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2026/27 Tax Year

£21,000 Salary - UK Take Home Pay

If you earn £21,000 per year in the UK, you will take home £18,640 after tax and National Insurance. That's £1,553.30 per month.

Gross Salary
£21,000
per year
Take Home
£18,640
per year
Monthly Net
£1,553.30
per month
Effective Tax
11.2%
tax rate

Below Living Wage Level

£21,000 is below the annual equivalent of the Real Living Wage. You may be eligible for benefits or tax credits to supplement your income.

  • Check eligibility for Universal Credit
  • Council Tax Reduction may be available
  • Free NHS prescriptions with certain benefits
  • Consider Pension Credit if applicable

How £21,000 Compares

UK salary benchmarks for 2026/27

vs UK Median
-40%
£35,000 median
vs UK Mean
-50%
£42,000 mean
Tax Band
20%
Basic rate
Hourly Rate
£10.77
at 37.5 hrs/week

Customise Your Calculation

Your Income

Enter your salary details for 2026/27

£
£
£
0%

Salary sacrifice reduces taxable income

Take Home Pay

£18,639.60/year

88.8% of gross income

  • Gross Income£21,000.00
  • Taxable Income£8,430.00
  • Income Tax-£1,686.00
  • National Insurance-£674.40
  • Total Deductions-£2,360.40

11.2%

Effective Rate

20%

Marginal Rate

What £21,000 Affords

Based on £1,553.30/month take-home

Average UK rent (1-bed)
~£900-1,200/month outside London
Affordable
London rent (1-bed zone 2-3)
~£1,600-2,000/month
Challenging
Max mortgage (4.5x)
~£94,500 borrowing capacity
Affordable
Running a car
~£300-500/month total cost
Affordable
Saving 20% of income
£310.66/month
Affordable
Family with 2 children
Childcare adds £1,000-2,000/month
Challenging

Jobs Around £21,000

Typical roles at this salary level

Customer service
Retail assistant
Administrative assistant
Junior roles

£21,000 Salary Breakdown

DescriptionYearlyMonthly
Gross Salary£21,000.00£1,750.00
Personal Allowance£12,570.00£1,047.50
Taxable Income£8,430.00£702.50
Income Tax-£1,686.00-£140.50
National Insurance-£674.40-£56.20
Total Deductions-£2,360.40-£196.70
Take Home Pay£18,639.60£1,553.30

How is £21,000 Taxed?

On a £21,000 salary, here's how your income is distributed across tax bands:

Personal Allowance
Tax-free income
£12,570
0%
Basic Rate
Taxed at basic rate
£8,430
20%

Understanding Your £21,000 Salary

A £21,000 salary in the UK for the 2026/27 tax year will result in a take-home pay of £18,639.60 per year, or £1,553.30 per month. This salary is below the UK median of £35,000.

Your effective tax rate is 11.2%, meaning for every £1 you earn, you keep approximately £0.89. Your marginal tax rate (the rate on your next £1 earned) is 20%.

This calculation assumes you have a standard Personal Allowance of £12,570, no student loan repayments, and no pension contributions. You can adjust these factors using the calculator above.