£8 an hour after tax 2026/27
£8 an hour over a 37.5-hour week is £15,600 a year, which takes home £14,752.08 a year, or £1,229.34 a month, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. You pay £606.00 income tax and £241.92 National Insurance.You take home £1,229.34 a month at £8 an hour over a 37.5-hour week.
Where £8 an hour goes
| Year | Month | Week | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £15,600.00 | £1,300.00 | £300.00 |
| Income tax | −£606.00 | −£50.50 | −£11.65 |
| National Insurance | −£241.92 | −£20.16 | −£4.65 |
| Take-home pay | £14,752.08 | £1,229.34 | £283.69 |
What a pay rise is worth at £8 an hourA pay rise at £8 an hour
£8 an hour after tax in ScotlandIn Scotland
At £15,600 the Scottish 19% starter band on the first £3,030.00 of taxable pay is the only difference, so you pay £30.30 less income tax than in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
With a student loan
| Plan | Repaid a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £0.00 | £1,229.34 |
| Plan 2 | £0.00 | £1,229.34 |
| Plan 4 | £0.00 | £1,229.34 |
| Plan 5 | £0.00 | £1,229.34 |
| Postgraduate Loan | £0.00 | £1,229.34 |
Paying into a pension by salary sacrifice
| You sacrifice | Into your pension | Cost to take-home | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3% | £468.00 | £336.96 | £1,201.26 |
| 5% | £780.00 | £561.60 | £1,182.54 |
| 8% | £1,248.00 | £898.56 | £1,154.46 |
Every £1 you sacrifice costs you 72p in take-home pay, because you save 20% tax and 8% NI.
The median full-time salary was £39,039 in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
Your salary plus £1,590.00 employer NI at 15% above £5,000, before any employer pension.
What £8 an hour took home in earlier years
The same £8 an hour now takes home more a year than in 2010/11. None of these figures is adjusted for inflation.
The sum, step by step
Questions about £8 an hour
How much is £8 an hour after tax a month?
£1,229.34 a month in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or £1,231.87 in Scotland, over a 37.5-hour week with tax code 1257L and no student loan or pension.
What is £8 an hour a year?
£15,600 a year before tax over a 37.5-hour week for every week of the year, which takes home £14,752.08 after income tax and National Insurance. Working fewer hours means a smaller yearly figure and, below the thresholds, less tax with it.
What is £8 an hour a week after tax?
A 37.5-hour week at £8 an hour is £300.00 before tax and £283.69 after income tax and National Insurance, spread evenly across the year. £7.57 of every hour reaches you.
Is £8 an hour a good wage in the UK?
That depends on where you live and what you spend, which is yours to judge. What we can tell you is that £8 an hour over a 37.5-hour week comes to £15,600 a year, which is below the UK median full-time salary of £39,039 for April 2025, and leaves about £1,229 a month in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — £1,229.34 to the penny.