£21,000 after tax: take-home pay 2026/27
On a £21,000 salary in 2026/27, take-home in England, Wales or Northern Ireland is £18,639.60 a year (£1,553.30 a month) with a standard tax code, no pension and no student loan. Figures use HMRC rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027.
- Gross
- £21,000
- Take-home / year
- £18,640 (£18,639.60)
- Take-home / month
- £1,553 (£1,553.30)
- Effective rate
- 11.2%
Assumes 2026/27 · England, Wales & NI · tax code 1257L · no pension · no student loan · 52 weeks. Not Scotland unless you switch below.
£21,000 salary breakdown
| Item | Annual | Monthly | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £21,000.00 | £1,750.00 | £403.85 |
| Personal allowance | £12,570.00 | £1,047.50 | £241.73 |
| Taxable income | £8,430.00 | £702.50 | £162.12 |
| Income tax | £1,686.00 | £140.50 | £32.42 |
| National Insurance | £674.40 | £56.20 | £12.97 |
| Take-home pay | £18,639.60 | £1,553.30 | £358.45 |
Tax by band
- Basic rate · 20.0%£1,686.00
Adjust this £21,000 calculation
Which tax bands does £21,000 hit?
£21,000 sits in the basic-rate band for 2026/27. After the £12,570 personal allowance, £8,430 is taxed at 20%, giving income tax of £1,686.00. Employee National Insurance adds another 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, which works out at £674.40 here.
You are well below the higher-rate threshold of £50,270 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), so every extra £1 you earn keeps 72p after the 20% income tax and 8% employee NI. That combined 28% marginal rate is what to think about when weighing a pay rise at this level.
£0 – £37,700 of taxable income · £8,430.00 taxed
Student loan and pension on £21,000
| Scenario | Tax | NI | Loan | Pension | Monthly | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headline (Rest of UK, no pension, no loan)The SERP number | £1,686.00 | £674.40 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 | £18,639.60 |
| Scotland, no pension, no loanScottish income tax bands | £1,646.33 | £674.40 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,556.61 | £18,679.27 |
| Rest of UK + Plan 29% above £29,385 | £1,686.00 | £674.40 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 | £18,639.60 |
| Rest of UK + Plan 59% above £25,000 | £1,686.00 | £674.40 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 | £18,639.60 |
| Rest of UK + Plan 2 + PostgraduatePGL at 6% above £21,000 | £1,686.00 | £674.40 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,553.30 | £18,639.60 |
| Rest of UK + 5% salary sacrificeReduces tax, NI and loan bases | £1,476.00 | £590.40 | £0.00 | £1,050.00 | £1,490.30 | £17,883.60 |
| Rest of UK + 5% net-pay (qualifying earnings)AE-style: LEL–UEL band | £1,543.08 | £674.40 | £0.00 | £714.60 | £1,505.66 | £18,067.92 |
£21,000 in Scotland
The same £21,000 salary in Scotland for 2026/27 takes home £18,679.27 a year — £39.67 more than in England, Wales or Northern Ireland — because Scottish income tax bands differ above the personal allowance. National Insurance is the same across the UK. At this level the gap is small; it widens sharply once pay crosses the Scottish higher-rate threshold (£43,663).
What does £1,553.30 a month cover?
£1,553.30 a month supports a one-bed or small two-bed rental in most of the UK, and a room in a decent shared flat in London. A £21,000 salary gives some room for a car and a modest monthly savings amount.
Lenders often work from around 4.5× gross — roughly a £94,500 mortgage on this salary — but deposits and stress tests mean the practical ceiling is usually lower; treat the figure as an illustration, not a promise.
Utilities, food and commuting typically absorb the middle of the budget, leaving the edges for saving and occasional spending.
Mortgage illustration uses 4.5× gross (£94,500) — lender affordability rules vary; not advice.
Jobs that pay around £21,000
- Teaching assistant — typical advertised range £18,000–£24,000
- Customer service advisor — typical advertised range £21,000–£27,000
Compare nearby salaries
£21,000 after tax — FAQs
How much is £21,000 after tax?
In 2026/27, a £21,000 salary in England, Wales or Northern Ireland takes home £18,639.60 a year (£1,553.30 a month) after income tax of £1,686.00 and employee National Insurance of £674.40, assuming no pension and no student loan. These are the headline figures shown on this page.
What is £21,000 take-home pay per month?
Monthly take-home on £21,000 for 2026/27 is £1,553.30 (£18,639.60 a year). That is before pension contributions and student loan repayments — use the calculator above to add either.
Is £21,000 a good salary?
£21,000 is a reasonable income in the UK for 2026/27, taking home £1,553.30 a month. Whether it is "good" depends on location and household size — £26,000 would take home more per month, but the gap narrows at higher bands because of the marginal tax rates shown on this page.
How does a Plan 5 student loan affect £21,000 take-home?
With a Plan 5 student loan, £21,000 take-home for 2026/27 falls to £18,639.60 a year (£1,553.30 a month) — a deduction of £0.00. Plan 5 repayments are 9% of income above £25,000 and started from April 2026.
How this figure is calculated
- Gross
- £21,000
- Personal allowance
- £12,570.00
- Taxable income
- £8,430.00
- Income tax
- £1,686.00
- Employee NI
- £674.40
- Take-home
- £18,639.60
£21,000 uses the 2026/27 personal allowance (£12,570), the basic rate band (£37,700 of taxable income at 20%) and employee National Insurance (8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland uses the six Scottish income tax bands. Monthly take-home is the annual figure divided by 12; weekly uses the 52-week year. Full sources and rounding rules: methodology.
Last updated: 2026-04-06 · Source: GOV.UK rates and thresholds (2026 to 2027)