Calculate your tax and take-home pay when working two jobs
See your combined take-home pay
No. Income tax in the UK is based on your total earnings across all jobs, not the number of jobs you have. If you earn £80,000 from one job or £40,000 from two jobs, your total income tax bill is the same once HMRC reconciles your PAYE records.
This usually happens because your personal allowance is only applied once, your second job may use a BR or D0 tax code, and PAYE deductions during the year are estimates. HMRC corrects this automatically after the tax year ends and any overpaid tax is refunded.
Often, yes. National Insurance is calculated separately for each job. With two jobs, you pay NI above the threshold in both jobs and may never reach the lower 2% NI rate that applies to higher earnings in a single job.
From a take-home pay perspective, usually yes. Income tax is the same overall, but National Insurance is typically higher with two jobs. In most cases, two £40k jobs result in £700–£900 less net income per year compared to one £80k job.
Yes. You can ask HMRC to divide your personal allowance between jobs so tax deductions are more even during the year. This does not change your total tax bill but can improve monthly cash flow.
Yes. If you've paid too much tax, HMRC issues a P800 tax calculation and you'll receive a refund automatically or can claim it online.
Only if your total income crosses a tax threshold. It's the combined income, not the second job alone, that matters.
No. Part-time and full-time jobs are treated the same for tax purposes. HMRC looks only at total earnings, tax codes applied, and NI per employment.
Usually one job gets your personal allowance and the second job uses BR, D0, or D1. If your tax code looks wrong, you can update it through HMRC Online Services.
Yes. If you have one PAYE job and self-employment income, PAYE tax is deducted at source and self-employed tax and NI are calculated via Self Assessment. Your total income still determines your tax bands.
Legal ways include pension contributions, adjusting tax codes, claiming allowable expenses, and using personal allowance efficiently.