Salary after tax

£21,000 After Tax (2026/27)

A £21,000 salary leaves you with £18,640 a year after income tax and National Insurance, about £1,553 a month. Here is the full 2026/27 breakdown.

Free, no signup2026/27 ratesVerify at gov.uk

Take-home pay

£18,640

a year on a £21,000 salary · about £1,553 a month

	Yearly	Monthly	Weekly
Gross salary	£21,000	£1,750	£404
Income tax	−£1,686	−£141	−£32
National Insurance	−£674	−£56	−£13
Take-home pay	£18,640	£1,553	£358

At £21,000, the top of your salary sits in the basic rate (20%). Income tax and National Insurance together take about 11.2% of your gross pay, so roughly £2,360 across the year.

Add student loan or pension →

Opens the full take-home calculator with £21,000 filled in, so you can add a student loan plan or pension.

2026/27 estimate for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Income tax and National Insurance only; no student loan or pension. Verify current figures at gov.uk. Not tax advice.

Simon Chadwick

Founder, Orbit Money

Method: HMRC 2026/27 income tax and NIUpdated: 16 July 2026Sources: gov.uk

What £21,000 looks like after tax

On a £21,000 salary in 2026/27, you keep £18,640 a year once income tax and National Insurance come off, which is about £1,553 a month or £358 a week. The top of your pay falls in the basic rate band at 20%, and your effective deduction rate across the whole salary is about 11.2%. If you repay a student loan or pay into a pension, your take-home will be lower, so use the full calculator to add those.

How the deductions break down

Your income tax on £21,000 is £1,686.00 and your National Insurance is £674.40. The first £12,570 of your salary is tax-free under the Personal Allowance. National Insurance is charged at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above that. Both come off your pay through PAYE before it reaches your account.

Frequently asked questions

How much is £21,000 after tax in the UK?

For 2026/27, a £21,000 salary leaves you with £18,640 a year after income tax and National Insurance, which is about £1,553 a month or £358 a week. That is before any student loan repayment or pension contribution, which would lower it further.

How much tax do I pay on £21,000?

On a £21,000 salary you pay £1,686.00 in income tax and £674.40 in National Insurance for 2026/27, a combined £2,360. That is an effective deduction rate of about 11.2% of your gross pay.

What is £21,000 a year per month after tax?

£21,000 a year after tax works out at roughly £1,553 a month take-home for 2026/27. Your first payslip can differ slightly because PAYE spreads your Personal Allowance across the year.

Does this include student loan and pension?

No. This figure is income tax and National Insurance only. If you repay a student loan or pay into a pension, use the full take-home calculator to add them and see your exact net pay.

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About the author

Simon Chadwick

Founder of Orbit Money

Simon is the founder of Orbit Money, a tool that helps people track subscriptions and recurring spend. He builds Orbit's free money calculators and writes about personal finance for UK and Australian readers.