Tax code checker 2026/27

Type the tax code from your payslip and see what each letter and number means, whether it looks right, and how it changes your pay.

Your tax code

Find it on your payslip, P45, P60 or in the HMRC app

Try a common code

1257LS1257LC1257LBR0TD0K4751257L W11383M1131NNT

What S1257L M1 means

S1257LM1

ScotlandYou pay Scottish income tax rates (six bands, from 19% to 48%).

1257

£12,570 tax-freeThe code number times 10: the pay this code lets you have tax-free over a year, spread evenly across your paydays.

Standard allowanceYou get the normal Personal Allowance, with no adjustments.

Emergency basisWorked out month by month, ignoring earlier pay this tax year. Usually temporary after a job change.

An emergency code can mean too much or too little tax. Once your employer gets your details from HMRC it should switch back to S1257L and correct the difference. What to do

Reference

Tax code letters and what they mean

Code	Meaning
L	Standard tax-free Personal Allowance
M	Marriage Allowance: you receive 10% of your partner’s allowance
N	Marriage Allowance: you transfer 10% to your partner
T	Other items HMRC needs to review
0T	No Personal Allowance, often a new job without details
BR	All income taxed at the basic rate, often a second job
D0 / D1	All income taxed at the higher / additional rate
K	Untaxed income is more than your allowance; add the amount
NT	No tax taken
S / C prefix	Scottish / Welsh income tax rates
W1, M1, X	Emergency (non-cumulative) basis

Rules v2026.18 · checked against GOV.UK on 18 September 2026Two independent checks on every rate · 393 of 418 hand-verified cases, all passing, beside 43,041 generated · How we calculate · Changelog

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Questions

Common questions

What is the normal tax code for 2026/27?

1257L, or S1257L in Scotland and C1257L in Wales. It means you get the standard £12,570 tax-free Personal Allowance.

Why has my tax code changed?

SourcesTax codes: what your tax code means — GOV.UK