What do you keep?

A £1,000 pay rise sounds simple. Guess how much of it reaches your bank account.

Round1 of 10

Score0

Streak0

1. Round 1
2. Round 2
3. Round 3
4. Round 4
5. Round 5
6. Round 6
7. Round 7
8. Round 8
9. Round 9
10. Round 10

Gross salary now

A £1,000 a year pay rise. How much more reaches your take-home over a full year?

Calculators

• Pay rise

  Enter your salary and your new salary, or the rise in pounds or as a percentage, to see how much more you take home a year and a month in 2026/27.

  ›

Money games

• Guess the take-home

  See a salary. Guess what lands in the bank each month.

  10 rounds›

• Which pays more?

  Two jobs: tap the one that takes home more.

  10 rounds›

This game uses annual 2026/27 Income Tax and employee National Insurance, with a Plan 2 student loan in some rounds and no pension deductions. A real payslip can differ because of pay periods, allowances and other deductions.

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How to play

Each round shows a gross salary and a £1,000 annual pay rise. Choose the amount of extra take-home pay you think remains over a full year. Salaries and tax nations change between rounds, and some rounds include a Plan 2 student loan. Every game has one salary in the band where the Personal Allowance is withdrawn, which is where a rise is worth least. The score and streak update as you go.

About the figures

The game uses the 2026/27 Income Tax and employee National Insurance rules for one full-time salary. Rounds marked with a Plan 2 student loan also take off the loan repayment. The game leaves out pension contributions, overtime and allowances. Scottish Income Tax bands differ, so some rounds use Scotland. This is a learning game, not a payslip forecast.

The pay rise calculator includes optional pension and student-loan deductions. For the full breakdown on one salary, use the take-home pay calculator. Try Guess the gross or Where does the money go? next.