Is £15,000 a good salary in the UK?

The full-time median salary in the UK is around £37,430 (ONS ASHE 2024, full-time employees). £15,000 is roughly 60% below that figure.

How much is £15,000 per hour?

Around £7.69 per hour gross, or £7.34 per hour after tax, assuming a 37.5-hour week.

How much tax do I pay on £15,000?

On £15,000 in the UK, you pay approximately £486 in income tax and £194 in National Insurance.

£15,000 After Tax in the UK (2026/27)

If you earn £15,000 per year in the UK, your take-home pay is £14,320 per year — £1,193 per month, £275 per week, or £7.34 per hour after Income Tax and NI.

Net pay per month

£1,193

95.5% of gross — £14,320 per year

Income Tax

£486

3.2%

National Insurance

£194

1.3%

Effective rate

4.5%

of gross

Marginal rate

20%

on next £1

£15,000 after tax by pay period

Period	Gross	Tax	NI	Take-home
Yearly	£15,000	£486	£194	£14,320
Monthly	£1,250	£41	£16	£1,193
Weekly	£288	£9	£4	£275
Daily (260 days)	£58	£2	£1	£55
Hourly (37.5h week)	£7.69	£0.25	£0.1	£7.34

Daily assumes 260 working days. Hourly assumes a 37.5-hour week.

How your tax is calculated

£12,570 is tax-free (personal allowance). £12,571–£50,270 is taxed at the 20% basic rate. National Insurance is 8% between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above. Your marginal rate is 20% — every additional £1 you earn keeps roughly £0.72 after tax and NI.

What if…

£15,500 instead? Your take-home rises by roughly £60/month — see £15,500 after tax.
With a 5% pension contribution, your monthly take-home would be £1,143 but you'd save around £150 in income tax over the year.
10 hours of overtime a month at time-and-a-half would add about £92 to your monthly take-home.

Frequently asked questions

Is £15,000 a good salary in the UK?: The full-time median salary in the UK is around £37,430 (ONS ASHE 2024, full-time employees). £15,000 is roughly 60% below that figure.
How much is £15,000 per hour?: Assuming a 37.5-hour week over 260 working days, £15,000 a year is around £7.69 per hour gross, or £7.34 per hour after tax.
How much tax do I pay on £15,000?: On £15,000 a year in the UK, you would pay approximately £486 in income tax and £194 in National Insurance — an effective rate of 4.5%.