What your pay rise or bonus is really worth
See how much you keep after tax, and how much would go into your pension if you gave it up instead.
Your answer
Enter your salary and the bonus or pay rise to see what you keep.
About this calculator
For employees offered a bonus or a pay rise, and anyone wondering whether to take a bonus as cash or put it into a pension.
Many employers let you give up a bonus in return for the same amount paid into your pension (salary sacrifice). Then there's no income tax or National Insurance on it.
What happens to your answers
We don’t keep them. Your answers go to our server to do the sums and aren’t stored or logged. If you copy a link to your answers, they’re in the link itself, so only share it with people you trust.
How it’s worked out
We work out your take-home pay with and without the extra money. The difference is what you keep.
Then we work it out again as if you'd given the bonus up into your pension, to show what would go in instead.
Worked example
You'd keep £5,500 of your £10,000 bonus, or £10,000 would go into your pension if you gave it up through salary sacrifice.
2026/27 tax year · England · 5% pension taken before tax · no student loan · salary £60,000
| Your bonus | £10,000 |
|---|---|
| Income tax | − £3,800 |
| National Insurance | − £200 |
| Your usual pension contribution on it | − £500 |
| You keep | £5,500 |
| Or, paid into your pension through salary sacrifice | £10,000 |
Worked out using HMRC's published rates for the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), on a yearly basis.
Questions people ask
Why do I keep so little of a bonus?
A bonus sits on top of your salary, so it's taxed at your highest rate. Between £100,000 and £125,140 you also lose some of your tax-free allowance, so you can keep less than half.
Can I put my bonus into my pension?
Many employers allow it, through salary sacrifice. You have to agree it before the bonus is paid. Some employers also add the National Insurance they save. Money in a pension can't usually be taken out until you're 55 (57 from April 2028).
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