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The basic tax rate (BR) is the rate of Income Tax that you pay when you earn between £12,571 and £50,270. This rate is accurate as of the 2023/24 tax year.
If you pay BR tax, you’re liable to pay 20% Income Tax in England and Wales.
You only pay tax on your taxable income. Yes, it sounds obvious, but it can be a little confusing at first. Take a look at the current rates of Income Tax:
Income | Tax rate | |
Up to £12,570 | 0% | Personal allowance |
£12,571 to £50,270 | 20% | Basic rate |
£50,271 to £125,140 | 40% | Higher rate |
over £125,141 | 45% | Additional rate |
Let’s look at an example:
Basically, it’s important to remember that you often don’t owe the above tax rates on your income as a whole. It’s only the portion of your income that falls into certain tax brackets. So if you earn, say, £155,000, you’ll be taxed at three different rates: the basic rate, the higher rate and the additional rate.
I earn £155,000 – how am I taxed? | |
£50,270 | 20% |
£99,730 | 40% |
£30,860 | 45% |
The Personal Allowance is the income that you can earn tax-free in the UK. That means that when you earn less than £12,570, you aren’t liable to pay Income Tax. You may also be wondering why the Personal Allowance is missing from the above table. That’s because when you earn £100,000 and more, you gradually start to lose your tax-free Personal Allowance, pound by pound.
When you earn more than £125,140, you lose your entitlement to the Personal Allowance entirely.
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