Tax code calculator
Enter the tax code from your payslip to see exactly what it means for your income tax, personal allowance and take-home pay, using HMRC's 2026/27 rates.
What your code means
1257L: Standard personal allowance of £12,570 a year, with the £100k taper applied.
Your details
Income tax breakdown
| Band | Taxable | Rate | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal allowance | £12,570 | 0.0% | £0 |
| Basic rate | £37,430 | 20.0% | £7,486 |
| Total | £7,486 |
Reading the result
- The number in a code is your tax-free amount divided by 10, so 1257L means £12,570 of income tax-free each year under the standard allowance.
- BR, D0, D1 and NT are flat codes: every pound is taxed at that rate and the allowance is ignored. They tend to appear on a second job or pension.
- K codes mean your company benefits or underpaid tax exceed your allowance, so the shortfall is added to your taxable income.
- The standard 1257L code keeps the full £100,000–£125,140 taper; other allowances are applied as a fixed number, which is how HMRC sets them in practice.
- Figures use 2026/27 rates for England, no student loan and no pension. Scotland (S prefix) uses its own bands; see the income tax calculator.
Common UK tax codes
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1257L | Standard allowance |
| 0T | No personal allowance |
| BR | All income taxed at 20% |
| D0 | All income taxed at 40% |
| D1 | All income taxed at 45% |
| NT | No tax deducted |
| K497X | K code (allowance shortfall) |
| S1257L | Scottish taxpayer |
| C1257L | Welsh taxpayer |
| 1257L W1 | 1257L W1 – Emergency code |
Want the full explanation of every letter, the K codes and the emergency suffixes? Read the tax codes explained in plain English .
How to find your tax code
Your tax code is printed on every payslip, and on your P60 at year-end. If you started a new
job recently it may be an emergency code like 1257L W1 or 1257L M1 while HMRC
processes your previous employment details; these tax you on a month-by-month basis and are
usually corrected within a few pay periods.
Your code and the allowance it represents are personal to you: benefits in kind, company cars, underpaid tax from earlier years and the marriage allowance all show up here. That's why two people on the same salary can take home different amounts. The calculator applies your allowance exactly as published; the take-home pay calculator accepts the same code field alongside pensions and student loans.