UK Self-Employed Tax Calculator 2026/27
Enter your income and expenses to see your Income Tax, Class 4 National Insurance and take-home pay, yearly, monthly or weekly. Works for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Your results
- Total tax and NI
- £0.00
- per year
- Take-home
- £0.00
- per year (£0.00 a month)
- Effective rate
- 0%
Enter your income to see how much of each payment to set aside for tax.
| Self-employed income | £0.00 |
|---|---|
| Less expenses | £0.00 |
| Taxable profit | £0.00 |
| Personal Allowance | £12,570.00 |
| Income Tax | £0.00 |
| Class 4 National Insurance | £0.00 |
| Total tax and NI | £0.00 |
| Take-home from self-employment | £0.00 |
Class 2 NI: nothing to pay. Below £7,105 profit you can pay voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week to protect your State Pension. Uses Income Tax rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Estimates only, not tax advice. Read the disclaimer. Figures last checked against gov.uk on .
How it works
If you work for yourself in the UK, you pay tax on your profit through Self Assessment. This calculator estimates that bill for the 2026/27 tax year, which runs from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. It works in four steps.
1. Work out your profit
Your profit is your self-employed income minus your allowable business expenses, such as equipment, software, travel and an accountant's fees. If your expenses are small, you can claim the £1,000 trading allowance instead. You cannot claim both. See gov.uk for the expenses you can claim.
2. Take off your Personal Allowance
Most people can earn £12,570 a year before paying Income Tax. If your total income is over £100,000, your allowance goes down by £1 for every £2 above that, and it disappears completely at £125,140. If you also have a job, your salary uses up the allowance first.
3. Apply the Income Tax bands
Income above the allowance is taxed in bands. You pay 20% (basic rate) up to £50,270, 40% (higher rate) up to £125,140 and 45% (additional rate) on anything above. If you live in Scotland, choose Scotland: Scottish Income Tax has six bands, from a 19% starter rate to a 48% top rate. Our Scottish self-employed tax calculator explains them in full. The breakdown table shows how much of your income falls in each band, so you can see exactly where the tax comes from.
4. Add Class 4 National Insurance
Self-employed people pay Class 4 National Insurance on their profit: 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% above. You no longer pay Class 2 if your profit is £7,105 or more, because it is treated as paid.
Your take-home is your profit minus Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance. The effective rate shows your total tax as a share of your profit, and the set-aside figure shows what share of every payment you receive to put away for your tax bill. You can enter and view amounts per year, month or week. Keep in mind that this is an estimate: it does not include student loan repayments, pension contributions, payments on account or other income such as dividends or rent. All figures come from gov.uk: see Income Tax rates, Scottish Income Tax and self-employed National Insurance rates.
Worked example
A full-time freelancer
Priya is a freelance graphic designer. In 2026/27 she invoices £42,000.00 and has £6,000.00 of expenses, so her taxable profit is £36,000.00.
- Personal Allowance: the first £12,570.00 is tax-free.
- Income Tax: 20% on £23,430.00 = £4,686.00.
- Class 4 NI: 6% on £23,430.00 = £1,405.80.
- Total tax and NI: £6,091.80, an effective rate of 16.9%.
- Take-home: £29,908.20, about £2,492.35 a month.
A job plus a side business
Tom earns a salary of £28,000.00 and makes £10,000.00 profit from a weekend photography business. His salary uses up his Personal Allowance, so all of his profit is taxed at 20%: £2,000.00 of extra Income Tax. His profit is below £12,570, so he pays £0.00 Class 4 NI. He keeps £8,000.00 of his side income.
Frequently asked questions
How much tax do I pay when I am self-employed?
You pay Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance on your profit, which is your income minus allowable expenses. In 2026/27, the first £12,570 of income is usually tax-free. Income Tax is 20% up to £50,270, 40% up to £125,140 and 45% above that. Class 4 National Insurance is 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% above.
How much tax will I pay on £20,000 self-employed?
On £20,000 of profit in 2026/27, with no other income, you would pay about £1,486.00 Income Tax and £445.80 Class 4 National Insurance: £1,931.80 in total, leaving £18,068.20. In Scotland the Income Tax would be £1,446.33. Enter your own figures above for an exact estimate.
Do I still have to pay Class 2 National Insurance?
No. If your profits are £7,105 or more, Class 2 is treated as paid, so you still build up your State Pension record without paying it. Below £7,105 you can choose to pay voluntary Class 2 contributions of £3.65 a week.
What is the trading allowance?
The trading allowance lets you deduct a flat £1,000 from your self-employed income instead of your actual expenses. It is worth using if your real expenses are less than £1,000. If your total trading income is £1,000 or less, you usually do not need to tell HMRC about it.
Can I use this calculator if I also have a job?
Yes. Enter your salary as employment income. The calculator works out the Income Tax on your total income, then takes off the tax on your salary alone, which is normally collected through PAYE. What is left is the extra tax caused by your self-employed profit. Class 4 National Insurance is worked out on your profit only.
Does the calculator work for Scotland?
Yes. Choose Scotland under "Where do you live?" and the calculator uses the Scottish Income Tax bands for 2026/27, from the 19% starter rate to the 48% top rate. The Personal Allowance and Class 4 National Insurance are the same across the UK.
Can I pay my Self Assessment tax monthly?
Yes. HMRC's Budget Payment Plan lets you pay weekly or monthly by Direct Debit towards your next bill, as long as you are up to date with your last Self Assessment payments. The "set aside" line in the calculator shows roughly how much to put away each month.