Best UK Tax Calculators Compared (2025/26)
Choosing the right tax calculator matters. Small differences in how a tool handles pension contributions, Scottish tax bands, or student loan thresholds can change your take-home pay estimate by hundreds of pounds. We compared six popular UK tax calculators across the features that matter most.
| Feature | UKCalc | ListenToTaxman | TheSalaryCalculator | HMRC Tax Calculator | MoneySavingExpert | Reed.co.uk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2025/26? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scottish rates? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Limited |
| Student loan? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pension options? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | Limited |
| Self-employed? | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | Limited | Limited | ✗ |
| Mortgage calc? | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Mobile-friendly? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | ✓ |
| No ads? | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Embeddable? | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
UKCalc This site
ListenToTaxman
TheSalaryCalculator
HMRC Tax Calculator
MoneySavingExpert
Reed.co.uk
What the comparison means
All six calculators listed here are free to use and provide reliable estimates based on HMRC rates. The differences come down to scope and user experience.
- ListenToTaxman is one of the longest-running UK tax calculators and is well-regarded for accuracy. It covers salary, Scottish rates, student loans, and pension contributions but does not offer a self-employed or mortgage calculator.
- TheSalaryCalculator is particularly comprehensive, including a self-employed mode alongside standard PAYE calculations. It supports Scottish tax bands, student loans, and pension deductions. No mortgage tools are available.
- HMRC's own estimator is the official government tool. It is always up to date and ad-free, but it has a narrow scope — primarily income tax estimation. Student loan repayments, mortgage calculations, and detailed pension modelling are not included. The mobile experience is functional but not optimised.
- MoneySavingExpert offers a well-designed salary calculator alongside extensive guides. Self-employed coverage is limited to guides rather than a dedicated calculator. The site shows display advertising.
- Reed.co.uk provides a simple salary calculator aimed at job seekers. It is straightforward but has limited options for Scottish tax rates, pension adjustments, and student loan types.
- UKCalc aims to be the most complete free option, covering salary tax, self-employed tax, mortgage repayments, stamp duty, pension relief, student loans, and more — all in one place with no ads and no sign-up. All calculators can also be embedded on other websites.
"Limited" in the table means the feature exists in some form but is either basic, hard to find, or not as fully featured as a dedicated tool.
Try our most popular calculators
Free, instant, and updated for the 2025/26 tax year.
Salary Calculator
Take-home pay after tax and NI
Open calculator →Mortgage Calculator
Monthly repayment estimates
Open calculator →Self-Employed Tax
Income tax and NI for sole traders
Open calculator →Student Loan
Repayment amounts by plan type
Open calculator →Stamp Duty
SDLT, LBTT, and LTT calculations
Open calculator →Pension Tax Relief
See how much relief you get
Open calculator →Frequently asked questions
Which UK tax calculator is most accurate?
All reputable UK tax calculators, including UKCalc, ListenToTaxman, and TheSalaryCalculator, use the same HMRC-published rates and thresholds. Accuracy differences typically come from how each tool handles edge cases like pension tapering, multiple student loan plans, or Scottish versus rest-of-UK tax bands. For official figures, HMRC's own estimator is the definitive source.
Is there a free UK salary calculator with no ads?
UKCalc and the HMRC estimator are both free and ad-free. Most other popular calculators display advertising to fund their operations, which is a reasonable trade-off for a free service.
Can I use a UK tax calculator for Scottish income tax?
Most major UK tax calculators now support Scottish income tax rates, which have different bands and thresholds from the rest of the UK. UKCalc, ListenToTaxman, TheSalaryCalculator, HMRC, and MoneySavingExpert all handle Scottish rates. Always check that Scottish mode is selected before relying on the results.
What is the best alternative to ListenToTaxman?
If you are looking for a ListenToTaxman alternative, UKCalc and TheSalaryCalculator are the closest in terms of feature coverage. UKCalc additionally offers mortgage, stamp duty, and self-employed calculators in one place, with no advertising.