An IT Support Specialist earning the median salary of £34K in the UK takes home approximately £28,000/year (£2,333/month) after Income Tax and National Insurance, using 2026/27 rates.
2026 median salary for each level in the UK, and what it leaves after Income Tax and National Insurance. Standard Personal Allowance, England/Wales PAYE employee. 2026/27 rates.
| Level | Gross / year | Take-home / year | Per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-level | £50,000 | £39,520£3,293/mo | £3,293 | 21.0% |
| Senior | £60,000 | £45,357£3,780/mo | £3,780 | 24.4% |
| Lead / Principal | £66,000 | £48,837£4,070/mo | £4,070 | 26.0% |
| Manager | £63,000 | £47,097£3,925/mo | £3,925 | 25.2% |
The biggest pay step is Mid-level to Senior: £10,000 more a year before tax, of which £5,838 reaches take-home. 42% of that raise goes to Income Tax and National Insurance, against an average 21% on the Mid-level salary, because the extra pay is taxed at the top of your bands rather than spread across all of them.
Around the headline median, the middle half of IT Support Specialist salaries in the UK run from £32,000 to £35,000 a year, which is £26,560 to £28,720 after Income Tax and National Insurance.
The table above uses the IT Support Specialist median. Enter your own gross salary below for a precise figure.
2026/27 tax year
Personal Allowance: £12,570. Basic rate (20%) up to £50,270. Higher rate (40%) up to £125,140. Additional rate (45%) above.
Common salaries:
Annual take-home pay
£28,000
Per month
£2,333
Per week
£538
Effective tax rate
17.6%
How your £34,000 is split
£28,000
82.4%
£4,286
12.6%
£1,714
5.0%
| Gross salary | £34,000 |
| Personal Allowance (tax-free) | £12,570 |
| Income Tax | -£4,286 |
| National Insurance (Class 1) | -£1,714 |
| Total deductions | -£6,000 |
| Net take-home (annual) | £28,000 |
Calculations use 2026/27 UK tax rates. Assumes England/Wales/Northern Ireland Income Tax rates (Scottish rates differ). Includes standard Personal Allowance tapering above £100,000, and applies any pension salary sacrifice entered above before calculating tax. Does not account for Gift Aid, student loan repayments, Marriage Allowance, or other reliefs. For precise advice consult a tax professional or HMRC.
Permanent median
£34,000
£28,000 take-home
Contract median
£225/day
≈ £49,500 gross a year
At a median £225/day, contract work grosses about £49,500 a year over 220 billable days, 46% more than the £34,000 permanent median. That premium has to pay for what an employer would otherwise cover: paid holiday and sick days, pension contributions, and the gaps between contracts. Whether a contract falls inside or outside IR35 also changes how much of it you keep.
Contract and permanent benchmarks come from separate samples, so treat the gap as a guide rather than a like-for-like quote. See IT Support Specialist contract rates and contractor take-home →
An IT Support Specialist earning the median salary of £34K in the UK takes home approximately £28,000 per year (£2,333 per month) after Income Tax and National Insurance, using 2026/27 HMRC rates.
On a median IT Support Specialist salary of £34K, the effective tax rate (Income Tax and NI combined) is 17.6%, leaving £28,000 as take-home pay. This assumes standard Personal Allowance and England/Wales Income Tax rates.
On a £34K salary, an IT Support Specialist pays approximately £4,286 in Income Tax per year. This uses the 2026/27 Personal Allowance of £12,570, a basic rate of 20% up to £50,270, and 40% above.
On a £34K salary, employee Class 1 National Insurance amounts to approximately £1,714 per year. The 2026/27 rates are 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% above.
The standard Personal Allowance for 2026/27 is £12,570, which is tax-free. For salaries above £100,000, the allowance tapers by £1 for every £2 earned, disappearing entirely at £125,140. This does not affect the median salary shown here.
A senior IT Support Specialist in the UK earns a median £60,000 a year and takes home approximately £45,357 (£3,780 per month) after Income Tax and National Insurance, an effective rate of 24.4%.
A junior IT Support Specialist earning £32K (P25 of the salary range) takes home approximately £26,560 per year (£2,213 per month) after Income Tax and National Insurance, with an effective tax rate of 17.0%.
The biggest pay step is Mid-level to Senior: £10,000 more a year before tax, of which £5,838 reaches take-home. 42% of that raise goes to Income Tax and National Insurance, against an average 21% on the Mid-level salary, because the extra pay is taxed at the top of your bands rather than spread across all of them.
At a median £225/day, contract work grosses about £49,500 a year over 220 billable days, 46% more than the £34,000 permanent median. That premium has to pay for what an employer would otherwise cover: paid holiday and sick days, pension contributions, and the gaps between contracts. Whether a contract falls inside or outside IR35 also changes how much of it you keep. Contract and permanent benchmarks come from separate samples, so treat the gap as a guide.
IT Support Specialist Salary Benchmarks
Full range, city comparisons, seniority bands
Compare a job offer
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IT Support Specialist contractor rates
Compare permanent pay with current contract market rates
Remote vs Hybrid
Is the commute worth it?
IT Support Specialist Salary in Scotland
Take-home under Scottish income tax (19%–48%)