Gross to Net
Where every pound of your salary actually goes.
Sources of income
The narrator

The job offer says "£32,000 a year". That number is called your gross pay. Almost none of it lands in your bank account. The amount that actually does is called your net pay, or take-home pay. The gap between them is bigger than most people guess. We'll walk through it, deduction by deduction, until you know exactly where every pound goes.

What you'll do

  • Pick a salary, or use one of three preset jobs.
  • Decide if there's a student loan to repay.
  • Click through the deductions, one at a time, on a real-looking payslip.
  • See your final take-home pay, and what share of the gross it actually is.
5Deductions
~5Minutes
2026Tax year

Why this matters

The most common shock when people start working is the size of the gap between gross and net. A £30,000 salary doesn't put £30,000 in your bank account. It puts something closer to £24,000. Knowing exactly how this works is the first piece of financial literacy that every adult needs. And it's something the exam tests directly.

Set up the payslip
Pick a salary, then choose whether there's a student loan.
£ per year

Other circumstances

They have a student loan (Plan 2) Most graduates of UK universities from 2012 onwards have Plan 2. Repayments are 9% on income above £27,295.
They're paying into a workplace pension (5%) This is the standard auto-enrolment contribution. Most employees pay this by default.
Your payslip
Each step reveals one deduction.
Payslip
Tax year 2026/27 · monthly
Gross pay this year
£0
Take home this year (so far)
£0
That's £0 a month landing in your bank account