See how Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4, Plan 5 and Postgraduate loans affect your monthly take-home and effective deduction rate.
Typical default take-home figures for fast context before reading.
The most common source of underestimation in salary calculators is incorrect student loan plan selection. Different plans use different thresholds and rates, so monthly take-home can shift quickly.
When users leave this as 'none', they often overstate net pay by a noticeable amount. That can distort budgeting, mortgage planning and salary negotiation decisions.
A good workflow is to model three cases: no loan, your current plan, and a future case if your repayment status changes.
As salary rises, student loan deductions typically rise too. This reduces how much of each pay increase lands in your bank account. Understanding this effect prevents surprise after promotions.
From a planning perspective, net pay growth is still positive, but slower than gross growth. The right metric is net change per month after all deductions, not gross change alone.
If you are deciding between two roles, include loan repayment in both models. Otherwise, your comparison is incomplete.
Yes. The examples align to current 2025/26 assumptions used by the calculator, including PAYE income tax and UK NI treatment.
Differences usually come from tax-code changes, bonus timing, benefits, multiple employments or period-level payroll adjustments.
No. Compare both monthly and annual net pay because loan plan, pension and tax-region settings can materially change outcomes.
Yes. Correct student loan plan and pension percentage are two of the biggest drivers of realistic net-pay estimates.
No. This content is informational and planning-focused, not personal financial advice.
Use official HMRC and UK government guidance for tax, NI, student loan and Scottish income tax rules.