Tax Code Checker UK 2026/27
Got a tax code on your payslip and not sure what it means? Enter it below and we'll explain it in plain English — including what personal allowance you're getting and whether it looks right. Use this tax code checker to see what your tax code means, how much tax-free income it gives you, and whether it looks right for your situation.
- Enter your tax code from your payslip (e.g. 1257L, BR, K497).
- Enter your salary to estimate your tax.
- We'll explain what your code means and flag anything unusual.
Enter a tax code above to see the explanation.
Your tax code tells your employer how much tax-free income you are entitled to each year. Get it wrong and you either overpay (HMRC owes you money) or underpay (you get a bill later). This checker explains what your code means, what allowance it represents, and whether it looks right for your situation.
How to read your tax code
Most tax codes are numbers followed by a letter. The number is your personal allowance divided by 10 — so 1257L means £12,570 of tax-free income, the standard for most people. The letter tells you about your situation:
- L — standard personal allowance
- M — you receive 10% of a partner's allowance (Marriage Allowance)
- N — you transfer 10% to a partner
- T — other calculations are included
- S — Scottish rates apply; C — Welsh rates
Emergency and special codes
BR taxes all your income at basic rate, with no allowance — used for second jobs. 0T also gives no allowance, common when HMRC has not received your details. D0 taxes everything at higher rate; D1 at additional rate. W1/M1 means "non-cumulative", so each period is taxed in isolation — this often causes temporary over- or under-payment.
If your code looks wrong
Check your payslip against your expected allowance. Common causes of wrong codes include changing jobs, company benefits, untaxed interest or a previous underpayment. You can view and correct your code in your HMRC personal tax account, and any overpayment is usually refunded automatically once corrected.
Check your code above, then see the take-home impact with the take-home pay calculator.