The £100k cliff

Personal allowance taper: where a “small raise” gets expensive fast.

What happens at £100,000

Above £100,000 adjusted net income, your tax-free personal allowance is reduced by £1 for every £2 you earn over the threshold — until it hits zero around £125,140. That creates an effective marginal rate band that catches people off guard.

Real numbers (England/Wales/NI, 2025/26)

GrossMonthly take-homeTax + NI bite
£100,000£5,713~31%
£105,000£5,871~33%
£110,000£6,030~34%

A £10,000 raise from £100k to £110k adds only about £317/month take-home — not £833. Welcome to taper town.

What people do about it

See your cliff

Nudge the salary from £95k to £105k in the calculator and watch the Tax Bite pie turn redder. Share the card — someone you know is about to discover this the hard way.

Model £105k →

£100k salary page → · Pay rise guide →

Estimates only — not tax advice.