How the calculation works
The calculator uses the 2026/27 tax year, which runs from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland:
- Personal allowance: the first £12,570 is tax-free. It shrinks by £1 for every £2 you earn over £100,000, and is gone at £125,140.
- Income tax: 20% from £12,571 to £50,270, 40% to £125,140, and 45% above that.
- National Insurance: 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above.
Scotland sets its own income tax bands: 19%, 20%, 21%, 42%, 45% and 48%, with thresholds at £16,537, £29,526, £43,662, £75,000 and £125,140. National Insurance is the same everywhere in the UK.
At £35,000 in England, that comes to £4,486 of income tax and £1,794 of National Insurance a year, leaving £28,720, or £2,393 a month. Three months without that salary is £7,180 of take-home pay.
Sources: GOV.UK income tax rates and allowances, HMRC rates and thresholds for 2026/27 and Scottish income tax rates for 2026/27. Last checked October 2026.
What the figure leaves out
It is an estimate of what a month at your target salary would put in your account, not a payslip. It assumes a standard tax code and leaves out pension contributions, student loan repayments and any benefits you can claim. Pension contributions and student loan would lower the monthly figure. Benefits such as New Style Jobseeker's Allowance would shrink the gap.
It also counts from your target salary. If you would take a job at a different salary, enter that instead. And it counts months you've been searching, which is not always the same as months without pay: notice, garden leave and holiday pay all cover part of the time.
If you're still employed
The calculator shows £0, because you're still being paid. Looking for work while you have a job costs time and energy, not earnings. The monthly figure is still there as a reference point if you're deciding whether to leave before you have an offer.
If you've been made redundant
A redundancy payment changes when you feel the gap, not its size. Each month without work draws the payout down by roughly the monthly take-home figure. The first £30,000 of a redundancy payment is usually tax-free, while notice pay and holiday pay are taxed as normal. GOV.UK explains redundancy pay, including how statutory pay is worked out.
For what to do in the first weeks, read what to do after being made redundant.
Why we built this
We write CVs for £9.99, so we have an interest in job searches. We can't tell you a new CV will make yours shorter, because nobody has good data on that, and a job search depends on far more than a CV. If you want to look at the CV side, see our CV rewrite service or why you might not be getting interviews.
Frequently asked questions
How is the monthly figure worked out?
We take your target salary, subtract income tax and employee National Insurance at 2026/27 rates, and divide what is left by 12. That gives the take-home pay a month at that salary. For £35,000 in England, that is £2,393 a month.
Why does it use take-home pay rather than salary?
Because take-home pay is the money that would actually reach your account. A £35,000 salary is about £2,917 a month before deductions, but about £2,393 after them. Using the gross figure would overstate the gap by around a fifth.
Does it work for Scotland?
Yes. Tick "I live in Scotland" and it uses the Scottish income tax bands, which have six rates instead of three. National Insurance is the same across the UK. Below about £33,500 the difference is small. Above about £44,000 Scottish taxpayers take home noticeably less.
Why does it show £0 if I'm still employed?
Because you aren't losing anything. If you're being paid while you look for your next job, the search costs you time and effort but not earnings. We would rather say that than invent a loss to make the numbers look worse.
Is redundancy pay taxed?
The first £30,000 of a redundancy payment is usually tax-free. Pay in lieu of notice, holiday pay and any bonus you were owed are taxed as normal pay, even if they arrive in the same payment.
Does it include benefits?
No. If you're out of work you may be able to claim New Style Jobseeker's Allowance, which depends on your National Insurance record, or Universal Credit, which depends on your household income and savings. Either would reduce the gap. The calculator leaves them out because they depend on circumstances it doesn't ask about.