Key facts at a glance
£90,000 UK, net
£62,757/yr
£5,230/month, 69.7% retained
Equivalent BRL gross
R$616,500
£1 = R$6.85 (early August 2026)
BR net (CLT)
R$449,271/yr
R$37,439/month, 72.9% retained
A UK salary of £90,000 nets £62,757 a year (£5,230/month), 69.7% of gross. Converted at roughly £1 = R$6.85, that's R$616,500. Under Brazil's CLT tax rules (INSS + IRRF, including the new 2026 redutor where applicable), it nets R$449,271 a year (R$37,439/month), 72.9% retained, a slightly higher percentage than the UK figure.
That gap holds fairly steady across salary levels, unlike some country comparisons where the gap widens dramatically, because Brazil's INSS caps out and IRRF tops out at 27.5%, while the UK's progressive Income Tax keeps climbing at higher incomes.
Run your own UK figure against the Brazil calculator.
Open the Brazil calculatorHow the comparison actually works, step by step
Start with your UK gross salary and run it through Income Tax (20%/40%/45% bands above the Personal Allowance) and National Insurance (8%/2%) to get your UK net. Convert to BRL at a current live rate, we've used £1 = R$6.85 (early August 2026) throughout this article, but check a live rate before making any real decision since GBP/BRL moves with market conditions.
Then run the BRL figure through Brazil's CLT tax rules: INSS first (progressive, capped at the teto), then IRRF on the post-INSS base (progressive, 0% to 27.5%), with the new Lei 15.270/2025 redutor applied automatically where the gross monthly salary qualifies (up to R$7,350/month, below all three comparison points here).
UK take-home vs Brazil take-home, three salary points
Converted at £1 = R$6.85 (early August 2026). Brazil column is CLT (INSS + IRRF, redutor where applicable); PJ contracting is a different structure covered separately.
| UK gross | BRL equivalent | UK net (% retained) | BR net, CLT (% retained) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £60,000 | R$411,000 | £45,357/yr (£3,780/mo)75.6% | R$300,283/yr (R$25,024/mo)73.1% |
| £90,000 | R$616,500 | £62,757/yr (£5,230/mo)69.7% | R$449,271/yr (R$37,439/mo)72.9% |
| £120,000 | R$822,000 | £75,914/yr (£6,326/mo)63.3% | R$598,258/yr (R$49,855/mo)72.8% |
UK net figures from the UK Take-Home Calculator (2026/27 HMRC rates). BR net figures from the Brazil Salary Calculator (2026 INSS + IRRF, CLT).
Check the live rate, and check which Brazil regime applies to you
This comparison is a point-in-time snapshot at £1 = R$6.85 (early August 2026). GBP/BRL moves with broader market conditions, ranging roughly R$6.64–R$6.96 over the prior 90 days, so re-check a live rate before treating any of these BRL figures as fixed.
The bigger caveat is regime: this comparison assumes CLT employment. If your Brazil offer is structured as PJ (invoicing through a company under Simples Nacional), the tax mechanics, and often the net outcome, are materially different. See our dedicated CLT vs PJ comparison before assuming this article's Brazil column applies to your specific offer.
Compare your own UK and Brazil offers
Run your UK salary and your Brazilian offer side by side.
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Frequently asked questions
Is take-home pay higher in the UK or Brazil?
As a percentage of gross salary, Brazil's CLT take-home retains a slightly higher share than the UK at every level checked here: a UK £90,000 salary retains 69.7% (£62,757), while the FX-equivalent R$616,500 retains 72.9% (R$449,271) under Brazil's INSS + IRRF, including the new Lei 15.270/2025 redutor. The gap widens somewhat at higher salaries, since the UK's 45% additional rate band is steeper than Brazil's 27.5% top IRRF rate (INSS is capped and stops adding at all above the teto).
Why is Brazil's percentage retained similar across all three salary levels, while the UK's drops?
Because INSS caps out at the teto (R$8,475.55/month for 2026) and IRRF's top rate is 27.5%, both salaries above roughly R$100,000/year are already paying close to the maximum marginal rate on most of their income, so the effective rate stabilizes. The UK's Income Tax, by contrast, keeps climbing: the 40% higher rate band and then the 45% additional rate band (plus the Personal Allowance taper above £100,000) push the UK's effective rate down further as salary rises, which is why the UK percentage retained drops from 75.6% to 63.3% across the same three salary points while Brazil's stays in a tighter 72.8%–73.1% band.
Does this comparison account for the new 2026 redutor?
Yes, where it applies. The Lei 15.270/2025 redutor only affects gross monthly salaries up to R$7,350 (R$88,200/year), which is below all three comparison points in this article, so none of the figures shown here benefit from it. If you're comparing a lower salary, check our dedicated redutor explainer, since it could meaningfully change your real Brazil take-home versus what a pre-2026 calculation would show.
Does the FX rate used here change the comparison much?
It shifts the absolute BRL figures, but not the underlying structural story. This comparison uses £1 = R$6.85 (early August 2026), but GBP/BRL moves with market conditions (it's ranged roughly R$6.64–R$6.96 over the prior 90 days), so check a live rate before treating any of these BRL figures as fixed, particularly if you're negotiating an offer or transferring relocation funds.
Is this realistic for a UK worker actually moving to Brazil?
It's most directly applicable to a CLT-employed role on Brazilian payroll, whether hired locally, by a Brazil-based employer, or through an EOR. It's less directly applicable if you're a remote worker keeping a UK employer while based in Brazil, since your UK tax position and potential Brazilian tax residency rules (183 days in a 12-month period is the common threshold) would need separate analysis. It also doesn't apply if you'd be working as a PJ (contractor via a Brazilian company) instead of CLT, a materially different tax structure covered in our dedicated CLT vs PJ comparison.
Does this include cost of living differences between the UK and Brazil?
No, deliberately. This article is scoped to take-home pay only. São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro generally sit below London on cost of living, particularly housing, though international-standard neighbourhoods in both cities have risen with demand. A dedicated cost-of-living comparison would be a natural follow-up to the tax-only numbers shown here.
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