Is £15,500 a good salary in the UK?

The full-time median salary in the UK is around £37,430 (ONS ASHE 2024, full-time employees). £15,500 is roughly 59% below that figure.

How much is £15,500 per hour?

Around £7.95 per hour gross, or £7.53 per hour after tax, assuming a 37.5-hour week.

How much tax do I pay on £15,500?

On £15,500 in the UK, you pay approximately £586 in income tax and £234 in National Insurance.

£15,500 After Tax in the UK (2026/27)

If you earn £15,500 per year in the UK, your take-home pay is £14,680 per year — £1,223 per month, £282 per week, or £7.53 per hour after Income Tax and NI.

Net pay per month

£1,223

94.7% of gross — £14,680 per year

Income Tax

£586

3.8%

National Insurance

£234

1.5%

Effective rate

5.3%

of gross

Marginal rate

20%

on next £1

£15,500 after tax by pay period

Period	Gross	Tax	NI	Take-home
Yearly	£15,500	£586	£234	£14,680
Monthly	£1,292	£49	£20	£1,223
Weekly	£298	£11	£5	£282
Daily (260 days)	£60	£2	£1	£56
Hourly (37.5h week)	£7.95	£0.3	£0.12	£7.53

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…

£16,000 instead? Your take-home rises by roughly £60/month — see £16,000 after tax.
With a 5% pension contribution, your monthly take-home would be £1,172 but you'd save around £155 in income tax over the year.
10 hours of overtime a month at time-and-a-half would add about £95 to your monthly take-home.

Frequently asked questions

Is £15,500 a good salary in the UK?: The full-time median salary in the UK is around £37,430 (ONS ASHE 2024, full-time employees). £15,500 is roughly 59% below that figure.
How much is £15,500 per hour?: Assuming a 37.5-hour week over 260 working days, £15,500 a year is around £7.95 per hour gross, or £7.53 per hour after tax.
How much tax do I pay on £15,500?: On £15,500 a year in the UK, you would pay approximately £586 in income tax and £234 in National Insurance — an effective rate of 5.3%.