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2025/26 Tax Year

£120,000 Salary - UK Take Home Pay

If you earn £120,000 per year in the UK, you will take home £76,157 after tax and National Insurance. That's £6,346.45 per month.

Gross Salary
£120,000
per year
Take Home
£76,157
per year
Monthly Net
£6,346.45
per month
Effective Tax
36.5%
tax rate

Personal Allowance Taper Zone

£120,000 falls in the effective 60% tax zone. Between £100,000-£125,140, your Personal Allowance is withdrawn, creating a 60% marginal rate.

  • 60% effective marginal rate in this band!
  • Pension contributions here save 60% tax
  • Consider timing bonuses to stay below £100k if possible
  • Professional tax advice is highly recommended

How £120,000 Compares

UK salary benchmarks for 2025/26

vs UK Median
+243%
£35,000 median
vs UK Mean
+186%
£42,000 mean
Tax Band
40%
Higher rate
Hourly Rate
£61.54
at 37.5 hrs/week

Customise Your Calculation

Your Income

Enter your salary details for 2025/26

£
£
£
0%

Salary sacrifice reduces taxable income

Take Home Pay

£76,157.40/year

63.5% of gross income

  • Gross Income£120,000.00
  • Taxable Income£117,430.00
  • Income Tax-£39,432.00
  • National Insurance-£4,410.60
  • Total Deductions-£43,842.60

36.5%

Effective Rate

60%

Marginal Rate

What £120,000 Affords

Based on £6,346.45/month take-home

Average UK rent (1-bed)
~£900-1,200/month outside London
Affordable
London rent (1-bed zone 2-3)
~£1,600-2,000/month
Affordable
Max mortgage (4.5x)
~£540,000 borrowing capacity
Affordable
Running a car
~£300-500/month total cost
Affordable
Saving 20% of income
£1,269.29/month
Affordable
Family with 2 children
Childcare adds £1,000-2,000/month
Affordable

Jobs Around £120,000

Typical roles at this salary level

Director
Partner
Medical consultant
Senior executive

£120,000 Salary Breakdown

DescriptionYearlyMonthly
Gross Salary£120,000.00£10,000.00
Personal Allowance£2,570.00£214.17
Taxable Income£117,430.00£9,785.83
Income Tax-£39,432.00-£3,286.00
National Insurance-£4,410.60-£367.55
Total Deductions-£43,842.60-£3,653.55
Take Home Pay£76,157.40£6,346.45

How is £120,000 Taxed?

On a £120,000 salary, here's how your income is distributed across tax bands:

Personal Allowance
Tax-free income
£2,570
0%
Basic Rate
Taxed at basic rate
£37,700
20%
Higher Rate
Taxed at higher rate
£74,870
40%
Additional Rate
Taxed at additional rate
£4,860
45%

Understanding Your £120,000 Salary

A £120,000 salary in the UK for the 2025/26 tax year will result in a take-home pay of £76,157.40 per year, or £6,346.45 per month. This salary is above the UK median of £35,000.

Your effective tax rate is 36.5%, meaning for every £1 you earn, you keep approximately £0.63. Your marginal tax rate (the rate on your next £1 earned) is 60%.

This calculation assumes you have a standard Personal Allowance of £2,570, no student loan repayments, and no pension contributions. You can adjust these factors using the calculator above.