2026/27 tax year

UK job-offer comparer

Compare what two jobs put in your bank account and into your pension—not just the headline salary.

Defaults use the usual automatic-enrolment minimum: 5% employee and 3% employer on qualifying earnings. Replace these with the rates in each offer.

Offer A
Offer B
Student-loan settings

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How to compare two job offers

  1. Give each role a name and enter its annual salary.
  2. Enter the employee and employer pension percentages offered by each employer. Select salary sacrifice only where that is how the pension contribution is made.
  3. Add your student-loan details once, then compare the monthly take-home pay and total pension funding for both roles.

How to read the comparison

Monthly take-home pay is the money likely to reach your bank account after the deductions selected. Total pension funding combines your employee contribution with the employer contribution, helping you compare the longer-term value of a package as well as the immediate pay.

What to check before deciding

Confirm whether pension percentages apply to your full salary or qualifying earnings, whether the employer matches contributions, and whether a bonus, commission, private medical cover, commute, annual leave or other benefits matter to you. Those parts of a package are not included in this comparison.

Important limits

This uses the same 2026/27 PAYE estimate as the salary calculator for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is a planning tool, not employment or financial advice, and an employer's payroll calculation will be different where the offer includes payments or deductions not entered here.

Tax and National Insurance estimates follow HMRC's PAYE guidance and National Insurance guidance.

Guides

What does tax code 1257L M1 mean? — understand the common emergency tax code and what to do next.

Cumulative vs non-cumulative PAYE — understand why a tax code can change what is deducted from your payslip.

Why has my take-home pay gone down? — identify the likely cause of a smaller payment and what to check.