Salary comparison calculator
Put both salaries in at once and see what the difference is actually worth each month, after tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan.
How this is calculated
Both salaries are run through the same calculation independently, then the results are set side by side. Nothing is estimated from one to reach the other.
The pension percentage and student loan plan apply to both, since those normally follow you rather than the job. If the new employer offers a different pension rate, run it twice and compare.
The figure that matters is the difference in take-home, not the difference in gross. A rise is taxed at your marginal rate, so on a basic rate salary you keep about 68% of it once tax, National Insurance and pension are taken.
Between £100,000 and £125,140 the personal allowance is withdrawn, which pushes the effective rate to about 60% and can make a large rise worth surprisingly little.
Rates used · 2026/27
| Kept from a rise, basic rate | about 68% |
| Kept from a rise, higher rate | about 58% |
| Kept between £100k and £125,140 | about 40% |
| Plus student loan, if repaying | 9% of the increase |
Last checked July 2026. Source: HMRC and gov.uk.
Worked example
Moving from £45,000 to £52,000 with a 5% pension and no student loan is £7,000 more gross. Take-home rises from £34,120 to £38,983, so £4,864 more a year or £405 a month. You keep just under 70% of the increase, with the rest going to tax, National Insurance and the larger pension contribution.
Common questions
Why is my rise worth so much less than it looks?
Every extra pound is taxed at your marginal rate, not your average one. On basic rate that is 20% tax and 8% National Insurance before any pension, so roughly a third disappears immediately.
Should I compare on gross or take-home?
Take-home, always. Gross is what the employer pays, take-home is what you live on, and the gap between two offers is often much smaller in take-home than it looks in gross.
What if the new job has a different pension?
Run the comparison twice, once at each rate, and note both results. A better pension can be worth more than a higher salary even though it reduces take-home.
Does this account for benefits or bonuses?
No. Enter base salary only. A car allowance is taxable pay and can be added to the salary, but private medical cover and similar benefits are taxed differently and are not covered here.