Tax code checker 2026/27
Enter your HMRC tax code and salary. We decode what it means, show your tax-free allowance and take-home, and flag whether you might be paying too much — or too little.
England, Wales & NI. We compare your code with the standard 1257L allowance. Income Tax thresholds are frozen, so the figures are the same across these years — the year sets the wording and the verified stamp.
What your code means
2026/27£12,570 of tax-free pay — the standard amount for 2026/27.
- Gross salary
- £35,000
- Income Tax
- −£4,486
- National Insurance
- −£1,794
Take-home a year
£2,393 a month
£28,720
This matches the standard tax-free allowance — it looks right for someone with one job and no benefits.
Verified · 2026/2721 June 2026
How tax codes work
Your tax code tells your employer how much of your pay to leave untaxed. The number is your tax-free allowance with the last digit removed — so 1257L means £12,570 a year, the standard 2026/27 Personal Allowance. The letter is the rule:
- L — the standard tax-free Personal Allowance.
- K — deductions (benefits, or tax owed) are bigger than your allowance, so an amount is added to your taxable pay.
- BR / D0 / D1 — all of this income is taxed at 20% / 40% / 45%, with no allowance. Common on a second job.
- 0T, W1, M1, X — emergency or temporary codes; you may be owed a refund once HMRC catches up.
A non-standard code is not necessarily wrong — but it is worth a check. If you think yours is incorrect, contact HMRC; you can reclaim overpaid tax for the last four years. For your full breakdown on any salary, use the main take-home calculator.
Tax code questions
- What does my tax code mean?
- The number times ten is your tax-free pay (1257L means £12,570). The letter says how it is applied: L is the standard allowance, K means amounts are added to your taxable income, and BR, D0 or D1 tax everything at one rate (often a second job).
- Is my tax code wrong?
- Compare it to the standard 1257L. A different code is not always wrong — benefits in kind, a second job or underpaid tax all change it legitimately. If it looks off, check with HMRC; you may be owed a refund or have tax to pay.
- What is a K code?
- A K code means deductions (such as company benefits or tax owed from an earlier year) are larger than your allowance, so an amount is added to your taxable pay instead of taken off.
- What is the standard 2026/27 tax code?
- For most people with one job and no benefits it is 1257L — a £12,570 Personal Allowance, frozen until April 2031.