£48,000 after tax UK (2026/27)

On a £48,000 salary in the UK you take home £38,079.60 a year. That is £3,173.30 a month in 2026/27. You pay £7,086.00 Income Tax and £2,834.40 National Insurance (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, no pension or student loan).

How to read this table: each column is one pay period. Red numbers are taken out of your pay. The last row is what you actually get.

£48,000 salary in the UK, 2026/27
ItemYearMonthWeekDayHour
Gross pay£48,000.00£4,000.00£923.08£184.62£24.62
Income Tax-£7,086.00-£590.50-£136.27-£27.25-£3.63
National Insurance-£2,834.40-£236.20-£54.51-£10.90-£1.45
Take-home pay£38,079.60£3,173.30£732.30£146.46£19.53

Hourly figures assume 37.5 hours a week. Before tax, £48,000 is £24.62 an hour.

How your £48,000 take-home pay is worked out

  1. Personal Allowance (tax-free pay): £12,570.
  2. Pay that is taxed: £48,000 − £12,570 = £35,430.
  3. Basic rate: £35,430 × 20% = £7,086.00.
  4. National Insurance: £35,430 × 8% = £2,834.40.
  5. Take-home: £48,000 − £7,086.00 − £2,834.40 = £38,079.60.

All of your taxable income falls in the 20% basic rate band.

Pay rise tip: from every extra £100 you earn at this level, you keep about £72.

What a pay rise is worth on £48,000

Pay riseNew salaryExtra take-home a monthYou keep
+£1,000£49,000+£60.0072%
+£2,000£50,000+£120.0072%
+5%£50,400+£142.4871%
+10%£52,800+£258.4865%

£48,000 after tax: England vs Scotland

Scotland has its own six Income Tax bands. On £48,000 you take home £38,079.60 in England, Wales or NI, which is £1,056.05 a year more than Scotland (£37,023.55). National Insurance is the same everywhere. See £48,000 after tax in Scotland.

£48,000 with a student loan

Student loan repayments come out of your pay with your tax. Find your plan below:

PlanPaid a yearPaid a monthTake-home a month
Plan 2£1,675.35£139.61£3,033.69
Plan 5£2,070.00£172.50£3,000.80
Plan 1£1,899.00£158.25£3,015.05
Plan 4 (Scotland)£1,278.45£106.54£3,066.76
Postgraduate Loan£1,620.00£135.00£3,038.30

£48,000 with a pension

Pension payments come out before tax, so your take-home pay drops by less than the amount you put in. Figures are for salary sacrifice.

You pay inInto pension a yearCost to take-home a yearTake-home a month
3%£1,440.00£1,036.80£3,086.90
5%£2,400.00£1,728.00£3,029.30
8%£3,840.00£2,764.80£2,942.90
10%£4,800.00£3,456.00£2,885.30

Salaries close to £48,000

SalaryTake-home a yearA monthDifference a month
£44,000£35,200£2,933−£240
£45,000£35,920£2,993−£180
£46,000£36,640£3,053−£120
£47,000£37,360£3,113−£60
£48,000£38,080£3,173–
£49,000£38,800£3,233+£60
£50,000£39,520£3,293+£120
£51,000£40,137£3,345+£171
£52,000£40,717£3,393+£220

Add your own pension or student loan

Frequently asked questions

How much is £48,000 a month after tax in the UK?
£3,173.30 a month in 2026/27, with no student loan or pension and a standard tax code. Before tax, £48,000 is £4,000.00 a month.
How much is £48,000 a week after tax?
£732.30 a week, or £146.46 a day for a five-day week.
What tax band is £48,000 in?
The highest band you reach is the basic rate (England, Wales and NI). In total, Income Tax and NI take 20.7% of your pay.
Is £48,000 after tax different in Scotland?
Scotland has its own Income Tax rates. Here you take home £38,079.60 a year, which is £1,056.05 a year more than Scotland (£37,023.55).
If I get a pay rise from £48,000, how much do I keep?
About £72 of every extra £100, after Income Tax and National Insurance.

Where our numbers come from

  • GOV.UK – Income Tax rates and allowances
  • GOV.UK – Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027
  • GOV.UK – National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates

Rates checked against official sources on 2026-09-28. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.