 after tax
- £90,000 after tax
- £100,000 after tax
- £120,000 after tax
- £150,000 after tax
UK Salary After Tax Table 2026/27 – Take-Home Pay from £20k to £150k
Frequently asked questions
How much is £20k after tax per month?
About £1,493.30 a month in 2026/27 if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and have no pension or student loan deductions (£1,496.61 in Scotland).
How much tax and NI do I pay on £20,000?
Income Tax of £1,486.00 and employee National Insurance of £594.40, a total of £2,080.40 a year.
What is £20,000 a year per hour after tax?
Based on a 37.5-hour week (1,950 hours a year), £20,000 is £10.26 an hour before tax and £9.19 an hour after tax and NI.
How much is £20k after tax in Scotland?
£17,959.27 a year or £1,496.61 a month, using the 2026/27 Scottish Income Tax bands. NI is the same across the UK.