Tax planner
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.
Guided payroll read
Compare sacrifice, take-home, and ANI in one pass.
Start with normal pay, confirm the pension setup you already have, then choose the extra sacrifice to test. Seedli keeps the net cost and threshold effect together.
Income
Step 1
What is the pay being tested?
Use annual salary if you know it, or match the cadence on the payslip or offer letter.
Baseline
Step 2
What pension setup exists now?
This prevents salary sacrifice from being compared against the wrong pay setup.
Scenario
Step 3
How much extra would you sacrifice?
Pick a quick level or enter the annual gross amount you want routed into pension.
Live payroll trade-off
Compare pension added against take-home given up
Seedli reads the current payroll setup, proposed sacrifice, student loan, and ANI thresholds together so the saved draft can become a full tax scenario.
Extra into pension
£3,000.00
Monthly take-home cost: £139.58
Based on the draft values on this page.
Current monthly net
£3,858.95
Before the proposed sacrifice
After sacrifice
£3,719.37
£139.58/mo take-home cost
ANI after
£58,750.00
£61,750.00 before sacrifice
Payroll drag saved
£1,325.00
Tax, NI, and student loan avoided
What this means
Effective cost
£3,000.00 extra pension costs £1,675.00 take-home
The useful read is not just the pension top-up, but how much take-home you give up after tax, NI, and student loan effects.
HICBC position
Below the HICBC taper start
Use this when the pension change is mainly about pulling adjusted net income below the Child Benefit taper line.
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.
Comparison read
What the sacrifice changes from this pay setup
The guided setup above feeds this summary. Save it when the net cost feels worth keeping, then test month-by-month targets inside the Tax planner.
Annual sacrifice
£3,000.00
Gross amount routed to pension.
Net cost
£139.58/mo
Estimated monthly take-home reduction.
ANI after move
£58,750.00
Used for HICBC and taper checks.
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 this sacrifice route
Keep this sacrifice comparison
Save the current pay, pension method, loan plan, and proposed sacrifice so you can test more levels without rebuilding the setup.
Net cost
£139.58/mo
Take-home, NI, student loan, and ANI stay tied to the same pay setup.
What saving unlocks
Keep the payroll trade-off and compare a few contribution levels.
Compare a few sacrifice levels before changing payroll, including NI, student loan, take-home, and ANI impact.
Keep this result
Save the editable version, or email yourself the read first.
No account needed for the email summary.
Save or share this payroll comparison
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
Why salary sacrifice deserves its own calculator
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 result and keep testing salary, bonus, pension, and threshold changes 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
Useful 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.
Keep this sacrifice comparison
£3,000.00 extra pension, £139.58/month cost