Job Offer Comparison Calculator UK
Compare two UK job offers side by side – take-home pay, real hourly rate, pension, commuting costs and benefits – using 2026/27 HMRC and Scottish tax rates. Free, private and no sign-up.
How it works
Enter both jobs
Salary, hours, holiday, pension, commute and benefits for your current role and the new offer.
We run the numbers
2026/27 Income Tax (UK or Scottish), National Insurance, pension and student loan are applied automatically.
Get a clear comparison
See take-home pay, real hourly rate, total package value and a factor-by-factor breakdown.
| Per year | Current job | New offer |
|---|
Estimates for 2026/27 using tax code 1257L. Your pension is treated as deducted before tax on qualifying earnings (£6,240–£50,270); employer pension is applied to full salary. The score is a simple guide based on take-home pay, real hourly rate, package value and holiday – it cannot weigh career progression, job security or how much you will enjoy the work.
How to compare two UK job offers properly
The headline salary on a job offer rarely tells the whole story. Income Tax, National Insurance, pension contributions, student loan repayments and commuting costs all come out of your pay, so two jobs with quite different salaries can leave you with similar amounts each month. This calculator puts both jobs on the same footing so you can see what each one is really worth.
Why gross salary is misleading
For a basic-rate taxpayer in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, every extra £1,000 of salary is worth about £720 after 20% Income Tax and 8% National Insurance. A £4,000 higher salary is therefore about £2,880 in take-home pay – and if the new job’s commute costs £200 a month more, most of that difference is gone.
What is a “real hourly rate”?
Your real hourly rate is your take-home pay after travel costs, divided by all the hours the job takes from your week – contracted hours plus commuting time – over the weeks you actually work (52 weeks minus holidays and the 8 bank holidays).
It is a useful way to compare a well-paid job with a long commute against a lower-paid job close to home.
2026/27 rates used in this calculator
| Item | 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Personal Allowance | £12,570 (reduced by £1 for every £2 over £100,000) |
| Income Tax – England, Wales & NI | 20% to £50,270 · 40% to £125,140 · 45% above |
| Income Tax – Scotland | 19% · 20% · 21% · 42% (from £43,663) · 45% (from £75,001) · 48% (above £125,140) |
| Employee National Insurance | 8% on £12,570–£50,270 · 2% above |
| Student loan thresholds | Plan 1 £26,900 · Plan 2 £29,385 · Plan 4 £33,795 · Plan 5 £25,000 (all 9%) · Postgraduate £21,000 (6%) |
| Auto-enrolment qualifying earnings | £6,240 – £50,270 |
Don’t forget the employer pension
A 5% employer pension on £35,000 puts £1,750 a year into your pension; 3% on £38,000 is £1,140. The higher salary builds less long-term wealth – which is why the calculator shows total package value as well as take-home pay. Read more in what is a good employer pension contribution.
Holiday has a cash value
One day of holiday is worth roughly your salary ÷ 260 working days. Losing five days on a £36,000 salary is like giving up about £690 a year.
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Popular guides
How to decide if a job offer is worth taking
Seven questions to ask before you accept, reject or negotiate.
£40k vs £50k after tax
Why a £10,000 pay rise adds only about £600 a month.
How to negotiate salary in the UK
A step-by-step plan and a counter-offer script you can use.
What is National Insurance?
How much you pay in 2026/27 and what it entitles you to.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this job offer calculator?
It uses the 2026/27 Income Tax bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland or Scotland, employee National Insurance, student loan thresholds and auto-enrolment pension rules. It is a strong guide for comparing offers, but it does not include things like Marriage Allowance, benefits in kind, salary sacrifice schemes other than pension, or tax code adjustments. For your exact tax position, check your payslip or HMRC Personal Tax Account.
Does it include Scottish Income Tax?
Yes. Choose “Scotland” under “Where you pay Income Tax” to apply the six Scottish bands for 2026/27. National Insurance and student loan rules are the same across the UK.
Should I always take the higher-paying job?
Not necessarily. Commuting time and cost, pension contributions, hours and holiday can all outweigh a higher salary. And many important factors – career progression, job security, culture and flexibility – cannot be measured by a calculator, so use the result as one input into your decision.
Is my salary data stored?
No. All calculations run in your browser. Nothing you type into the calculator is sent to us or stored. See our privacy policy.