Question 1

How much tax do I pay on £45,000?

Accepted Answer

On a £45,000 salary in 2025/26 with the standard 1257L tax code in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you pay £6,486.00 in income tax and £2,594.40 in National Insurance. That leaves take-home pay of £35,919.60 a year — about £2,993 a month. Add your pension or student loan above for a personal figure.

Question 2

What does the 1257L tax code mean?

Accepted Answer

1257L is the most common UK tax code. Multiply the number by 10 and you get your tax-free personal allowance: £12,570. The L means no special adjustments apply. You pay no income tax on the first £12,570 you earn each year, then the 20%, 40% and 45% bands apply above it. Your code is on your payslip.

Question 3

How does salary sacrifice pension work?

Accepted Answer

You agree to a lower salary and your employer pays the difference straight into your pension. Because your gross pay falls, you save income tax and National Insurance. On £45,000, sacrificing 5% (£2,250) costs you only £1,620 in take-home pay: you save £450 in tax and £180 in NI. Few calculators model this correctly.

Question 4

Is my Scottish tax different?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Scotland sets its own income tax with six bands, from 19% (Starter) to 48% (Top) in 2025/26, and your tax code starts with S. On £45,000 a Scottish taxpayer pays £6,913.80 in income tax — £427.80 more than in England. National Insurance is the same UK-wide. Choose Scotland above for exact figures.

Question 5

Why doesn't this match my payslip?

Accepted Answer

Usually one of four reasons: your tax code isn't 1257L, your pension uses a different scheme than you selected, you have benefits in kind like a company car, or you started the job part-way through the year so PAYE is still catching up. Our payslip-style breakdown shows every deduction line by line so you can spot exactly where yours differs.

Question 6

Can I include union dues or cycle-to-work in this calculator?

Accepted Answer

Yes — open "Add other deductions" under the pension section. We handle union dues and season-ticket loans (both post-tax, so no relief), payroll giving (pre-tax, like a net-pay pension), and cycle-to-work (salary sacrifice, so you save both tax and NI). Each shows as its own line in the breakdown, and we tell you exactly how much tax and NI the pre-tax ones save.

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