£20,000 after tax: yearly, monthly and weekly
On a £20,000 salary in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you take home £17,919.60 a year, which is £1,493.30 a month or £344.61 a week. Across a full-time 37.5-hour week that works out at £68.92 a day or £9.19 an hour after tax.
Together, income tax and National Insurance take £2,080.40 — an effective rate of 10.4% of your salary.
| Per year | Per month | Per week | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £20,000.00 | £1,666.67 | £384.62 |
| Income tax | £1,486.00 | £123.83 | £28.58 |
| National Insurance | £594.40 | £49.53 | £11.43 |
| Take-home pay | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | £344.61 |
How the tax on £20,000 is worked out
These are the exact steps HMRC’s rates give for a steady salary over the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027):
- Personal allowance: the first £12,570 is tax-free, leaving £7,430 of taxable income.
- Basic rate: 20% × £7,430 = £1,486.00.
- Income tax in total: £1,486.00.
- National Insurance: 8% × £7,430 = £594.40.
- Take-home pay: £20,000.00 − £1,486.00 − £594.40 = £17,919.60.
Which tax band is £20,000 in?
£20,000 is a basic-rate salary. Income tax is 20% on everything above the £12,570 personal allowance, and National Insurance is 8% on the same slice. That means each extra £1 you earn at this level keeps 72p in your pocket.
You can earn another £30,270 before any of your salary reaches the 40% higher rate at £50,270.
If you work fewer than 37.5 hours, divide your actual yearly pay by your yearly hours instead — our hourly to salary calculator does this for you. Universal Credit, if you claim it, is assessed on your monthly take-home pay, not your salary.
£20,000 after tax with a pension or student loan
Most employees pay into a workplace pension, and many repay a student loan. Here is how each changes £20,000 take-home pay. With salary sacrifice the pension money comes out before tax and National Insurance, so it costs you less than relief at source.
| Situation | Take-home per year | Per month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| No pension or student loan | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | — |
| 5% pension, relief at source | £17,119.60 | £1,426.63 | −£800.00 |
| 5% pension, salary sacrifice | £17,199.60 | £1,433.30 | −£720.00 |
| Plan 2 student loan (from £29,385) | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | No change |
| Plan 5 student loan (from £25,000) | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | No change |
| 5% salary sacrifice + Plan 2 loan | £17,199.60 | £1,433.30 | −£720.00 |
£20,000 after tax in Scotland
Scotland sets its own income tax bands, so the same salary gives a different result. A Scottish taxpayer on £20,000 takes home £17,959.27 a year (£1,496.61 a month) — £39.67 more than in the rest of the UK. National Insurance is the same everywhere in the UK.
Scotland take-home pay calculatorHow much of a pay rise from £20,000 do you keep?
The last column shows how much of each extra £1 of salary reaches your bank account at that level, after income tax and National Insurance.
| Salary | Take-home per year | Per month | You keep of the next £1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £15,000 | £14,319.60 | £1,193.30 | 72p |
| £20,000 (this page) | £17,919.60 | £1,493.30 | 72p |
| £25,000 | £21,519.60 | £1,793.30 | 72p |
| £30,000 | £25,119.60 | £2,093.30 | 72p |
Other salaries after tax
£25,000 after tax · £30,000 after tax · £35,000 after tax · £40,000 after tax · £45,000 after tax · £50,000 after tax
For any other salary, use the UK take-home pay calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much is £20,000 a year after tax per month?
£1,493.30 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland for 2026/27, with no pension or student loan. In Scotland it is £1,496.61.
What is £20,000 after tax per week and per hour?
£344.61 a week. On a 37.5-hour week that is £9.19 an hour after tax, from £10.26 an hour before tax.
How much tax do I pay on £20,000?
£1,486.00 income tax and £594.40 National Insurance a year — £2,080.40 in total, or 10.4% of your salary.
Why is my £20,000 payslip different?
Pension contributions, student loan repayments, an emergency or non-standard tax code, benefits in kind, overtime and bonuses all change a single payslip. These figures assume a steady salary on tax code 1257L.
Official sources
- GOV.UK — Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027
- GOV.UK — Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances
- gov.scot — Scottish Income Tax 2026 to 2027
- GOV.UK — Repaying your student loan: what you pay
Rates checked against these sources on 6 November 2026. Tables are calculated with the same engines as our calculators. This guide is general information, not tax advice.
About the author: Ahmed Bilal
Ahmed Bilal is the founder of VolexTool and builds and maintains every calculator on the site. Tax rates and thresholds are taken directly from official sources such as GOV.UK, HMRC, the Canada Revenue Agency and the Australian Taxation Office, the formula is shown on every page, and each update must pass more than 600 automated checks before it goes live. Ahmed is not a tax adviser: for decisions about your own situation, speak to a qualified accountant or financial adviser.