Guide

Take-home pay explained

A practical overview of what sits between gross salary and actual spendable pay in the UK.

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

Start with gross salary

Gross salary is your pre-deduction pay. It is not the amount available to spend.

Main deductions

Income tax, employee National Insurance, student loan repayments, pension contributions, and any salary sacrifice arrangement all affect take-home pay.

Why comparisons help

Most pay decisions are relative. You usually need to compare two scenarios, not just look at one number in isolation.

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.