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£21,000 after tax (2026/27)

Reviewed by ClearPayslip editorial teamUpdated on Methodology

Calculated with official data from Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 (HMRC, GOV.UK) · Income Tax rates and allowances for current and previous tax years (HMRC) · +8

Short answer

A £21,000 salary in England, Wales or Northern Ireland leaves £18,639.60 after tax in 2026/27: £1,553.30 a month or £358.45 a week. You pay £1,686.00 in Income Tax and £674.40 in National Insurance, with no student loan or pension.

Your take-home pay (monthly)

£1,553.30

£18,639.60 a year

Income Tax
£140.50
National Insurance
£56.20
Personal Allowance
£12,570.00
Marginal rate
28.0%
Where your gross salary goes
  • Take-home pay£18,64088.8%
  • Income Tax£1,6868.0%
  • National Insurance£6743.2%

England, Wales and NI, 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 – 5 April 2027). One job on tax code 1257L. Pension treated as a net pay arrangement (before Income Tax, not before NI). Not tax advice.

Key facts

  • Take-home pay:£18,639.60 a year (89% of gross).
  • Income Tax:£1,686.00; National Insurance: £674.40.
  • Personal Allowance:£12,570.
  • Average Income Tax rate 8.03%, marginal rate (tax + NI) 28.0%.
  • Scotland:£18,679.27 a year (+£40).

£21,000 after tax in the UK: full breakdown

YearMonthWeek
Gross salary£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

On a £21,000 salary in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you keep about £18,640 a year in 2026/27, or 89p of every pound you earn. Income Tax takes £1,686 (8.03% of your salary) and National Insurance £674.

Your marginal rate is about 28.0%: of the next £100 you earn, roughly £28 goes in Income Tax and National Insurance. That is what a pay rise or a bonus is taxed at, and the rate at which a pension contribution saves Income Tax.

What is specific to £21,000

Your highest pound is taxed in the Basic rate at 20%: £8,430 of your taxable income falls in that band.

  • £4,000 more and you reach £25,000, where Plan 5 student loan repayments start (9% of pay above £25,000).
  • £5,900 more and you reach £26,900, where Plan 1 student loan repayments start (9% of pay above £26,900).
  • Of a £1,000 pay rise at this salary you would keep £720.

Allowances and benefits at £21,000

  • Marriage Allowance: as a basic rate taxpayer you can receive £1,260 of the Personal Allowance of a spouse or civil partner who earns less than it, cutting your tax by up to £252 a year.
  • Student loans: no undergraduate plan takes a repayment at £21,000; the lowest threshold is £25,000 (Plan 5).
Monthly take-home pay by annual salary, England, Wales and NI (2026/27)

£21,000 a year → £1,553 a month after tax

60% zone0£2k£4k£6k£8k£10k£10k£50k£100k£150k

Solid line: England, Wales and NI. Dashed line: Scotland. Shaded: Personal Allowance withdrawal (£100,000–£125,140).

England, Wales and NI vs Scotland

Take-home (year)Per monthIncome Tax
England, Wales and NI (this page)£18,639.60£1,553.30£1,686.00
Scotland£18,679.27£1,556.61£1,646.33

England, Wales and Northern Ireland leaves £40 a year less than Scotland at this salary. National Insurance is the same everywhere; the difference is Income Tax.

With a student loan

PlanRepayment (year)Per monthTake-home per month
Plan 1£0.00£0.00£1,553.30
Plan 2£0.00£0.00£1,553.30
Plan 4£0.00£0.00£1,553.30
Plan 5£0.00£0.00£1,553.30
Postgraduate Loan£0.00£0.00£1,553.30

With a workplace pension

Pension contributionInto your pension (year)Take-home per monthCost to your take-home (year)
3%£630.00£1,511.30£504.00
5%£1,050.00£1,483.30£840.00
8%£1,680.00£1,441.30£1,344.00
10%£2,100.00£1,413.30£1,680.00

Hourly and weekly equivalent

Based on a 37.5-hour week for 52 weeks (1,950 hours), £21,000 a year is £10.77 an hour before tax and about £9.56 an hour after tax. Take-home pay is £358.45 a week or £1,433.82 every four weeks.

Frequently asked questions

How much is £21,000 a year after tax in the UK?

About £18,640 a year in 2026/27, or £1,553.30 a month, for one job taxed on code 1257L with no student loan or pension contributions.

How much tax do you pay on £21,000?

£1,686.00 of Income Tax (an average rate of 8.03%) and £674.40 of National Insurance, £2,360.40 in total.

What is £21,000 a year per month after tax with a Plan 2 student loan?

£1,553.30 a month. Plan 2 takes 9% of your pay above £29,385: £0.00 a year.

What is £21,000 a year per hour?

£10.77 an hour before tax and about £9.56 after tax, assuming 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks.

Official sources