Monthly Take-Home Pay Calculator
Work out exactly what lands in your account each month — and see how monthly pay compares to being paid every 4 weeks or weekly instead.
Start here
How to use this calculator
Choose what you know, enter it, and set your region and any pension or student loan.
Pick what you’re entering
Most people know their annual salary. If you only know your monthly pay, or you’re working backwards from a take-home target, switch the dropdown instead.
Add your circumstances
Select Scotland if that’s where you pay tax, and add a pension percentage or student loan plan if they apply — both change your monthly take-home.
Compare pay cycles
The table below shows what the same annual pay looks like as a monthly, 4-weekly or weekly payment — useful if your employer pays on a cycle other than calendar-monthly.
Pay cycles
Monthly, 4-weekly or weekly — same annual pay, different amounts
Most salaried UK employees are paid monthly (12 payments a year). Some employers — often in retail, hospitality and agency work — pay every 4 weeks (13 payments a year) or weekly (52 payments a year) instead. The annual take-home is identical either way, but the amount in each payment is not.
| Pay cycle | Payments a year | Gross per payment | Take-home per payment |
|---|
Nearby
Monthly take-home at nearby salaries
Same settings as above, at salaries just below and above the one you entered. Your own figure is highlighted.
| Annual salary | Monthly gross | Monthly take-home |
|---|
Why it matters
Why “3 payday months” catch people out
If you’re paid every 4 weeks or weekly rather than calendar-monthly, most years bring one or two months where you receive an extra payment — a 4-weekly payer gets 13 payments spread across 12 months, so at least one month lands two payments in the same calendar month. Budgeting for the lower, more frequent figure — rather than assuming a bigger “monthly” amount — avoids treating an extra payday as spare income.
This also matters for anything means-tested that looks at monthly income, such as Universal Credit, since an extra payment landing in one assessment period can affect that month’s calculation even though your annual pay hasn’t changed.
Questions
Common questions
How do I work out my monthly take-home pay from my annual salary?
Work out your annual take-home pay after tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan, then divide by 12. This calculator does that automatically — enter your annual salary and it shows the monthly figure directly.
Why is my take-home pay not the same every month?
For a fixed annual salary paid monthly, take-home pay is normally identical every month. It can vary if you’re paid weekly or 4-weekly (some months contain an extra payment), if you work variable hours or overtime, if your tax code changes mid-year, or if a bonus or benefit-in-kind is processed in a particular month.
Is it better to be paid monthly or weekly?
Neither results in more take-home pay overall — the annual total is the same. Weekly or 4-weekly pay can make budgeting easier for some people since money arrives more often, while monthly pay is simpler to match against monthly bills like rent and direct debits. It comes down to personal preference and what your employer offers.
What is a 4-weekly pay cycle?
Instead of paying once each calendar month (12 payments a year), some employers pay every 4 weeks, which works out to 13 payments a year. Each payment is smaller than a calendar-monthly payment, but there’s one more of them, so the annual total is unchanged.
How much tax and National Insurance comes out of my monthly pay?
Both are calculated on an annual basis and then divided across your pay periods, so your monthly tax and National Insurance are roughly your annual tax and NI divided by 12 — shown directly in the breakdown above for the salary you entered.
Where these figures come from. Income tax, National Insurance and student loan rates are taken from gov.uk for the 2026/27 tax year, applied to the annual salary entered above and then divided across the selected pay cycle. All figures were checked on 23 September 2026.
Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances · National Insurance rates and thresholds
How we calculate · Editorial policy. This is general information, not tax or employment advice.