Tax Code Checker
Enter the tax code from your payslip or HMRC letter and see what it means, how much tax-free pay it gives you and whether it looks right for 2026/27.
Suppose your code is 1383M and you earn £35,000 a year in England:
- The number 1383 × 10 gives £13,830 of tax-free pay
- The M means you have received Marriage Allowance, which is £1,260 more than the standard £12,570
- Taxable pay is £35,000 − £13,830 = £21,170
- Tax at 20% comes to £4,234 a year, or about £353 a month
With the standard 1257L the same salary would pay £4,486, so the extra allowance saves £252 a year.
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1257L | Standard Personal Allowance of £12,570 |
| 1383M | Standard allowance plus £1,260 received through Marriage Allowance |
| 1131N | Standard allowance less £1,260 transferred to a partner |
| BR | All pay taxed at the basic rate of 20%, no allowance given |
| D0 / D1 | All pay taxed at 40% / 45% |
| 0T | No allowance, tax worked out from the first pound |
| K497 | £4,970 is added to your pay before tax is worked out |
| NT | No tax is taken from this income |
| S1257L | Standard allowance, taxed under the Scottish rates |
| C1257L | Standard allowance for a Welsh taxpayer |
Codes can also change because of company benefits, a state pension, underpaid tax from an earlier year, or income above £100,000, where the Personal Allowance starts to fall.
What is the standard tax code for 2026/27?
The standard tax code for 2026/27 is 1257L in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It matches the £12,570 Personal Allowance. Scottish taxpayers get S1257L and Welsh taxpayers can see C1257L. The Personal Allowance is frozen at £12,570, so the standard code has stayed the same for several years.
How do I work out my tax-free pay from my tax code?
Multiply the number in your code by 10 and add up to 9. A code of 1257L gives £12,570 of tax-free pay a year. The final digit is dropped when HMRC creates a code, which is why the amount is shown as a range of £10 rather than an exact figure.
What does the L in 1257L mean?
L means you are entitled to the standard tax-free Personal Allowance. The other common letters are M (you have received Marriage Allowance from your partner), N (you have transferred Marriage Allowance to your partner) and T (your code includes other calculations, for example if your income is over £100,000).
What does a K tax code mean?
A K code means you have more untaxed income or benefits than your Personal Allowance, so there is no tax-free pay to give you. Instead the amount is added to your taxable pay. A code of K497 adds £4,970 to your pay before tax is worked out. Company car benefits, unpaid tax from an earlier year and untaxed income can all cause a K code.
What do BR, D0, D1 and 0T mean?
BR taxes all of your pay from that job at the basic rate (20%). D0 taxes it at the higher rate (40%) and D1 at the additional rate (45%). 0T gives you no tax-free allowance at all, so tax is worked out from the first pound using the normal bands. These are often used for a second job or pension, where your Personal Allowance is already being used elsewhere.
What do W1, M1 and X mean after my tax code?
W1, M1 and X mean your code is being used on a non-cumulative or emergency basis. Each pay period is taxed on its own, without adding up your earnings across the year. It is usually a temporary code used when you start a new job before HMRC has your details. Once HMRC sends your proper code, you should be refunded any overpaid tax.
My tax code is wrong. What should I do?
Check your tax code notice or your personal tax account on GOV.UK, then tell HMRC about anything that has changed, such as a new job, a company benefit or income from savings. You can update your details online or by phone. If you have paid too much tax, HMRC will refund it, and if too little, it will usually collect the difference through a later code.
Sources: GOV.UK: What your tax code means and Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances.