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How much exactly will I get (£100k tax trap)?
7sefton
Posts: 655 Forumite
in Cutting tax
Hello
I understand the principle of the tax trap above £100k but struggling with the maths.
I understand the principle of the tax trap above £100k but struggling with the maths.
I earn exactly £100k. If I get a 15% bonus (£15k) and choose to just receive it in my salary, what will I actually get in pounds and pence?
thanks!
thanks!
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If you have absolutely no other income, £100k is your taxable salary and there are other mechanisms to reduce your adjusted net income such as pension contributions or charitable giving, the £15000 bonus will result in additional tax payable of £9000 and NI of £300.7sefton said:Hello
I understand the principle of the tax trap above £100k but struggling with the maths.I earn exactly £100k. If I get a 15% bonus (£15k) and choose to just receive it in my salary, what will I actually get in pounds and pence?
thanks!I assume you are not resident in Scotland.0 -
You will be totally shafted with tax at 62% on the extra above 100k unless you divert it into pension or otherwise reduce your NAI.
@Dazed_and_C0nfused is the master of this subject.1 -
The penalty for tripping over the £100k is even more severe if it results in the loss of tax free childcare. The OP has not indicated whether that is a concern for them or not.0
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You'll keep 38% of it, so you'll get 5,700 pounds and zero pence.
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This site (http://salarytools.co.uk) is also handy for viewing tax bands for UK and Scottish residents. If you have a play with the salary slider, you can see how moving over £100k in income begins to shrink the 0% band and extend the 40% band which combined has the effect of the 62% tax trap often referenced.
Concretely in your example:
- £15,000 earned over £100,000 has the effect of reducing your personal allowance by £7,500.
- This £7,500 is now taxed at 40% instead of 0% (£3,000 tax deducted)
- The £15,000 you’ve earned is also taxed at your marginal rate (40%) (£6,000 tax deduction).
- Therefore an increase in salary of £15,000 over the £100,000 threshold increases your tax liabilities by £9,000, ignoring National Insurance and other benefit losses.
You’d do well to consider Pension Contributions at this point as a means of avoiding this problem.Save £12k in 2023 #51 - £20,411.96 / £15k (136.08%)
Save £12k in 2024 #24 - £19,331.23 / £20k (96.66%)
Save £12k in 2025 #53 - £24,512.40 / £20k (122.56%)
I built a new salary tool to help explain deductions and visualise tax brackets. Try it here: salarytools.co.uk1 -
.... and this is why highly paid and skilled people are reducing their hours to avoid paying these absurd marginal rates of tax. How NOT to grow the economy.1
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If the 15k went straight into pension, there is no issue then?steves_uk said:This site (http://salarytools.co.uk) is also handy for viewing tax bands for UK and Scottish residents. If you have a play with the salary slider, you can see how moving over £100k in income begins to shrink the 0% band and extend the 40% band which combined has the effect of the 62% tax trap often referenced.
Concretely in your example:
- £15,000 earned over £100,000 has the effect of reducing your personal allowance by £7,500.
- This £7,500 is now taxed at 40% instead of 0% (£3,000 tax deducted)
- The £15,000 you’ve earned is also taxed at your marginal rate (40%) (£6,000 tax deduction).
- Therefore an increase in salary of £15,000 over the £100,000 threshold increases your tax liabilities by £9,000, ignoring National Insurance and other benefit losses.
You’d do well to consider Pension Contributions at this point as a means of avoiding this problem.0 -
You would have to remember if has used part of your annual allowance limit.sultan123 said:
If the 15k went straight into pension, there is no issue then?steves_uk said:This site (http://salarytools.co.uk) is also handy for viewing tax bands for UK and Scottish residents. If you have a play with the salary slider, you can see how moving over £100k in income begins to shrink the 0% band and extend the 40% band which combined has the effect of the 62% tax trap often referenced.
Concretely in your example:
- £15,000 earned over £100,000 has the effect of reducing your personal allowance by £7,500.
- This £7,500 is now taxed at 40% instead of 0% (£3,000 tax deducted)
- The £15,000 you’ve earned is also taxed at your marginal rate (40%) (£6,000 tax deduction).
- Therefore an increase in salary of £15,000 over the £100,000 threshold increases your tax liabilities by £9,000, ignoring National Insurance and other benefit losses.
You’d do well to consider Pension Contributions at this point as a means of avoiding this problem.0 -
Is the £100k before any pension contributions and if so, are any of those salary sacrifice?0
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