Salary Inputs

£35,000
£0 £100k £200k
Adjust in £5,000 increments
Real mode: The slider value is what you would earn today. For each historical year we deflate it to that year's nominal £ using RPI, then apply that year's tax rules. This is the classic "fiscal drag" view.
Take-home: Emphasises the employee's real net pay after income tax and NI. The green line is highlighted in the chart.
1990
Start year (always ends 2026/27)
2000
The selected year is shown in the summary boxes above the chart
Tax bands: England, Wales & NI rates only (Scotland diverged from 2017/18). Pension and student loan reliefs are not modelled. Personal Allowance taper above £100k is applied. Employee NI uses the modern (post-1999) calculation. Employer (Secondary) NI rates are approximated from historic HMRC rates, with the 2025/26 reduction of the Secondary Threshold to £5,000 included.

Take-Home Pay in Today's £

Highlight Year Breakdown

Allowances & Thresholds

Item Today
2026/27		 Hl Year
(nominal £)		 Hl Year
(real, today's £)

Rates

Item Today
2026/27		 Hl Year

Tax & Pay Amounts

Item Today
2026/27		 Hl Year
(nominal £)		 Hl Year
(real, today's £)

Year-by-Year Breakdown

Tax Year Equivalent Cash
(that year's £)		 Real Gross
(today's £)		 Income Tax Employee NI Employer NI Real Net
(today's £)		 Real Cost of Emp.
(today's £)		 Tax Wedge
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Disclaimer: This calculator is for educational and illustrative purposes. Historical tax rules are simplified (e.g. 2022/23 NI rates are blended annual averages from a year of mid-period changes). Excludes pension reliefs, student loans, dividends, savings income, and benefits in kind. Inflation uses ONS RPI annual averages (CHAW, Jan 1987 = 100). Deflators map a tax year to its starting calendar year. Always consult a qualified professional for personal financial decisions.