A bonus in the UK is taxed as ordinary employment income — there is no separate bonus tax rate. Your employer adds the bonus to your regular pay and applies Income Tax and National Insurance through the PAYE system. What you actually keep depends on your total income for the year, which tax bands you fall into, and whether your employer applies emergency tax.
This guide explains exactly how bonus tax works, what to expect on your payslip, and — crucially — the legal options to reduce the tax you pay.
The Core Rule: Your Bonus Is Taxed at Your Marginal Rate
There is no separate tax bracket for bonuses. Whatever rate of Income Tax you pay on your salary, you pay the same on your bonus — but only on the portion that falls within each band.
UK Income Tax Bands 2026/27
| Band | Taxable income | Tax rate |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Allowance | Up to £12,570 | 0% |
| Basic rate | £12,571–£50,270 | 20% |
| Higher rate | £50,271–£125,140 | 40% |
| Additional rate | Above £125,140 | 45% |
The personal allowance tapers if your total income (salary + bonus) exceeds £100,000 — see below.
National Insurance on Bonuses
You also pay National Insurance (NI) on your bonus:
| Earnings | Employee NI rate 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Up to £12,570/year | 0% |
| £12,570–£50,270/year | 8% |
| Above £50,270/year | 2% |
Your employer pays 13.8% employer NI on all earnings above £9,100. This does not come out of your pay, but it affects whether employers may offer bonus sacrifice schemes.
How Much of Your Bonus Do You Keep?
Example 1: Basic rate taxpayer
Salary: £35,000. Bonus: £5,000. Total income: £40,000.
The entire bonus falls within the basic rate band (below £50,270).
| Bonus gross | £5,000 |
| Income Tax (20%) | −£1,000 |
| National Insurance (8%) | −£400 |
| Bonus take-home | £3,600 |
You keep 72% of your bonus.
Example 2: Higher rate taxpayer (not near £100k)
Salary: £60,000. Bonus: £10,000. Total income: £70,000.
The entire bonus falls within the higher rate band.
| Bonus gross | £10,000 |
| Income Tax (40%) | −£4,000 |
| National Insurance (2% above £50,270) | −£200 |
| Bonus take-home | £5,800 |
You keep 58% of your bonus.
Example 3: Bonus pushing from basic to higher rate
Salary: £45,000. Bonus: £10,000. Total income: £55,000.
The first £5,270 of the bonus is in the basic rate band (up to £50,270), the remaining £4,730 is in the higher rate band.
| Bonus gross | £10,000 |
| Tax: 20% on £5,270 | −£1,054 |
| Tax: 40% on £4,730 | −£1,892 |
| NI: 8% on £5,270 (still below £50,270) | −£422 |
| NI: 2% on £4,730 (above £50,270) | −£95 |
| Bonus take-home | £6,537 |
You keep 65.4% of your bonus — less than if the bonus had stayed in the basic rate band alone.
Example 4: Bonus pushing income above £100,000
Salary: £95,000. Bonus: £15,000. Total income: £110,000.
This is the most expensive band. Between £100,000 and £110,000, the personal allowance tapers — losing £5,000 of the £12,570 allowance. The effective marginal rate on income between £100,000 and £125,140 is 60%.
| Bonus gross | £15,000 |
| First £5,000 (£95k–£100k): tax at 40% | −£2,000 |
| Next £10,000 (£100k–£110k): effective 60% rate | −£6,000 |
| NI on first £5,000 above current salary (2% — already above £50,270) | −£300 |
| Bonus take-home | ~£6,700 |
You keep approximately 44.7% of your bonus — nearly half disappears in tax.
For this salary range, pension contributions or salary sacrifice of the bonus are particularly valuable. A £10,000 bonus sacrificed into your pension at this marginal rate effectively costs you only about £4,000 in foregone take-home pay but puts £10,000 into your pension.
Why You May See Emergency Tax on Your Bonus
Many people see their bonus taxed more heavily than expected. This happens for two reasons:
Reason 1: Separate bonus payroll
When your employer runs your bonus through a separate payroll run (not alongside your regular salary), the PAYE system may not know your year-to-date income. It may apply:
- Tax code BR: all bonus taxed at 20% flat — incorrect for higher rate taxpayers
- Tax code 0T: all bonus taxed at marginal rate with no personal allowance — usually overtaxes basic rate taxpayers
This is resolved once payroll catches up, or at tax year-end when HMRC reconciles PAYE.
Reason 2: Month 1 or Week 1 basis
If your tax code is applied on a “Month 1” or “Week 1” non-cumulative basis, your payroll calculates tax for each pay period in isolation rather than cumulatively. A large bonus in one month can look like a very high annualised income, resulting in more tax being deducted than necessary.
What to do if you’ve been emergency-taxed
You do not need to take immediate action. HMRC will either:
- Adjust your tax code automatically and refund you in future payslips
- Issue a P800 tax calculation after the tax year showing what you are owed, with instructions to claim the refund online
- Apply the refund to your Self Assessment return if you file one
If you want to speed up a refund, you can contact HMRC or use the claim a tax refund guide.
