How much does a £120,000 employee cost? (2026-27)

A £120,000 employee costs the employer £138,570.9 per year in the 2026-27 tax year (with minimum 3% pension). This includes £17,250 in employer NI and £1,320.9 in pension contributions — 15.5% above the gross salary. The cost per hour is £71.06.

At a glance

An employee on a £120,000 gross salary costs your business significantly more than their headline pay:

3% pension	5% pension	8% pension
Employer NI	£17,250	£17,250	£17,250
Pension	£1,320.9	£2,201.5	£3,522.4
Total cost	£138,570.9	£139,451.5	£140,772.4
Above salary	15.5%	16.2%	17.3%
Cost per hour	£71.06	£71.51	£72.19

At £120,000, pension qualifying earnings are capped at £50,270, so the pension contribution is lower as a percentage than for lower salaries. However, employer NI (with no upper cap) is the dominant on-cost.

Employer National Insurance: £17,250

Employer NI is charged at 15% on all earnings above the Secondary Threshold of £5,000:

• Earnings above threshold: £120,000 - £5,000 = £115,000
• Employer NI: £115,000 x 15% = £17,250
• Monthly employer NI: £1,437.5

This is an effective rate of 14.4% on the gross salary. Unlike employee NI, there is no upper earnings limit for employer NI — it's a flat 15% on everything above £5,000. At this salary level, employer NI alone adds more than £17000 — a significant cost.

Pension auto-enrollment: £1,320.9

UK employers must auto-enroll eligible workers into a workplace pension. The minimum employer contribution is 3% of qualifying earnings.

Qualifying earnings are the portion of salary between £6,240 and £50,270:

• Qualifying earnings (capped): £50,270 - £6,240 = £44,030
• 3% contribution: £44,030 x 3% = £1,320.9/year

Qualifying earnings are capped at £50,270, so the pension contribution doesn't increase for higher salaries. At 5%, this would be £2,201.5/year. At 8%, £3,522.4/year.

Monthly and hourly cost

Period	Salary	+ NI	+ Pension	Total cost
Annual	£120,000	£17,250	£1,320.9	£138,570.9
Monthly	£10,000	£1,437.5	£110.08	£11,547.58
Weekly	£2,307.69	£331.73	£25.4	£2,664.83

Based on 1,950 working hours per year (37.5 hours/week), the cost per hour is £71.06. This is the figure to use when pricing projects or comparing against contractor day rates.

What the employee actually receives

While you pay £138,570.9 in total, the employee's take-home pay (after income tax and employee NI) is:

• Take-home pay: £76,157.4/year (£6,346.45/month)
• Income tax: £39,432
• Employee NI: £4,410.6

The gap between what you pay (£138,570.9) and what the employee receives (£76,157.4) is £62,413.5 — you pay 82% more than the employee takes home. The difference goes to income tax, employee NI, employer NI, and pension.

See full £120,000 take-home pay breakdown

Frequently asked questions

How much does a £120,000 employee cost the employer?

With the minimum 3% pension, a £120,000 employee costs £138,570.9/year (£11,547.58/month). This is 15.5% above the gross salary.

How much employer NI do I pay on a £120,000 salary?

Employer NI on £120,000 is £17,250/year (£1,437.5/month). That's 15% on earnings above the £5,000 Secondary Threshold.

What is the cost per hour for a £120,000 employee?

Based on 1,950 working hours per year, the total cost per hour is £71.06. The gross salary alone works out to £61.54/hour, but employer on-costs add £9.52/hour.

Can I reduce employer costs?

Yes. Salary sacrifice arrangements reduce both the employee's tax and your employer NI. For example, pension contributions via salary sacrifice save 15% in employer NI on the sacrificed amount. You can also claim the Employment Allowance (£10,500 off employer NI) if eligible.

Where can I see the full NI breakdown?

See the detailed NI calculation for £120,000 including employee NI, employer NI, and self-employed NI comparison.