How is take home pay calculated in the UK?

Your take home pay is your gross salary minus income tax, National Insurance contributions, student loan repayments, and pension contributions.

What is the personal allowance for 2026/27?

The personal allowance for the 2026/27 tax year is £12,570. You don't pay income tax on earnings below this amount.

How does Scottish income tax differ from the rest of the UK?

Scotland has its own income tax rates with six bands (starter, basic, intermediate, higher, advanced, and top rate) compared to three bands in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

What student loan plan am I on?

Plan 1 is for loans taken before September 2012 in England/Wales or in Scotland/NI. Plan 2 is for loans after September 2012 in England/Wales. Plan 4 is for Scottish loans after 1998. Plan 5 is for loans after 2023.

Is my salary data stored?

No. All calculations happen locally in your browser. No personal data is sent to our servers.

Self-Employed Tax Calculator 2026

Estimate your income tax and National Insurance as a self-employed sole trader for the 2026/27 tax year.

Gross Annual Revenue

£

Allowable Expenses

£

Business costs you can deduct from revenue

Tax Code

Self-Employed Summary

Gross revenue£35,000

Allowable expenses-£0

Taxable profit£35,000

Self-Employed NI Rates 2026/27

Class	Rate	Threshold
Class 2	£3.45/week	£12,570+
Class 4 (main)	6%	£12,570 - £50,270
Class 4 (upper)	2%	Over £50,270

No account needed. No data stored. All calculations happen locally in your browser.

Estimated Take Home

2,393.30 £

from 2,916.67 £ profit — 82.1% retained

Netto 82.1%Steuern 12.8%Sozialabgaben 5.1%

Taxable Profit2,916.67 £

Tax

Income Tax−373.83 £

National Insurance

Estimated Take Home2,393.30 £

Simplified estimate based on HMRC 2026/27 rates. Self-employed NI differs from employee NI. This calculator provides estimates only.

Tax for Self-Employed Workers in the UK

If you work for yourself as a sole trader, freelancer, or contractor, you are responsible for calculating and paying your own income tax and National Insurance contributions through the Self Assessment system. Unlike employees whose tax is deducted automatically through PAYE, self-employed individuals must file a tax return each year and pay their tax bill directly to HMRC. The income tax rates and bands are the same as for employees, but the National Insurance system is different, involving Class 2 and Class 4 contributions.

Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance

Self-employed individuals pay two types of National Insurance. Class 2 NI is a flat weekly rate of £3.45, payable if your profits exceed £12,570 per year. This counts toward your State Pension entitlement. Class 4 NI is profit-based: you pay 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% on profits above £50,270. Note that Class 4 rates for the self-employed are lower than the 8% employee rate for Class 1 NI. However, self-employed workers do not receive employer NI contributions, which means the total NI cost is structured differently from employment.

Allowable Expenses

One of the key advantages of self-employment is the ability to deduct legitimate business expenses from your revenue before calculating your tax bill. Allowable expenses include office costs, travel expenses, stock and materials, marketing, professional services, insurance, and a proportion of household costs if you work from home. Keeping accurate records of all business expenses is essential. Alternatively, you can use the trading allowance of £1,000, which lets you earn up to £1,000 from self-employment without declaring it to HMRC.

Payment on Account and Making Tax Digital

Self-employed taxpayers often need to make payments on account, which are advance payments toward next year's tax bill. Each payment is half of your previous year's tax bill, due on 31 January and 31 July. This can create cash flow challenges, especially in your first year of trading. HMRC's Making Tax Digital programme is also being extended to self-employed workers, requiring quarterly digital submissions of income and expenses. For employed workers looking to compare, see our main UK take home pay calculator which handles PAYE calculations including National Insurance and student loans.