Guide

Salary sacrifice and adjusted income

Why adjusted income matters near key tax thresholds and how salary sacrifice can change the outcome.

Guide2 min readRuleset 2025-26Reviewed by PayPath UK editorial reviewMethodology

Why adjusted income matters

At higher earnings, especially near and above GBP 100,000, salary sacrifice can do more than reduce tax on the sacrificed amount. It can also reduce adjusted income and preserve more personal allowance.

Why people pay attention to this threshold

The personal allowance taper means the effective drag on extra earnings can feel much heavier than expected. That makes salary sacrifice worth modelling carefully if you are close to that band.

Important caution

This is still a planning model. Always check the rules that actually apply to your circumstances before acting on a high-value decision.

How to use PayPath here

Run the relevant calculator for your live numbers, review the methodology if the assumptions matter to your decision, and save the strongest scenarios in the workspace if you are comparing more than one option.