First Job Salary After Tax 2025-26

Starting your first job? Find out exactly what you'll take home after income tax and National Insurance — with or without student loan repayments — in your city.

What's deducted from your first pay packet?

Income Tax
20% above £12,570
Personal Allowance is tax-free
National Insurance
8% on £12,570–£50,270
Collected via PAYE automatically
Student Loan (Plan 2)
9% above £27,295
Only if you have an eligible loan
Emergency tax code
Watch out: 1257L W1/M1
Common on first jobs — HMRC corrects it

Browse by city

London
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Manchester
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Birmingham
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Edinburgh
£25k gross → £1,796/mo
Scotland
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Bristol
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Leeds
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Liverpool
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Sheffield
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Glasgow
£25k gross → £1,796/mo
Scotland
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Cardiff
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
Wales
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Nottingham
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Southampton
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Newcastle
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Brighton
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000
Oxford
£25k gross → £1,793/mo
England
£22,000 £23,000 £24,000 £25,000 £26,000 £27,000 £28,000 £30,000 £32,000 £35,000

£25,000 first job — take-home across all cities

City Annual take-home Monthly take-home With Plan 2
London £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Manchester £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Birmingham £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Edinburgh £21,548 £1,796 £1,796/mo Details →
Bristol £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Leeds £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Liverpool £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Sheffield £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Glasgow £21,548 £1,796 £1,796/mo Details →
Cardiff £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Nottingham £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Southampton £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Newcastle £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Brighton £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →
Oxford £21,520 £1,793 £1,793/mo Details →

Starting your first job — what to expect on your payslip

Your first payslip can be a surprise. If your gross salary is £25,000, you don't take home £25,000. After Income Tax (20% on income above £12,570) and National Insurance (8% on earnings above £12,570), your take-home pay is typically around £20,800/year — about £1,733/month.

If you graduated after 2012 and have an outstanding student loan, an additional 9% is deducted on earnings above £27,295 (Plan 2 threshold for 2025-26). Below £27,295, no loan repayments are taken.

On your first job, HMRC may assign an emergency tax code (1257L W1/M1). This treats each pay period as if it's your first — meaning you could be over- or under-taxed initially. HMRC usually corrects this automatically within a few months. You can also contact HMRC directly to update your tax code.

Related calculators:

Graduate Salary After Tax Student Loan Calculator Income Tax Rates National Insurance £25,000 After Tax