Self-employed tax calculator 2026/27
Put in what you earned and spent, and see the income tax, National Insurance and anything else due through Self Assessment, when each payment falls and what to put aside each month.
Scotland has its own income tax rates. Wales and Northern Ireland use the same rates as England.
Everything you invoiced or took in during the tax year, before expenses.
Things you bought only for the business: stock, software, a share of your phone, mileage at 55p and so on.
Before tax, for the tax year. Leave at 0 if you only work for yourself. The tax on it is already paid, but it moves your profit up the bands.
Pension, student loan, Child Benefit and other income
Rental profit, for example. Not savings interest or dividends, which are taxed differently.
What you pay into a personal pension or SIPP for the year, before the 25% your provider adds. Not a workplace pension taken from your pay.
Only if you're the higher earner in your household. Used for the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
The two payments due 31 January and 31 July 2027 added together, from your last tax return. Leave at 0 if you don't make them.
Your estimate
£0.00
Scenarios side by side
When to pay
| Date and payment | Amount |
|---|
Band by band
| What | On | Amount |
|---|
Expenses or the trading allowance
| Your expenses | Trading allowance |
|---|
Rates checked against GOV.UK on 7 October 2026. Sources
How the estimate works
Your taxable profit is your income minus allowable expenses, or minus the £1,000 trading allowance if that's better. Income tax is worked out on all your income together (a salary or pension first, then any other income, then the profit), so the profit is taxed at the band it really falls in, and the tax your payroll already took is taken off. Class 4 National Insurance is on the profit alone. Student loan, the High Income Child Benefit Charge and pension relief are added if you fill them in.
| What | Rate |
|---|---|
| Personal allowance | £12,570, reduced by £1 for every £2 of income over £100,000 |
| Basic rate | 20% on the first £37,700 of taxable income |
| Higher rate | 40% from £37,701 to £125,140 |
| Additional rate | 45% over £125,140 |
| Band | Income | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | £12,571 to £16,537 | 19% |
| Basic | £16,538 to £29,526 | 20% |
| Intermediate | £29,527 to £43,662 | 21% |
| Higher | £43,663 to £75,000 | 42% |
| Advanced | £75,001 to £125,140 | 45% |
| Top | Over £125,140 | 48% |
| What | Rate |
|---|---|
| Class 4 National Insurance | 6% on profits £12,570 to £50,270, 2% above |
| Class 2 National Insurance | Treated as paid from £7,105 profit; voluntary £3.65 a week below |
| Trading allowance | £1,000, instead of (not as well as) expenses |
| Student loans | 9% of income over £26,900 (Plan 1), £29,385 (Plan 2), £33,795 (Plan 4) or £25,000 (Plan 5); Postgraduate Loan 6% over £21,000. Unearned income counts if it's over £2,000 |
| High Income Child Benefit Charge | 1% of the Child Benefit for every £200 of adjusted net income over £60,000, all of it from £80,000. Child Benefit is £27.05 a week for the eldest child and £17.90 for each other child |
| Pension tax relief | Your provider adds 25% to what you pay (20% of the gross); higher and additional rate relief comes through your return by widening your tax bands |
| Payments on account | Half of the bill each, on 31 January and 31 July, unless the bill is under £1,000 or more than 80% of your tax is taken at source |
| Making Tax Digital for Income Tax | Self-employment and property income over £50,000 (from April 2026), £30,000 (April 2027), £20,000 (April 2028) |
It leaves out savings interest, dividends, Marriage Allowance, Gift Aid, losses brought forward and any balance from earlier years, so your real bill can be different.
Rates checked against GOV.UK on 7 October 2026. They apply to the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027).
- Income Tax rates and allowances (GOV.UK)
- Scottish Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- Welsh Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- Self-employed National Insurance rates (GOV.UK)
- Tax-free allowances on property and trading income (GOV.UK)
- Payments on account (GOV.UK)
- Repaying your student loan: what you pay (GOV.UK)
- High Income Child Benefit Charge (GOV.UK)
- Child Benefit rates (GOV.UK)
- Pension tax relief (GOV.UK)
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: who needs to use it (GOV.UK)
How much tax does a self-employed person pay in the UK in 2026/27?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, income tax at 20% on taxable profit above the £12,570 personal allowance up to £50,270, 40% above that and 45% above £125,140, plus Class 4 National Insurance at 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above. The personal allowance shrinks by £1 for every £2 of income over £100,000.
Does the calculator work for Scottish taxpayers?
Yes. Choose Scotland and it uses the six Scottish income tax rates, from 19% to 48%. National Insurance is the same across the UK. Welsh rates of income tax are currently the same as England's.
Do I still pay Class 2 National Insurance?
No. If your profits are £7,105 or more, Class 2 is treated as paid, so you get the State Pension credit without paying anything. Below that you can choose to pay voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week to protect your record. The calculator leaves voluntary Class 2 out.
How much should I set aside for tax each month?
Divide the bill for the year by twelve; the calculator shows that figure and how much to put aside from every £100 you take in. If you pay payments on account, January can also include the first payment towards the next year, and the calculator lists each date and amount.
When do I pay the tax for 2026/27?
The balancing payment is due by 31 January 2028, the same day as the online return. If you need payments on account, the first one for 2027/28 is due that day too and the second on 31 July 2028.
What are payments on account?
Advance payments towards next year's bill, each half of this year's bill, due on 31 January and 31 July. HMRC asks for them unless your last bill was under £1,000 or more than 80% of your tax was already taken at source, for example through PAYE. Student loan repayments are not included in them.
Can I use the £1,000 trading allowance and claim expenses?
No, it's one or the other. The calculator works out both and shows which leaves you the smaller bill.
Do I need to use Making Tax Digital?
From 6 April 2026 if your self-employment and property income before expenses was over £50,000 in 2024/25, from 6 April 2027 if it was over £30,000 in 2025/26, and from 6 April 2028 if it is over £20,000 in 2026/27. The calculator checks your turnover against those limits.
Is this the same as filing my tax return?
No. This is an estimate for planning. Your actual bill is worked out on your Self Assessment return.
Keep the year's numbers in one place
The estimate is only as good as the figures you put in. The SortedDesk Self Assessment Spreadsheet keeps a sole trader's income and expenses through the year, sorted by the boxes on the SA103 self-employment pages, with a mileage log built in. Excel and Google Sheets.
An estimate to help you plan, not financial or tax advice. It doesn't file or send anything to HMRC, and it can't know everything about your situation. Check your own position on GOV.UK or with an accountant.
Choose Scotland for Scottish income tax. Welsh rates are currently the same as England's. National Insurance, student loans and the Child Benefit charge are the same across the UK.