United Kingdom · Updated for 2026/27
£21,000 after tax (UK, 2026/27)
The short answer
On £21,000 a year in 2026/27 you take home £18,639.60 (£1,553.30 a month) in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
That is after £1,686.00 income tax and £674.40 National Insurance, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan.
What is £21,000 a year per month after tax?
| Before tax | After tax | |
|---|---|---|
| Year | £21,000.00 | £18,639.60 |
| Month | £1,750.00 | £1,553.30 |
| Week | £403.85 | £358.45 |
| Day (5 days a week) | £80.77 | £71.69 |
| Hour (37.5 hours a week) | £10.77 | £9.56 |
How much tax do I pay on £21,000?
Take-home pay, 2026/27 · England and Northern Ireland · standard code 1257L
£1,553.30 a month
£18,639.60 a year · £358.45 a week · £71.69 a day · £9.56 an hour
| Year | Month | Week | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay before tax | £21,000.00 | £1,750.00 | £403.85 |
| Income tax | −£1,686.00 | −£140.50 | −£32.42 |
| National Insurance | −£674.40 | −£56.20 | −£12.97 |
| Take-home pay | £18,639.60 | £1,553.30 | £358.45 |
A day is a fifth of a week; an hour assumes 37.5 hours a week. A year is 52 weeks.
Income tax by band
| Income | Rate | Tax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax-free Personal Allowance | £12,570 | 0% | £0.00 |
| Basic rate | £8,430 | 20% | £1,686.00 |
| Income tax for the year | £1,686.00 |
National Insurance
| Earnings | Rate | NI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8% band | £8,430 | 8% | £674.40 |
| 2% band | £0 | 2% | £0.00 |
| National Insurance for the year | £674.40 |
What you cost your employer
- Employer National Insurance: £2,400.00 a year (15% over £5,000).
- Total cost to your employer: £23,400.00 a year: your pay plus employer NI. Employer pension contributions are not included.
Your tax rates
- Effective rate: 11.2%. That share of your pay goes in income tax and National Insurance.
- Marginal rate: 28%. Of the next £1 of salary, 20% goes in income tax, and 28% in income tax and NI together. You keep about 72p.
What changed for you since 2025/26
Your take-home pay is the same as in 2025/26: the bands and thresholds that apply to you did not change.
| 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Better or worse for you | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income tax | £1,686.00 | £1,686.00 | £0.00 |
| National Insurance | £674.40 | £674.40 | £0.00 |
| Take-home pay | £18,639.60 | £18,639.60 | £0.00 |
Change the details in the salary calculator
What stands out at £21,000?
All £8,430 of your pay above the £12,570 allowance is taxed at the 20% basic rate. The 40% higher rate starts at £50,271, so you have £29,270 of room before it.
National Insurance is 8% of your pay over £12,570: £674.40 a year, or £56.20 a month.
A £1,000 pay rise would add about £720 a year to your take-home pay (£60 a month). The rest goes in tax and National Insurance.
Over a 37.5-hour week, £21,000 is £10.77 an hour before tax and £9.56 after. Your employer also pays £2,400 a year in employer National Insurance on your pay.
In Scotland you would pay £40 less income tax a year on the same pay (£3 a month), because Scotland has a 19% starter rate and wider lower bands.
You are under every student loan threshold, so no student loan or Postgraduate Loan repayment comes off. The lowest is £21,000.
Your tax band explained: How the 20% basic rate works.
What changes at £22,000?
A £1,000 rise to £22,000 adds £720.00 to your take-home pay a year (£60.00 a month). Income tax goes up by £200.00 and National Insurance by £80.00. On the way, Postgraduate Loan repayments start above £21,000.
What is the marginal tax rate on £21,000?
28%. Of the next £1 of salary, 20% goes in income tax and the rest of the 28% in National Insurance, so you keep about 72p. Your effective rate, all income tax and NI as a share of pay, is 11.2%.
What is £21,000 after tax in Scotland?
£18,679.27 a year (£1,556.61 a month). Scottish taxpayers use six income tax bands instead of three; National Insurance is the same everywhere.
| England, Wales, NI | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax | £1,686.00 | £1,646.33 |
| National Insurance | £674.40 | £674.40 |
| Take-home a year | £18,639.60 | £18,679.27 |
| Take-home a month | £1,553.30 | £1,556.61 |
In Scotland you keep £39.67 more a year (£3.31 a month). Scottish take-home pay at this salary is +£11.40 a year compared with 2025/26, because the Scottish starter and basic bands were widened. Scottish bands explained.
How much student loan do I repay on £21,000?
With a Plan 2 loan (most people in England and Wales who started university from 2012 to 2022) you repay nothing at £21,000: Plan 2 repayments only start above £29,385.
| Threshold | A month | Take-home a month | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £26,900 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 |
| Plan 2 | £29,385 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 |
| Plan 4 | £33,795 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 |
| Plan 5 | £25,000 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 |
| Postgraduate Loan | £21,000 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 |
What does a 5% pension cost on £21,000?
5% of £21,000 is £1,050.00 a year into your pension. What it costs your take-home pay depends on how your workplace takes it:
| Into pension | Take-home a month | Cost per £1 saved | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary sacrifice | £1,050.00 | £1,490.30 | 72p |
| Net pay | £1,050.00 | £1,483.30 | 80p |
| Relief at source | £1,050.00 | £1,483.30 | 80p |
Salary sacrifice leaves you £84.00 a year more than net pay here, because it saves National Insurance as well as tax. The three types compared.
Salaries near £21,000
More about £21,000 after tax
How much is £21,000 a week after tax?
£358.45 a week, or £71.69 a day over a five-day week, in 2026/27. Before tax it is £403.85 a week.
What hourly rate is £21,000?
£10.77 an hour before tax, and £9.56 an hour after tax, for a 37.5-hour week over 52 weeks.
How much does a £21,000 employee cost their employer?
£23,400.00 a year: the £21,000 salary plus £2,400.00 employer National Insurance, before any employer pension contribution.
Is £21,000 after tax the same in Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. In 2026/27 Wales and Northern Ireland use the same income tax rates as England, so you take home £18,639.60 in all three. Only Scotland differs.
How is the £21,000 take-home figure worked out?
Income tax band by band after the tax-free allowance, then National Insurance, using the 2026/27 rates published on GOV.UK. Every step is on how we calculate.