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2025/26 Tax Year

£26,000 Salary - UK Take Home Pay

If you earn £26,000 per year in the UK, you will take home £22,240 after tax and National Insurance. That's £1,853.30 per month.

Gross Salary
£26,000
per year
Take Home
£22,240
per year
Monthly Net
£1,853.30
per month
Effective Tax
14.5%
tax rate

Below UK Median Salary

£26,000 is below the UK median salary of approximately £35,000. This is a common salary range for entry-level roles and some regions.

  • You're entirely in the basic rate (20%) tax band
  • Pension contributions get 20% tax relief - employer matches are free money
  • Consider salary sacrifice schemes to reduce taxable income
  • Help to Buy ISA or LISA can help save for a home

How £26,000 Compares

UK salary benchmarks for 2025/26

vs UK Median
-26%
£35,000 median
vs UK Mean
-38%
£42,000 mean
Tax Band
20%
Basic rate
Hourly Rate
£13.33
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

£22,239.60/year

85.5% of gross income

  • Gross Income£26,000.00
  • Taxable Income£13,430.00
  • Income Tax-£2,686.00
  • National Insurance-£1,074.40
  • Total Deductions-£3,760.40

14.5%

Effective Rate

20%

Marginal Rate

What £26,000 Affords

Based on £1,853.30/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
Challenging
Max mortgage (4.5x)
~£117,000 borrowing capacity
Affordable
Running a car
~£300-500/month total cost
Affordable
Saving 20% of income
£370.66/month
Affordable
Family with 2 children
Childcare adds £1,000-2,000/month
Challenging

Jobs Around £26,000

Typical roles at this salary level

Teacher (early career)
Marketing coordinator
Junior developer
Nurse (Band 5)

£26,000 Salary Breakdown

DescriptionYearlyMonthly
Gross Salary£26,000.00£2,166.67
Personal Allowance£12,570.00£1,047.50
Taxable Income£13,430.00£1,119.17
Income Tax-£2,686.00-£223.83
National Insurance-£1,074.40-£89.53
Total Deductions-£3,760.40-£313.37
Take Home Pay£22,239.60£1,853.30

How is £26,000 Taxed?

On a £26,000 salary, here's how your income is distributed across tax bands:

Personal Allowance
Tax-free income
£12,570
0%
Basic Rate
Taxed at basic rate
£13,430
20%

Understanding Your £26,000 Salary

A £26,000 salary in the UK for the 2025/26 tax year will result in a take-home pay of £22,239.60 per year, or £1,853.30 per month. This salary is below the UK median of £35,000.

Your effective tax rate is 14.5%, meaning for every £1 you earn, you keep approximately £0.86. Your marginal tax rate (the rate on your next £1 earned) is 20%.

This calculation assumes you have a standard Personal Allowance of £12,570, no student loan repayments, and no pension contributions. You can adjust these factors using the calculator above.