What you keep

UK tax calculators that show what you actually keep

Income tax thresholds have been frozen since 2021 while pay and prices have risen. These free calculators turn that into your own numbers: your take-home pay, how much of a bonus you keep, the £100,000 tax trap, and how to get under it.

Start with your salary

See how much the freeze costs you, then carry your figure into the calculators below.

Choose a calculator

Pick the question closest to yours. If you have entered a salary above, it carries across.

How much am I losing to frozen thresholds?

Enter your salary and compare your 2026/27 take-home pay with thresholds that had risen with inflation since 2021.

Best if you earn under £100,000.

How much of my bonus or commission will I keep?

Add your salary and what you have been paid so far this tax year. See what is left of your next payment, whether it is annual, quarterly or monthly.

Best if you are paid a bonus or commission on top of salary.

Why does earning over £100,000 cost so much?

See why each extra £1 between £100,000 and £125,140 loses 62p, and where the cost stops.

Best if you earn, or are heading towards, £100,000.

How do I get my income under £100,000?

Work out what pension, Gift Aid and salary sacrifice would cost, and what allowance and childcare support you would keep.

Best if you are a parent over £100,000, or close to it.

What would my old salary be worth today?

Enter a past salary and the year to see the pay that matches its buying power, using UK CPI inflation.

Best if you are asking for a pay rise or weighing up an offer.

Want to check the working? See how it works for the rules and sources behind every figure.

Why this site exists

The personal allowance has been £12,570 and the 40% rate has started at £50,270 since April 2021. Both are frozen until April 2031. Wages and prices kept rising, so each year more of your pay is taxed, or taxed at a higher rate, without any change to the rates themselves.

Headlines give the average. What you need is your own figure, so each calculator takes your salary and shows the result in pounds.

Frozen until
April 2031 allowance £12,570, 40% from £50,270
Neither has moved since April 2021.
The cost on a £55,000 salary
£1,650 a year in take-home pay
The gap between today's frozen thresholds and ones raised with inflation since 2021.
The £100,000 trap
62p of each extra £1 up to £125,140
The personal allowance is withdrawn in this zone. It also decides childcare support.

Who it helps

  • Employees earning under £100,000. See what the freeze costs you each year.
  • People paid a bonus or commission. See what is left of your next payment, and what lands on your payslip.
  • People earning over £100,000. See the 62% zone and what each way out costs.
  • Parents. Check whether your adjusted net income puts Tax-Free Childcare and funded hours at risk.
  • Anyone comparing pay over time. Check whether an old salary has kept up with prices.

It covers employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with a standard tax code, using 2026/27 rates. It does not cover Scotland, the self-employed or dividend income.

Common questions

What is What you keep?

A set of free calculators about UK income tax. They show what the frozen tax thresholds cost you, how much of a bonus or commission you keep, why earning between £100,000 and £125,140 is so expensive, and how to get your adjusted net income back under £100,000.

Which calculator should I start with?

Start with the take-home pay calculator if you earn under £100,000, or the bonus and commission calculator if you are about to be paid one. If you earn more, or are close to it, or have young children, try the £100,000 tax trap page and then the adjusted net income calculator.

Is it free? Do I need an account?

It is free and there is nothing to sign up for.

Is my salary stored?

The calculations run in your browser and the site has no accounts or database. When you carry a salary from one page to the next, the figure travels in the page address, so it can show in your browser history and in ordinary hosting logs.

Who is it for?

Employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with a standard tax code. It uses 2026/27 rates. It does not cover Scotland, the self-employed or dividend income.

Where do the numbers come from?

From published HMRC and GOV.UK rules, and CPI inflation from the Office for National Statistics. The how it works page lists every assumption.

Is this tax advice?

No. It gives estimates for illustration. Check your own position with HMRC or a qualified adviser.