PaychecklyTake home £6,000 a month
How this number was worked out
We start from the figure you're targeting (a take-home pay or a bonus net) and inverse the standard 2026/27 PAYE calculation: Income Tax bands, National Insurance at 8% / 2%, and the £12,570 Personal Allowance (tapered above £100,000). The number above is the gross salary or bonus that, after those deductions, lands at your target.
What can change the answer
- Student loan: Repayments at 9% (or 6% for Postgrad) on earnings over the threshold mean you need a higher gross to hit the same net.
- Pension contributions: Each percentage point sacrificed reduces taxable income and therefore changes the required gross — usually in your favour because of tax relief.
- Scotland: Scottish rates are higher in most bands above £30k, so a Scottish taxpayer needs more gross than the figure above.
- Bonuses: Bonus payments are taxed in the month they're paid, which can briefly push you into a higher band even if your annual total stays in the basic-rate zone. The bonus calculator on this page uses the annualised figure.
Run a personalised version
For a precise figure that accounts for your specific student loan plan, pension, region and tax code, use the interactive Target Salary calculator. It binary-searches the inverse PAYE function in milliseconds and gives you the exact gross you need to ask for.
Open the Target Salary calculator ›Other common targets and bonuses
Figures use a simplified heuristic suitable for typical PAYE earners. For precise numbers including pension, student loan and Scottish rates, use the Target Salary calculator. Always verify with your payslip or HMRC.