Answers · UK 2025/26
What is the take-home pay on minimum wage in the UK in 2026?
A full-time worker on the 2026/27 National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour earns about £24,769 a year for a 37.5-hour week, taking home roughly £21,360 after tax — around £1,780 a month — once £2,440 Income Tax and £969 National Insurance are deducted.
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The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour in 2026/27. On a standard 37.5-hour week that is £476.63 a week, or about £24,769 a year (37.5 × £12.71 × 52). A 40-hour week would lift gross pay to roughly £26,437. Take the 37.5-hour example: the first £12,570 is tax-free, the remaining £12,199 is taxed at 20% = £2,440 Income Tax, and National Insurance at 8% on the same band = £969. Worked example: £24,769 − £2,440 − £969 = £21,360 net, around £1,780 a month. In Scotland the starter and basic rates produce a near-identical figure, a few pounds higher because of the 19% starter band. Minimum-wage earners may also qualify for Universal Credit top-ups, which taper as earnings rise. Note that someone working fewer hours could stay below the £12,570 Personal Allowance and pay no Income Tax at all. The National Minimum Wage is lower for under-21s and apprentices. To check your own hourly-to-annual take-home, use the Take-Home Pay calculator.
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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.