Understand the number,not just the result.
Plain-English guides to UK tax, pay, pensions and property, with the context behind the calculators and the assumptions that can change your answer.
Every calculator is built and reviewed by Eman Munir, ACCA. About Eman Munir and MySums.
New job and taxed 20% on everything? BR, BRX and emergency tax codes explained
Your first payslip in a new job shows 20% tax on every pound. Here is how to read the code behind it, what BR, BRX and the emergency codes actually take from the same month’s pay, and how the refund reaches you.
Read guideSecond Job on a BR Tax Code: Why You Might Owe 40% Tax
A BR code taxes your second job at 20%. If your total pay tops £50,270 you owe the rest. 2026/27 worked example, how HMRC collects it and how to avoid it.
Read guideNHS Band 5 Take-Home Pay 2026/27: What You Keep After Tax and Pension
Band 5 NHS take-home pay for 2026/27 in England, Wales and Scotland: monthly figures at each pay point after tax, NI and NHS pension.
Read guideNHS Agenda for Change Pay Bands 2026/27 Explained
The 2026/27 NHS Agenda for Change pay bands, effective 1 April, with the full England salary table and how Scotland, Wales and NI differ.
Read guideUK Student Loan Repayments: Plans, Thresholds and Payroll Deductions
A practical 2026/27 guide to UK student loan Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5, Postgraduate Loans, payroll deductions, Self Assessment, interest and refunds.
Read guideNHS Pay Bands and Take-Home Pay 2026/27: England, Wales and Scotland
2026/27 NHS pay tables for England, Wales and Scotland, with pension tiers, take-home examples, regional caveats and pay progression explained.
Read guideUnderstanding Your Payslip: Tax Codes, NI and Deductions Explained
A line-by-line guide to a UK payslip - what your tax code means, why National Insurance is separate from Income Tax, and what each deduction actually is.
Read guideUK Income Tax Bands 2026/27: England, Wales, NI and Scotland
The 2026/27 Income Tax bands and rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, how Scotland's six bands differ, and the thresholds where your marginal rate jumps.
Read guideSecond Job Tax Explained: How HMRC Taxes a Second Job or Side Income
Why a second payslip is often taxed at BR, how HMRC splits your Personal Allowance across two jobs, and why National Insurance and self-employed side income work differently.
Read guideUK Tax Year Dates: Key Deadlines for 2026/27
When the UK tax year starts and ends, what changes on 6 April, and the key Self Assessment deadlines to know for the 2026/27 tax year.
Read guidePensions & benefits
Tax relief, retirement withdrawals, NHS pensions and salary sacrifice.
The 2029 salary sacrifice cap: will it cost you, and by how much?
From April 2029 only the first £2,000 of salary sacrifice pension contributions escapes NI. Worked UK examples at four salaries, and who is unaffected.
Read guideIs Salary Sacrifice Worth It? Pros, Cons and Who It Suits
Salary sacrifice cuts Income Tax and National Insurance but lowers your contractual salary. How the savings work, the real risks, and who it suits in the UK.
Read guideUK Pension Withdrawals and Tax: Lump Sums, Drawdown and Emergency Tax
A 2026/27 guide to tax-free pension cash, taxable withdrawals, UFPLS, flexi-access drawdown, emergency tax refunds, the MPAA and staged withdrawals.
Read guidePension Tax Relief Explained: Relief at Source, Net Pay and Salary Sacrifice Compared
How pension tax relief actually gets added to your pot under the three main UK pension setups, what higher-rate relief you have to claim yourself, and why salary sacrifice usually costs the least.
Read guideNHS Pension Explained: Contributions, Tiers and the Annual Allowance
How NHS Pension Scheme contribution tiers work, why the tier rate applies to your whole pensionable pay, and how a career average defined benefit pension differs from a typical workplace pot.
Read guideSalary Sacrifice and National Insurance Changes: 2026/27 and April 2029
How salary sacrifice saves tax and NI in 2026/27, what benefits qualify, and how the £2,000 pension NIC cap scheduled for April 2029 changes the saving.
Read guideProperty & business
Mortgage affordability, renting, rental income, landlord tax and choosing a business structure.
How Much Tax on a Bonus in the UK? Corporation Tax Marginal Relief Explained
What a bonus costs a company and its recipient in 2026 to 2027: corporation tax marginal relief, employer NI, and the tax the employee pays.
Read guideStamp Duty vs LTT vs LBTT: Which Property Tax You Pay and How Much (2026/27)
SDLT, LTT or LBTT? See which tax applies in England, Wales, Scotland and NI, 2026/27 rates side by side, and what the same home costs in each nation.
Read guideDoes Salary Sacrifice Affect Your Mortgage Application?
Salary sacrifice lowers your contractual pay, so it can reduce mortgage borrowing. How lenders treat pension and car sacrifice, and how to prepare.
Read guideThe 30% Rule for Rent: How Much Should Go on Rent?
The 30% rent rule is a useful starting point, not a guarantee. How to calculate it, why gross pay overstates it, and a better UK affordability test.
Read guideSole Trader vs Limited Company: Which Structure Pays Less Tax?
How Income Tax, National Insurance, Corporation Tax and dividend tax compare between trading as a sole trader and running a one-person limited company, with a fully worked example.
Read guideUK Rental Income Tax Guide: Expenses, Mortgage Interest and Reporting
How UK landlords calculate 2026/27 rental profit, claim expenses or the property allowance, handle mortgage interest, report income and prepare for MTD.
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