UK tax codes explained

Your tax code tells your employer how much of your pay to leave untaxed. Pick yours below for a plain-English explanation and a calculator that shows your take-home — or decode any code on the tax code checker.

1257L

1257L is the standard UK tax code for 2026/27 — £12,570 of tax-free pay. See what it means and check your take-home.
BR

BR taxes all of this income at the basic 20% rate with no tax-free allowance — common on a second job. Check what it costs you.
0T

0T gives no tax-free allowance and taxes income through the normal bands — often a temporary or emergency situation. See the impact.
D0

D0 taxes all of this income at the higher 40% rate. Usually a second job for a higher-rate earner. See what you keep.
D1

D1 taxes all of this income at the additional 45% rate — for additional-rate earners with a second income. See the take-home.
NT

NT means no tax is taken from this income at all. Rare and specific. See what NT does to your take-home.
K475

A K code adds to your taxable pay instead of giving an allowance — for benefits or tax owed. See how a K code works (example K475).
1257L M1

1257L W1/M1 is an emergency code — the £12,570 allowance, but applied non-cumulatively. See what it means for your pay.
1383M

1383M means you’ve received Marriage Allowance from your partner — an extra £1,260 tax-free. See the saving.
1131N

1131N means you’ve given Marriage Allowance to your partner — £1,260 less tax-free pay. See the effect.
S1257L

The “S” means you pay Scottish Income Tax. S1257L is the standard Scottish code — £12,570 tax-free. See your take-home.
C1257L

The “C” means you pay Welsh Income Tax. C1257L is the standard Welsh code — £12,570 tax-free. See your take-home.