Taking home £30,000 a year
Past four repayment thresholds — what you keep now depends on which loan you hold.
Before tax, as written in your contract
Percentage of your salary going into the pension, including any tax relief
Most workplace schemes. Your payslip shows the full contribution and a lower taxable pay.
Take-home pay
£1,993.30
per month · £23,920 per year · £459.99 per week
Effective rate
15.3%
On your next £100
27.0%
Reaches your bank
£68.00
| Gross salary | £30,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Pension contributionStill your money — it just moves to your pension | −£1,500.00 |
| Income TaxPersonal Allowance £12,570.00 | −£3,186.00 |
| National Insurance | −£1,394.40 |
| Take-home pay | £23,919.60 |
| 20.0% On £15,930 | £3,186.00 |
|---|
Where £30,000 sits
£3,795 more and you reach plan 4 student loan repayments start.
9% of everything above this, if you have this loan.
- ✓Income Tax starts at £12,570 — The first £12,570 is covered by the Personal Allowance.
- ✓Postgraduate Loan repayments start at £21,000 — 6% of everything above this, if you have this loan.
- ✓Plan 5 student loan repayments start at £25,000 — 9% of everything above this, if you have this loan.
- ✓Plan 1 student loan repayments start at £26,900 — 9% of everything above this, if you have this loan.
- ✓Plan 2 student loan repayments start at £29,385 — 9% of everything above this, if you have this loan.
Figures for the 2026/27 UK tax year. Rates last checked against HMRC on 2026-08-28. See every source.
How to check a £30,000 salary
By this salary most student loan thresholds are behind you, and that changes what a calculator can usefully tell you. Two people earning exactly this amount can take home noticeably different figures, purely because one is on a plan whose threshold is lower than the other’s. Nothing about the tax differs; the divergence comes entirely from a repayment that is invisible in a salary advert. This is the first level at which the honest answer to “what is this salary worth” genuinely depends on facts about you rather than facts about the tax system, which is why the plan selector matters more here than the pension box.
- 1Check the salary figure against your contract.
- 2Pick your student loan plan — the difference between plans is larger here than most people expect.
- 3Switch between plans to see the gap for yourself before deciding which figure to trust.
- 4Add your pension contribution and arrangement.
FAQ
Why do two people on £30,000 take home different amounts?
Almost always because of the student loan. The tax and National Insurance are identical, but plans have different thresholds, so the repayment charged on the amount above the threshold differs. A Postgraduate Loan running alongside a main plan widens the gap further, because both are charged at the same time.
Am I still in the basic rate band?
Yes, comfortably. The higher rate does not begin until well above this salary, and the threshold list on this page shows how much headroom is left. Everything you earn above the Personal Allowance up to that point is taxed at the basic rate.
Should I put more into a pension at this salary?
The calculator will show you the effect but cannot tell you whether it is right for you — that depends on your circumstances, and this site does not give advice. What it can show is the mechanical part: how much a given percentage costs you in take-home terms today, and how that differs across the three ways a contribution can be taken.