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Salary Comparison: Gross vs Take-Home
A pay comparison on gross salary alone can mislead. Two jobs advertising the same headline number can leave different amounts in the bank once pension scheme, student loan plan, region and marginal tax rate are counted. Entering both salaries above gives a like-for-like take-home comparison instead of a gross-pay one.
Why Compare Take-Home Pay, Not Just Gross Salary
A £5,000 gross pay rise rarely means £5,000 more in your pocket — moving into a higher tax band, losing Personal Allowance above £100,000, or a different region's Income Tax bands (Scotland vs the rest of the UK) can all shrink the real-world gain. Comparing two offers on take-home pay, not headline salary, shows what actually changes for your budget.
What to Check Beyond the Numbers
- Pension match: a lower salary with a stronger employer pension match can still be worth more overall.
- Benefits in kind: private healthcare, company car or bonus schemes aren't captured here — factor them in separately.
- Location: if one offer is in Scotland, its Income Tax bands differ from the rest of the UK even at an identical salary.
Get Independent Financial Advice
The figure above is an estimate of what you're entitled to or what it costs you — deciding what to actually do with it (invest, overpay debt, top up a pension) is a bigger decision worth getting right.
- Received a redundancy payout: understand tax-free thresholds and how to make a lump sum work for you long-term.
- Planning parental leave: budget around the drop from full pay to statutory rate, and check what protections apply.
- Deciding whether to overpay a student loan: for many people investing the surplus outperforms early repayment — but it depends on your plan type and income trajectory.
- Reviewing pension contributions: small percentage changes compound significantly over a career.
An FCA-regulated independent financial adviser can model your specific numbers — free directories like Unbiased.co.uk match you with a local IFA.
Find an Independent Financial Adviser →Transparency & Methodology
Methodology & Sources
Figures are public HMRC/gov.scot/DWP rates. For your exact position, use gov.uk/estimate-income-tax.
Not Tax or Legal Advice
Information only. Consult the Chartered Institute of Taxation or an adviser via the FCA Register.
Open Source
Formulas are public. Inspect on GitHub.