How it works
£30,000 salary: the full take-home breakdown
Thirty thousand pounds a year is a milestone salary — it sits close to the UK median for younger workers and is the headline figure for many graduate schemes, skilled trades and public-sector roles. In England for 2025/26, after Income Tax and National Insurance, you keep roughly 84% of your gross.
Your taxable income is £30,000 minus the £12,570 Personal Allowance = £17,430, all within the 20% basic-rate band. National Insurance runs at 8% on the same slice. Together those two deductions total £4,880.40, leaving £25,119.60 per year.
| Item | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £30,000.00 | £2,500.00 |
| Personal Allowance | £12,570.00 | £1,047.50 |
| Taxable income | £17,430.00 | £1,452.50 |
| Income Tax (20%) | −£3,486.00 | −£290.50 |
| National Insurance (8%) | −£1,394.40 | −£116.20 |
| Take-home pay | £25,119.60 | £2,093.30 |
Student loan impact at £30,000
A Plan 2 student loan threshold of £28,470 means that on a £30,000 salary you repay 9% of the £1,530 above the threshold — just £137.70 a year (about £11.50 a month). Plan 5 borrowers (threshold £25,000) repay 9% of £5,000 = £450 a year (£37.50/month).
| Plan | Threshold | Repayment on £30,000 | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £26,065 | £351/yr (9% × £3,935) | £29 |
| Plan 2 | £28,470 | £138/yr (9% × £1,530) | £11.50 |
| Plan 4 (Scotland) | £32,745 | £0 — below threshold | — |
| Plan 5 | £25,000 | £450/yr (9% × £5,000) | £37.50 |
| Postgraduate | £21,000 | £540/yr (6% × £9,000) | £45 |
How close is £30,000 to the UK median salary?
The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2024 puts the UK median full-time salary at around £37,430. A £30,000 salary is about 80% of the median. For mortgage borrowing purposes, the standard 4× income rule would suggest a maximum of £120,000. Combine two £30,000 incomes and a joint mortgage of up to £240,000 becomes achievable.
Salary sacrifice pension at £30,000
At £30,000, a 5% salary sacrifice (£1,500) reduces your taxable pay to £28,500, saving roughly £420 in Income Tax and NI combined. Your net take-home falls by about £1,080 while £1,500 flows into your pension.
| Pension % | Into pension | Tax & NI saving | Take-home | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | £0 | £0 | £25,120 | £2,093 |
| 5% | £1,500 | £420 | £24,040 | £2,003 |
| 8% | £2,400 | £672 | £23,368 | £1,947 |
| 10% | £3,000 | £840 | £22,960 | £1,913 |