Extra into pension
£3,000.00
Additional gross salary sacrifice per year
Tax workspace
UK Salary Sacrifice Calculator
Compare the extra pension going in against the real take-home cost so you can decide whether salary sacrifice is worth it before you change payroll.
Tax year: 2025-26
Related toolsSalary sacrificeANI calculatorChild Benefit chargePayslip tax toolBrowse all toolsOpen full Tax planner
Using 2025-26 thresholdsModels NI and student loan effectsCompares current pension vs salary sacrifice
Monthly take-home cost
£139.58
£1,675.00 annual cash impact
ANI after sacrifice
£58,750.00
£61,750.00 before sacrifice
Payroll drag saved
£1,325.00
Tax, NI, and student loan avoided vs cash cost
Core income
Employment income that salary sacrifice can reshape
Current setup
Your existing payroll and pension setup
Proposed change
Add an extra gross sacrifice and compare the real cost
Current read
What the sacrifice changes
Current monthly net
£3,858.95
After salary sacrifice
£3,719.37
Effective cost
Putting £3,000.00 extra into pension costs about £1,675.00 of annual take-home.
Next move
£3,000.00 extra into pension for £139.58/month net cost
ANI would move to £58,750.00, with £1,325.00 of payroll drag avoided.
HICBC position after sacrifice
Below the HICBC taper start
Personal allowance taper
Below the personal allowance taper start
Save setup
Save this sacrifice scenario
Carry the salary, bonus, and tax context into the full Tax workspace so you can keep testing thresholds over time.
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Extra pension £3,000.00. Monthly take-home cost £139.58. ANI after sacrifice £58,750.00.
Who this helps
Who this salary sacrifice calculator is for
Use this when you are an employee deciding whether extra pension through payroll is worth it. It is most useful when you want to compare the gross pension increase against the real take-home cost, not just the headline contribution amount.
Why salary sacrifice deserves its own calculator
Salary sacrifice can change more than pension funding. It can alter National Insurance, adjusted net income, and the distance to the main UK taper thresholds, which is why it helps to compare it separately from a normal ANI check or the broader tax planner.
What this helps you decide
Best for payroll-linked pension decisions
Use this when the main question is whether extra pension through payroll is worth the take-home trade-off.
Salary sacrifice is not just a pension top-up
Because salary is reduced before payroll tax, salary sacrifice can change NI and adjusted net income as well as pension funding.
Useful near the main taper lines
It is particularly helpful when you are close to the Child Benefit taper or the personal allowance taper and want a cleaner payroll route.
Move into Seedli when the comparison looks promising
Save the baseline and keep testing salary, bonus, pension, and threshold changes against the same setup inside the full tax planner.
Common questions
What is salary sacrifice?
Salary sacrifice is a payroll arrangement where you give up part of salary and your employer pays that amount into pension instead. That changes taxable pay, National Insurance, and adjusted net income.
Does salary sacrifice reduce ANI?
Yes, in most normal payroll arrangements. Because salary is reduced before tax, the lower contractual pay can reduce adjusted net income.
Is salary sacrifice the same as paying into a private pension?
No. A private pension contribution can still reduce ANI, but salary sacrifice usually also reduces employee National Insurance because the pay is reduced before payroll taxes are calculated.
When is salary sacrifice worth checking?
It is most useful when you are close to the Child Benefit taper, the personal allowance taper, or you want more pension funding for a lower take-home cost.
Related calculators
Related calculators in the same tax cluster
Adjusted Net Income calculator
Use the ANI calculator when the first question is threshold position rather than payroll mechanics.
Child Benefit tax charge calculator
Use the Child Benefit calculator when salary sacrifice is only interesting because the household is already inside the HICBC taper.
Tax and payslip planner
Open the broader tax planner when you want the salary-sacrifice result carried into a full PAYE and liability view.
Save this setup in Seedli
Save the payroll comparison and continue into Seedli
Seedli keeps the salary, bonus, and pension context so you can test more sacrifice levels and see how they interact with the rest of the tax plan.
Create free account to saveUseful guides
Related reading around salary sacrifice and ANI
Use these when route choice, student loan drag, or a nearby ANI threshold is part of the same decision.
£100k tax trap calculator
See how far ANI is above £100,000, how much Personal Allowance is at risk, and which reductions would clear the taper.
Gift Aid tax relief calculator
Check the grossed-up donation effect and why Gift Aid can be useful near Child Benefit or Personal Allowance thresholds.
Opt out of Child Benefit or keep claiming?
Understand the trade-off between receiving the payment, paying the charge, and keeping National Insurance credits in the household.
Salary sacrifice vs private pension calculator
Compare two common pension funding routes and see why the take-home cost can differ even when ANI does not.
Pension contribution calculator UK
Check how extra pension funding changes ANI, take-home, and the distance to HICBC or the £100k taper.
Student loan repayment calculator UK
See how plan thresholds affect take-home and why student loan changes matter when testing salary sacrifice or pay rises.
Salary sacrifice vs SIPP vs relief at source
Compare the main pension funding routes when ANI, NI, and payroll efficiency all matter at once.