How much do you keep with two jobs?
Put in what each job pays and we'll show what each payslip takes, and what you might still owe at the end of the year, for 2026/27.
Across both jobs you take home about£3,815a month once your tax is settled
- On your payslips, a month
- £3,977
- Tax gap for the year
- £1,946
- National Insurance saved
- £422
| Main job | Second job | Together | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay before tax | £40,000 | £20,000 | £60,000 |
| Income tax | £5,486 | £4,000 | £9,486 |
| National Insurance | £2,194 | £594 | £2,789 |
| Take-home on your payslips | £32,320 | £15,406 | £47,725 |
Payroll is likely to under-collect £1,946 of income tax. Your allowance is used on the bigger job and the second job is taxed at a flat rate, but together your pay reaches a higher tax band. HMRC usually fixes that by changing your tax code or asking you for the difference, so it's worth setting some money aside. Once it's settled, your take-home would be about £45,779 a year, £3,815 a month.
Because National Insurance is worked out on each job separately, you pay £422 less than you would on a single job paying the same total.
How two jobs are taxed
You only get one Personal Allowance, and it normally goes to your main job. Your second job is usually put on tax code BR, which means all of its pay is taxed at 20%. That's fine while your total pay stays in the basic-rate band. Once the two jobs together go above about £50,270, part of your pay should be taxed at 40%, but the second job's payroll doesn't know about your main job's pay, so it can't do that. The gap is collected later.
National Insurance works the other way round. It's worked out on each job on its own, so you get the £12,570 starting point twice. On £30,000 plus £10,000 that saves £800.00 compared with one £40,000 job.
Common questions
How is a second job taxed in the UK?
Your Personal Allowance goes to your main job (tax code 1257L). A second job is usually on tax code BR, so all of its pay is taxed at the basic rate of 20% with no allowance. For example, with a £40,000 main job and £20,000 second job, payroll takes £9,486.00 in income tax in 2026/27, but the tax actually due on £60,000 is £11,432.00.
Do I pay National Insurance on both jobs?
Yes. National Insurance is worked out separately for each job, so each job gets its own £12,570 a year before it starts. That's why two jobs of £40,000 and £20,000 pay £421.80 less National Insurance than one £60,000 job.
Will I owe tax at the end of the year with two jobs?
It depends on your total pay. If it stays within the 20% band (up to about £50,270), the tax codes get it right, as with £30,000 plus £10,000. If your total goes into the 40% band, as with £40,000 plus £20,000, payroll under-collects, here by £1,946.00, and HMRC usually collects the rest through your tax code or a bill.
How are student loans taken with two jobs?
Repayments are worked out on each job separately, and only on the pay above your plan's threshold from that job, not on your combined income. If you file a Self Assessment return, HMRC works out your repayments on your whole-year income and takes off what you've already paid.
Rates checked 17 October 2026. Sources:Multiple jobs (GOV.UK Tax Confident),What you pay: student loans (GOV.UK) and thetax and National Insurance pages we use for everything else. The tax gap is an estimate: HMRC can adjust codes during the year, and you can ask them to share your allowance between jobs. This is general information, not tax advice.