Tax code 1257L explained
Tax code 1257L explained: it is the standard code for most people with one job or pension, and it gives you a £12,570 tax-free Personal Allowance.
You take home
£2,393a month
- a year
- £28,720
- a week
- £552
- a day
- £111
- Take-home£2,39382%
- Income tax£37413%
- National Insurance£1505%
Amounts are per month. Percentages are of your pay before tax.
Of your next £1,000 you keep £720.
Your breakdown
| Item | Year | Month | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £35,000 | £2,917 | £673 |
| Income tax | -£4,486 | -£374 | -£86 |
| Basic 20% on £22,430 | -£4,486 | -£374 | -£86 |
| National Insurance | -£1,794 | -£150 | -£35 |
| Take-home | £28,720 | £2,393 | £552 |
Tax worked out from code 1257L.
This is an estimate for a standard employee on a cumulative tax code. Your payslip can differ if you have benefits, other income or an emergency tax code.
Tax code (optional)
Leave blank for the standard allowance. Works with codes such as 1257L, BR, D0, K475 and S1257L.
What the numbers and letter mean
The numbers tell your employer how much tax-free income you get in the year. Multiply the number by 10 to read it: 1257 becomes £12,570. The letter L means you get the standard Personal Allowance.
With 1257L and a £30,000 salary, you pay tax on £17,430, which is £3,486 a year.
Common tax code letters
These are the ones people ask about most. HMRC explains the full list on GOV.UK.
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| L | The standard tax-free Personal Allowance. |
| M or N | Marriage Allowance: you received (M) or transferred (N) 10% of the Personal Allowance. |
| BR | All income from this job taxed at the basic rate. Often used for a second job. |
| D0 or D1 | All income taxed at the higher rate (D0) or additional rate (D1). |
| 0T | No Personal Allowance, or your employer lacks your details. |
| K | Untaxed income above your allowance, added to your pay before tax. |
| NT | No tax taken on this income. |
| S or C | Scottish (S) or Welsh (C) tax rates, for example S1257L. |
If your code looks wrong
Your code can change if you have a company benefit, untaxed income, or a second job. A code ending in W1, M1 or X is an emergency code. It taxes you on one pay period at a time and can take too much or too little tax until HMRC sorts it out.
Check your code in your HMRC online account or app. You can enter any common code in the options of the calculator above. Unusual codes are ignored.
Questions people ask
Is 1257L the same everywhere in the UK?
The allowance is the same. In Scotland the code starts with S, and in Wales with C, because the tax rates differ.
What does a K code mean?
You have income that has not been taxed which is more than your allowance. The amount is added to your pay before tax is worked out.
Does 1257L include the tapered allowance?
No. If you earn over £100,000 HMRC may give you a lower number in the code. The calculator handles this for you when you leave the tax code blank.