Answers · UK 2025/26
How much tax do I pay on £31,000 in the UK?
On a £31,000 salary for 2026/27 (England, Wales or Northern Ireland) you pay £3,686 Income Tax and £1,474.40 National Insurance, leaving £25,839.60 take-home pay, or about £2,153.30 a month.
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On a £31,000 salary in 2026/27, the £12,570 Personal Allowance leaves £18,430 taxable, entirely within the 20% basic rate band, giving £3,686 Income Tax. National Insurance is 8% of £18,430, which comes to £1,474.40. Combined deductions of £5,160.40 leave £25,839.60 take-home pay a year, around £2,153.30 a month or £496.92 a week. This is broadly in line with a newly qualified NHS Band 5 nurse's starting salary, as well as many junior professional and skilled trade roles. In Scotland, taxable income of £18,430 spans the starter, basic and intermediate bands, producing Income Tax of approximately £3,656 -- slightly less than the rest of the UK. A Plan 2 student loan borrower pays 9% on the £1,615 above their £29,385 threshold, or £145.35 a year, reducing take-home to £25,694.25. A Plan 5 borrower pays 9% on £6,000 above the £25,000 threshold, or £540 a year. A Plan 1 borrower pays 9% on £4,100 above their £26,900 threshold, or £369 a year. At this salary, someone auto-enrolled into a workplace pension at the statutory 5% employee minimum contribution (calculated on qualifying earnings between £6,240 and £50,270) would see roughly £1,238 a year deducted for their pension, further reducing cash take-home pay while building retirement savings, alongside a matching 3% employer contribution.
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This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.