PayBreakdown

Pro-rata pay calculator

Estimate take-home pay when a full-time salary is adjusted for part-time hours, a pro-rata contract, or a temporary drop in pay.

How pro-rata pay is worked out

Compare a full-time salary with a reduced-hours or reduced-pay version. This is useful when checking part-time offers, returning to work, or modelling temporary pay changes.

A worked example

On £35,000 a year with a standard 2026/27 tax code, no pension, no student loan, the figures work out like this. Open a calculator to put your own numbers in.

Gross salary£35,000
Take-home a year£28,720
Take-home a month£2,393
Take-home a week£552

Checks worth making on pro-rata pay

Assumptions used here

Assumptions used here
Tax/source year2026/27
RegionEngland/Wales/Northern Ireland
Tax code basis1257L where the page uses PAYE defaults
Pension basisNo pension deduction unless this example says otherwise
Student loan basisNo student loan unless selected in this example

Where pay can go

Where pay can go
Gross payEmployment pay before PAYE deductions and pension or loan settings.
Income TaxTax estimated from the selected tax-year, region, tax code and taxable-pay assumptions.
National InsuranceEmployee NI is calculated separately from Income Tax and may not follow the same bands.
Pension and loansPension method and student-loan plan can change take-home pay and payslip comparisons.

What changes this result

What changes this result
Pension contributionChanging the rate or method can change taxable income, National Insurance and take-home pay.
Tax code and regionScottish Income Tax, Welsh codes, emergency tax or a non-standard tax code can move the result.
Student loan planA different plan can change deductions because each plan uses its own threshold and repayment rate.
Bonus, overtime or second jobExtra pay and payroll timing can make a real payslip differ from the smooth annual estimate.

Why a payslip can differ

Why a payslip can differ
Tax codeHMRC tax-code changes, K codes, BR/D codes, or emergency markers can change PAYE deductions.
Cumulative basisWeek 1, Month 1 or non-cumulative payroll can differ from a smooth annual calculator estimate.
Pension methodRelief at source, net pay and salary sacrifice can affect taxable pay and take-home pay differently.
Payroll timingBonus, overtime, arrears, refunds, cut-off dates and corrections can all move a single payslip.

Source and methodology context

Source and methodology context
What is not decided herePayBreakdown does not decide payroll correctness, lender approval, benefit entitlement or employer compliance, and does not give regulated financial, mortgage, debt, tax, payroll or legal advice.

What the pro-rata pay estimate assumes

The figures on this page are worked from pro-rata pay, using the values below. Open the calculator if your example salary differs.

Example salary£35,000 annual gross

What would change this figure

This estimate is worked out on £35,000 annual gross. Change any of those and the take-home figure moves; pension method and student loan plan usually move it most. A payslip can differ from any calculator because payroll works pay period by pay period, so a tax-code change, a bonus, arrears or a refund can land in one month and not the next. See how each deduction is worked out.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as the old government furlough scheme?

No. The tool is a reduced-pay and pro-rata planning model. It can model furlough-style pay reductions, but it is not a current government support checker.

What inputs matter most for a pro-rata estimate?

The full-time salary, full-time hours, actual hours, and selected tax, pension, and student loan assumptions all affect the estimated take-home pay.

Last updated 2026-08-27. Checked by Sean Elsmore. Rates last checked against GOV.UK on 2026-08-07. Estimates are for planning and should be checked against official records where the decision matters.