What Salary Do I Need? Free UK Budget Salary Calculator

How the budget salary calculator works

Working out what salary you need starts with your outgoings, not a job advert. This free UK tool reverses the usual direction: instead of entering a gross salary and seeing what lands in your account, you enter what you actually need to spend and it works backwards to find the gross pay required to cover it — after income tax, National Insurance, pension, and student loan deductions have all been taken off.

What does the calculator show?

Enter your regular costs — rent, food, transport, bills, subscriptions, savings, and anything else — choose whether you're thinking weekly, monthly, or annually, and the calculator instantly produces:

Required gross salary — the exact annual gross pay reverse-calculated from your total budget target
Full deductions breakdown — income tax, National Insurance, pension, and student loan shown separately
Required hourly rate — based on your chosen weekly hours, so you know exactly what to ask for
Annual, monthly or weekly view — toggle the breakdown panel to see all figures in whichever period suits you

Personal allowance

£12,570 — the amount you earn tax-free each year (2025/26, frozen).

Basic rate band

20% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 — the first £37,700 you earn above your personal allowance.

Higher rate band

40% on earnings between £50,271 and £125,140. Above £100,000, the personal allowance tapers, creating an effective 60% marginal rate.

NI rate (employee)

8% between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above that (2025/26).

Who is this calculator for?

This calculator is useful whether you’re negotiating a pay rise, returning to work after a career break, switching roles, or simply trying to understand what your lifestyle actually costs in gross terms. It’s also a practical benchmark if you’re freelance or self-employed and want to know what day rate you’d need to match a salaried income. Adjust the hours-per-week slider and the required hourly rate updates instantly — useful for modelling part-time or compressed schedules.

Pension is modelled as salary sacrifice, which reduces both your taxable income and your National Insurance bill — the most common and tax-efficient employer arrangement. The personal allowance taper above £100,000 is included too, so if you’re targeting a higher salary you’ll get an accurate picture of the effective 60% marginal rate in that band. If your pension scheme works differently the gross figure will still give you a reliable starting point for any salary negotiation.

Disclaimer: These calculations are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute financial or legal advice. Tax thresholds and rates shown are for the 2025/26 UK tax year and are subject to change. Always verify your exact position with HMRC or a qualified financial adviser.