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Pay & tax

Tax Code Checker UK (2026/27)

Enter your tax code to see what it means in plain English: your tax-free allowance, whether it looks standard, an emergency code or one worth checking, and the tax it would take from your salary. 2026/27 rates, free, no signup.

Free, no signup2026/27 ratesVerify at gov.uk
Your tax code
Pick a common code, or choose Custom to type your own. Find yours on your payslip, P45, P60 or HMRC account.
Your gross yearly pay for this job. Used to estimate the income tax this code would take.
£
Looks standard
Tax-free allowance this year
£12,570

The letter L means you get the standard tax-free Personal Allowance. The number 1257 means the first £12,570 of your income this year is tax-free.

Tax-free allowance£12,570
Estimated income tax on £35,000£4,486
Estimated tax each month£374
This is the standard code for the 2026/27 tax year for someone with one job or pension and the full Personal Allowance. See your full net pay with our take-home pay calculator.
2026/27 estimate, England, Wales & NI bands. Excludes National Insurance. Verify at gov.uk; not tax advice.
Simon Chadwick
Simon Chadwick
Founder, Orbit Money
Method: gov.uk 2026/27 tax code letters and PAYE bandsUpdated: 17 July 2026Sources: gov.uk tax codes, gov.uk what your code means

How to read your tax code

Your tax code tells your employer or pension provider how much Income Tax to take from your pay. Most codes are a number followed by a letter, like 1257L. The number is your tax-free Personal Allowance divided by ten, so 1257 means the first £12,570 you earn this year is tax-free. The letter shows how that allowance is worked out. Get either part wrong and you can pay too much tax, or build up a bill for later.

What the letters mean

LetterWhat it means
LYou get the standard tax-free Personal Allowance (the number × 10).
MMarriage Allowance: you have received 10% of your partner's Personal Allowance.
NMarriage Allowance: you have given 10% of your Personal Allowance to your partner.
TYour code includes other calculations used to work out your allowance.
0TNo Personal Allowance is applied, so tax starts from the first pound.
BRAll income from this job or pension is taxed at the basic rate (20%).
D0All income from this job or pension is taxed at the higher rate (40%).
D1All income from this job or pension is taxed at the additional rate (45%).
KYou have untaxed income above your allowance; the number × 10 is added to taxable income.
NTNo tax is taken from this income.

Letter meanings from gov.uk, “Tax codes: what your tax code means” (2026/27). This tool is a guide, not tax advice.

Prefixes and emergency suffixes

Code partWhat it means
SScottish rates apply (for example S1257L, SBR, SD0).
CWelsh rates apply (for example C1257L, CBR).
W1, M1, XEmergency, non-cumulative code: each pay period is taxed on its own.

How a K code is different

A K code works the opposite way to a normal one. Rather than giving you a tax-free allowance, it adds an amount to your taxable income, because you have untaxed income or deductions that come to more than your allowance. The number after the K, times ten, is the amount added, so K475 adds £4,750 to your taxable pay for the year. This happens when you are repaying tax owed, or where the State Pension or a taxable benefit like a company car is worth more than your allowance. There is a safeguard: a K code can never take more than half of your pre-tax pay in a period.

When a tax code is often wrong

Codes go wrong most often after a change. Worth checking if you have started a new job, have more than one job or pension, recently stopped getting a benefit like a company car, or your income crossed £100,000, where the Personal Allowance starts to taper away. A BR, 0T or emergency code on your only job is a common sign something needs updating. HMRC is the only body that can change your code, so if it looks wrong, contact them or update your details in your personal tax account.

How to use this checker

  1. Enter your tax code exactly as it appears, including any letter, K prefix, S or C prefix, or W1/M1/X suffix.
  2. Add your annual salary to estimate the income tax this code would take (optional).
  3. Read the plain-English meaning, your tax-free allowance, and whether it looks standard, emergency or worth a check.
  4. If it looks wrong, check the details against your circumstances and contact HMRC, who are the only ones who can change it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check my tax code is correct?
Start by finding your code on your payslip, P45, P60 or in your HMRC personal tax account, then read what it means. For most people with one job and the full allowance, 1257L is correct for 2026/27. It can be wrong if you changed jobs, have more than one job or pension, get taxable benefits like a company car, or owe tax from a previous year. Enter your code above to see the tax-free allowance it gives and whether it looks standard, an emergency code, or one worth checking. If it looks off, contact HMRC, as only they can change it.
What does the tax code 1257L mean?
1257L is the most common UK tax code for 2026/27. The number 1257 means your tax-free Personal Allowance is £12,570 (the number is your allowance divided by ten), and the letter L means you get the standard allowance with no adjustments. On 1257L you pay no tax on the first £12,570 you earn, then 20% up to £50,270, 40% up to £125,140 and 45% above that. If you have one job or pension and the full allowance, 1257L is usually the code you should be on.
What do the letters in a tax code mean?
The letter shows how your allowance is worked out. L is the standard allowance. M and N relate to Marriage Allowance, where 10% of one partner's allowance is transferred to the other. T means extra calculations are involved. BR, D0 and D1 mean all the income from that job or pension is taxed at 20%, 40% or 45% with no allowance, which is normal on a second job. 0T means no allowance is applied, K means untaxed income is being added to your taxable pay, and NT means no tax is taken. An S or C at the front means Scottish or Welsh rates.
What does a K tax code mean?
A K code is the reverse of a normal code. Instead of giving you a tax-free allowance, it adds an amount to your taxable income, because you have untaxed income or deductions worth more than your allowance. The number after the K, times ten, is what is added. So K475 adds £4,750 to your taxable pay for the year. K codes are common when you are repaying tax owed, receive the State Pension, or have a taxable benefit like a company car. By law, a K code cannot take more than half of your pre-tax pay in any period.
Is my tax code an emergency tax code?
Your code is an emergency code if it ends in W1, M1 or X, for example 1257L W1 or 1257L M1. These suffixes mean the code runs on a non-cumulative basis: each week or month of pay is taxed on its own rather than across the year so far. That is usually fine for a steady wage but can over-tax a one-off payment, like a first pension withdrawal. Emergency codes normally correct themselves once HMRC has your full details, and any overpaid tax is refunded.
What is the difference between 1257L and BR?
1257L gives you the full £12,570 tax-free Personal Allowance, so you pay no tax on the first £12,570 you earn on that job. BR gives no allowance at all and taxes every pound of that income at 20%. BR is normal on a second job or pension, because your allowance is already used against your main income. If you only have one job and you are on BR, you are probably being over-taxed and should check with HMRC.

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Simon Chadwick
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.

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This tool is a guide, not tax advice.