What is a £120,000 salary per hour in the UK?
A £120,000 salary is £57.69 per hour before tax on the standard assumption of 40 paid hours a week over 52 weeks. After standard 2026/27 Income Tax and employee National Insurance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, that is roughly £36.61 per hour take-home.
The result is a useful benchmark, not a personal tax calculation. Pension contributions, salary sacrifice, student loans, Scottish income tax, benefits in kind and tax-code changes can all move the final figure.
The quick calculation
The gross hourly calculation is simple: £120,000 ÷ 2,080 hours = £57.69. The 2,080-hour figure comes from 40 hours a week multiplied by 52 weeks. If your contracted week is 37.5 hours, 35 hours or includes regular unpaid overtime, the hourly figure changes, so use the calculator above to model your actual pattern.
After-tax hourly pay
For the full annual, monthly and weekly net-pay view, see the dedicated £120k after tax UK breakdown.
Using the assumptions on this page, estimated annual take-home pay is about £76,157, or £36.61 per paid hour. That estimate uses the 2026/27 Income Tax bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Personal Allowance taper above £100,000, and employee National Insurance at 8% in the main band and 2% above it.
What this salary means in context
By £120,000, most of the standard Personal Allowance has been withdrawn. The gross hourly figure still looks simple, but the take-home hourly rate is pulled down by higher-rate tax, employee National Insurance and the allowance taper.
This salary is still below the additional-rate threshold of £125,140, but only narrowly. Bonuses, taxable benefits or other income can move the top slice into the additional-rate band.
How to use this figure well
- Use the gross hourly rate to compare job adverts and offers on a like-for-like basis.
- Use the net hourly estimate for budgeting, because it reflects tax and employee National Insurance.
- Check the result again if your pension, student loan, bonus, benefits or working hours change.
- For a more realistic view of work value, compare salary with commute time, unpaid overtime and work-related costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much is £120,000 a year per hour?
£120,000 a year is £57.69 per hour before tax if you work 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. That uses 2,080 paid hours a year.
What is £120,000 after tax per hour?
On the standard 2026/27 assumptions used here, £120,000 is about £36.61 per hour after Income Tax and employee National Insurance. Your own result may differ if you have pension contributions, student loan repayments, a different tax code or Scottish income tax.
Am I close to the additional-rate tax band at £120,000?
Yes. The additional rate of 45% applies above £125,140 for 2026/27. At £120,000 most of your Personal Allowance has been withdrawn, and a relatively small bonus or benefit could tip the top slice of your income into the 45% band.
Is £120,000 in the additional-rate tax band?
Not on salary alone under the standard 2026/27 England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands. Additional-rate tax starts above £125,140, but bonuses or other taxable income can change the position.
| Primary source | How PayPrecise uses it | Link |
|---|---|---|
| GOV.UK Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances | Used for the standard Personal Allowance and main UK tax bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. | View source |
| GOV.UK employer rates and thresholds 2026 to 2027 | Used for employee National Insurance thresholds and rates in the 2026/27 tax year. | View source |
| GOV.UK National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates | Used when comparing hourly salary figures with the legal hourly wage floor from April 2026. | View source |
| ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 | Used for UK earnings context, including full-time median annual and hourly earnings. | View source |
Assumptions: 2026/27 tax year, England/Wales/Northern Ireland tax bands, standard employee National Insurance, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, no pension contributions, no salary sacrifice, no student loan and no other deductions. Calculator outputs remain illustrative because tax codes, benefits, pensions and local circumstances vary.