How to read a UK payslip - gross vs net pay, income tax and National Insurance, tax codes, emergency tax, and how to check you are not overpaying.
Your first UK payslip can be confusing - the amount that lands in your bank account is usually less than the salary you were told. This guide explains what each part of a payslip means, so you can check you are being paid and taxed correctly.
Gross pay vs net pay
Gross pay is your total earnings before anything is taken off. Net pay (sometimes called “take-home pay”) is what you actually receive after deductions. The difference is mostly tax, National Insurance and any pension contributions. Knowing both numbers helps you budget and spot mistakes.
PAYE: income tax and National Insurance
Most employees are taxed through PAYE (Pay As You Earn), which means tax is taken out before you are paid. The two main deductions are:
- Income Tax - you pay tax on earnings above a tax-free amount (the “personal allowance”), with higher rates on higher earnings. The exact allowance and rates are set each year, so check the current figures on GOV.UK Income Tax.
- National Insurance (NI) - a separate deduction that counts towards things like the State Pension. It also has earnings thresholds that can change.
Your payslip should show these as separate lines, plus a National Insurance number once you have one.
Tax codes - and emergency tax
Your tax code (a short mix of numbers and a letter, shown on your payslip) tells your employer how much tax-free pay you should get. If the code is wrong, you may pay too much or too little tax.
New arrivals and people starting a first UK job are often put on an emergency tax code at first, which can mean paying more tax than you should for a while. The good news: this usually sorts itself out, and you can fix it faster by giving your employer the right starter information and checking your details with HMRC. Learn what the codes mean and how to correct them on GOV.UK Tax codes. If you overpaid, you can normally get the money back.
Pension and other deductions
If you have been auto-enrolled into a workplace pension, your pension contribution will also show on your payslip as a deduction - but unlike tax, that money is being saved for your future, with your employer adding on top. You might also see deductions for things like student loan repayments if they apply to you.
Checking you are not overpaying
- Check your tax code matches your circumstances, especially after starting a job or changing employer.
- Keep every payslip and your annual P60, and your P45 when you leave a job.
- You can view your pay and tax, and check or claim a refund, through your personal tax account on GOV.UK.
- If something looks wrong, contact HMRC - do not assume it will always correct itself.
Tax allowances, rates and thresholds change each year - treat any amounts here as general guidance and confirm the latest figures on the official GOV.UK pages.
तपाईंको पहिलो बेलायती payslip अलमल्याउने हुन सक्छ — तपाईंको बैंक खातामा आउने रकम प्रायः तपाईंलाई भनिएको तलबभन्दा कम हुन्छ। यो गाइडले payslip का प्रत्येक भागको अर्थ बुझाउँछ, ताकि तपाईंलाई सही तलब र कर लागेको छ कि जाँच्न सक्नुहोस्।
Gross pay बनाम net pay
Gross pay भनेको केही कटौती हुनुअघिको तपाईंको कुल आम्दानी हो। Net pay (कहिलेकाहीँ “take-home pay” भनिने) भनेको कटौतीपछि तपाईंले वास्तवमा पाउने रकम हो। फरक प्रायः कर, National Insurance र कुनै pension योगदान हो। दुवै सङ्ख्या थाहा पाउँदा बजेट बनाउन र गल्ती पत्ता लगाउन मद्दत हुन्छ।
PAYE: आयकर र National Insurance
अधिकांश कर्मचारीलाई PAYE (Pay As You Earn) मार्फत कर लाग्छ, अर्थात् तपाईंलाई तलब दिनुअघि नै कर कटाइन्छ। दुई मुख्य कटौती हुन्:
- आयकर (Income Tax) — तपाईं कर-मुक्त रकम (“personal allowance”) भन्दा माथिको आम्दानीमा कर तिर्नुहुन्छ, उच्च आम्दानीमा उच्च दर। ठ्याक्कै allowance र दर हरेक वर्ष तोकिने भएकाले, GOV.UK Income Tax मा वर्तमान रकम जाँच्नुहोस्।
- National Insurance (NI) — State Pension जस्ता कुरामा गणना हुने छुट्टै कटौती। यसका पनि आम्दानी सीमा हुन्छन् जुन परिवर्तन हुन सक्छन्।
तपाईंको payslip ले यिनलाई छुट्टाछुट्टै लाइनमा देखाउनुपर्छ, साथै तपाईंसँग National Insurance नम्बर भएपछि त्यो पनि।
Tax code — र emergency tax
तपाईंको tax code (अंक र अक्षरको छोटो मिश्रण, payslip मा देखिने) ले तपाईंको रोजगारदातालाई तपाईंले कति कर-मुक्त तलब पाउनुपर्छ बताउँछ। code गलत भयो भने, तपाईंले बढी वा कम कर तिर्न सक्नुहुन्छ।
नयाँ आगन्तुक र पहिलो बेलायती जागिर सुरु गर्नेलाई प्रायः सुरुमा emergency tax code मा राखिन्छ, जसको अर्थ केही समय तपाईंले तिर्नुपर्नेभन्दा बढी कर तिर्न सक्नुहुन्छ। राम्रो कुरा: यो प्रायः आफैं मिल्छ, र तपाईंले रोजगारदातालाई सही starter जानकारी दिएर र HMRC सँग आफ्नो विवरण जाँचेर छिटो मिलाउन सक्नुहुन्छ। code को अर्थ र तिनलाई कसरी सच्याउने GOV.UK Tax codes मा सिक्नुहोस्। तपाईंले बढी तिर्नुभयो भने, सामान्यतया त्यो पैसा फिर्ता पाउन सक्नुहुन्छ।
Pension र अन्य कटौती
तपाईं workplace pension मा auto-enrol हुनुभएको छ भने, तपाईंको pension योगदान पनि payslip मा कटौतीका रूपमा देखिन्छ — तर कर भन्दा फरक, त्यो पैसा तपाईंको भविष्यका लागि बचत भइरहेको हुन्छ, र रोजगारदाताले माथि थप्छन्। तपाईंलाई लागू भए student loan भुक्तानी जस्ता कुराका कटौती पनि देख्न सक्नुहुन्छ।
बढी तिरिरहेका छैनौं भन्ने जाँच्ने
- आफ्नो tax code तपाईंको परिस्थितिसँग मिल्छ कि जाँच्नुहोस्, विशेष गरी जागिर सुरु गरेपछि वा रोजगारदाता फेरेपछि।
- हरेक payslip र आफ्नो वार्षिक P60 राख्नुहोस्, र जागिर छाड्दा आफ्नो P45 राख्नुहोस्।
- तपाईं GOV.UK मा आफ्नो personal tax account मार्फत आफ्नो तलब र कर हेर्न, र refund जाँच्न वा दाबी गर्न सक्नुहुन्छ।
- केही गलत देखिएमा, HMRC लाई सम्पर्क गर्नुहोस् — सधैं आफैं मिल्छ भन्ने नठान्नुहोस्।
कर allowance, दर र सीमा हरेक वर्ष परिवर्तन हुन्छन् — यहाँका कुनै पनि रकमलाई सामान्य मार्गदर्शनका रूपमा लिनुहोस् र नवीनतम रकम आधिकारिक GOV.UK पृष्ठमा पुष्टि गर्नुहोस्।
