Wales Salary Calculator

Wales tax rates for 2025/26

Wales uses the UK-wide Income Tax bands (on taxable income, after £12,570 Personal Allowance):

• Basic rate (20%): first £37,700 of taxable income
• Higher rate (40%): £37,701 – £112,570
• Additional rate (45%): over £125,140

The £12,570 Personal Allowance is tapered by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000, disappearing entirely at £125,140.

National Insurance Contributions

Class 1 Primary (employee) NI for 2025/26:

• Primary Threshold: £12,570 per year (£242/week)
• Main rate: 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270
• Upper rate: 2% on earnings above £50,270

Your employer also pays a separate Class 1 Secondary NI contribution (13.8%) that does not appear on your payslip.

Wales salary and economy snapshot (2024)

To put your take-home pay in context, here is what wages look like across Wales, drawn from the ONS ASHE 2024. The full-time median in Wales is approximately £32,510 per year, with median household income at £31,500.

Take-home benchmark: a worker earning £32,500 (Wales median full-time) typically nets ~£26,200/year after UK Income Tax + NI. Use the calculator above for your exact figure.

Sectors driving employment

• Public sector (NHS Wales)
• Manufacturing
• Tourism

Largest employers in Wales

Some of the major employers shaping the Wales job market include NHS Wales, Welsh Government, Tata Steel, and Admiral Group. These organizations set wage benchmarks that ripple across the regional labor market.

Cost of living note

Wales has the lowest median earnings in Great Britain but housing costs ~25% below England average — net cost of living is similar to NW England.

Source: ONS ASHE 2024. Figures are pre-tax unless stated; cost-of-living comparisons use national averages.