Bonus Tax Calculator
See how much of your bonus you'll actually take home after tax, National Insurance, and other deductions.
Your annual salary before the bonus
The gross bonus you'll receive
Percentage of your base salary
Check your payslip or ask your employer
Scotland has different income tax bands
Tax on Your Bonus
Before vs After Bonus
Bonus tax calculator: how much you actually keep
A bonus is added to your regular pay and taxed at your marginal rate — the rate on your next pound of income — not a special "bonus tax rate". Because your Personal Allowance and lower tax bands are usually already used up by your salary, a bonus is often taxed more heavily than people expect. This calculator uses HMRC 2026/27 rates to show the Income Tax, National Insurance, and student loan deducted from your bonus, and works for England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
How much of your bonus do you keep?
Your bonus is taxed at whichever band your total income (salary plus bonus) falls into, combining Income Tax and 2026/27 National Insurance:
- Basic rate (up to £50,270) — keep 72% (20% tax + 8% NI deducted).
- Higher rate (£50,271–£100,000) — keep 58% (40% tax + 2% NI deducted).
- 60% tax trap (£100,001–£125,140) — keep only 38%, because the Personal Allowance taper pushes the effective rate to 60% tax + 2% NI.
- Additional rate (£125,141+) — keep 53% (45% tax + 2% NI deducted).
For example, a £5,000 bonus leaves £3,600 at basic rate, £2,900 at higher rate, but only £1,900 if it falls in the 60% tax trap zone — worth checking before assuming your bonus will be taxed at your usual rate.
Reducing tax on your bonus
If your employer offers salary sacrifice, you can ask for some or all of your bonus to be paid into your pension instead of your bank account. This avoids Income Tax and National Insurance on the sacrificed amount entirely, and is particularly valuable if your bonus would otherwise fall in the 60% tax trap zone between £100,000 and £125,140.
Starting a new job or got a signing bonus?
If you've just started a new job and your employer doesn't yet have your P45 or a completed starter checklist, your first few payslips — including any signing bonus — may be taxed under an emergency tax code(shown as something like "1257L W1" or "M1" on your payslip). This works on a non-cumulative basis, taxing each payment as if it were your only income for the year, which can take more tax than you'll actually owe. HMRC usually corrects this automatically within about 35 days of starting your job once both employers' details are matched up, and you can claim back any overpayment either way.