How to Reduce Tax on Your Bonus
Option 1: Salary sacrifice (bonus sacrifice)
The most effective approach if your employer offers it. You agree to receive the bonus as an employer pension contribution rather than cash. The bonus never appears as income, so:
- No Income Tax is deducted
- No employee National Insurance is deducted (saving 8% or 2%)
- Your employer saves 13.8% employer NI — many employers pass some of this back as an extra pension contribution
- Your adjusted net income falls — protecting personal allowance and Child Benefit
Worked example: Higher rate taxpayer, £10,000 bonus
| Cash bonus | Bonus sacrifice | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross amount | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| Income Tax | −£4,000 | £0 |
| Employee NI (2%) | −£200 | £0 |
| Pension receives | £0 | £10,000 |
| Take-home cash | £5,800 | £0 |
| Total value | £5,800 | £10,000 |
You forgo £5,800 in cash but receive £10,000 in your pension. Pension money is invested tax-efficiently and can be drawn flexibly from age 57 (rising to 58 from 2028).
Check with your employer whether bonus sacrifice is available and whether they offer to add employer NI savings to your pension pot.
See our Salary Sacrifice Guide for the full mechanics.
Option 2: Personal pension contribution
If salary sacrifice is not available, you can still reduce your tax bill by making a personal pension contribution. Unlike salary sacrifice, the bonus is paid to you first (with PAYE deducted), then you contribute to your SIPP or personal pension:
- Basic rate tax relief is added automatically (25% top-up on your contribution)
- Higher rate and additional rate relief is claimed through Self Assessment
- The contribution reduces your adjusted net income, which restores the personal allowance if you were in the £100,000–£125,140 taper zone
Note: You cannot access personal pension funds until age 57 (rising to 58 in 2028).
Option 3: Defer your bonus to the next tax year
If you are close to a tax band threshold, asking your employer to pay the bonus in the next tax year can keep you in the lower band. This only works if the bonus can legitimately be deferred and is not yet owed to you.
Common examples:
- Salary of £49,000 + bonus of £5,000 = £54,000. Deferring £3,730 of the bonus to next April keeps £46,270 in the basic rate band this year.
- Salary of £97,000 + bonus of £10,000 = £107,000. Deferring the entire bonus keeps you out of the personal allowance taper this year.
This requires employer cooperation and should be confirmed in writing before the bonus is legally owed.
Option 4: ISA contributions (indirect benefit)
While ISA contributions do not reduce your tax bill in the year, investing your after-tax bonus in an ISA means future growth and income is tax-free. If you receive a bonus regularly, using the full £20,000 ISA allowance each year shields your investments from future tax.
The HICBC and £100,000 Personal Allowance Interactions
Two specific interactions are worth flagging if your bonus pushes you into these ranges:
High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC)
If your household receives Child Benefit and your income exceeds £60,000, a clawback applies. A bonus that tips you above £60,000 (or £80,000 for full clawback) will increase your HICBC liability.
| Total income | HICBC |
|---|---|
| Below £60,000 | None |
| £60,000–£80,000 | 1% of Child Benefit per £200 above £60,000 |
| Above £80,000 | 100% clawback |
Salary sacrifice of the bonus reduces your adjusted income and can reduce or eliminate the HICBC. See our guide to avoiding the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
Personal allowance taper at £100,000
A bonus pushing your income into the £100,000–£125,140 range triggers the 60% effective marginal rate — the most expensive income band in the UK tax system. Salary sacrifice or pension contributions are particularly valuable here.
See our guide to avoiding the 60% tax trap for full worked examples.
Bonus Tax Quick Reference
| Your total income (incl. bonus) | Effective take-home on bonus | Key issue |
|---|---|---|
| Below £50,270 | ~72% | Basic rate band only |
| £50,271–£60,000 | ~58% | Higher rate on portion above £50,270 |
| £60,001–£80,000 | ~58% + HICBC | Child Benefit clawback begins |
| £80,001–£100,000 | ~58% | Full HICBC applies |
| £100,001–£125,140 | ~40–44% | 60% effective rate + HICBC |
| Above £125,140 | ~53% | 45% + 2% NI on portion above £50,270 |
Checklist Before Your Bonus Is Paid
- Calculate your year-to-date income + bonus total
- Identify which tax bands the bonus will fall into
- Check whether salary sacrifice is available for the bonus
- If total income will exceed £100,000, calculate pension contribution needed to stay below
- If total income will exceed £60,000 and you receive Child Benefit, check HICBC exposure
- If over £100,000 total, confirm you are registered for Self Assessment
- Consider whether deferring part of the bonus to next tax year is viable
Related Guides
- Income Tax UK: Tax Codes, Allowances, PAYE, Scottish Rates and Reliefs
- Salary Sacrifice Guide — how to reduce bonus tax through pension contributions
- How to Avoid the 60% Tax Trap — strategies for £100k+ earners
- High Income Child Benefit Charge Guide — how bonus affects HICBC
- Pension Tax Relief Guide — how pension relief works on bonuses
- How to Claim Tax Back — if you’ve been emergency taxed on a bonus
- Take-Home Pay on £50,000 — understanding your total pay picture
- UK Tax Brackets 2026/27 — full income tax band reference