How bonuses get taxed
Bonuses are usually added to your other taxable pay for the year. That means they’re taxed at your marginal Income Tax rate, plus employee National Insurance (and student loan if it applies). Emergency tax on a payslip can look scary — HMRC usually settles up via your tax code or Self Assessment.
What actually matters
- Your salary band before the bonus (basic vs higher vs additional)
- Whether the bonus pushes you into a higher band or the £100k allowance taper
- NI on the bonus (often overlooked in “I’ll get 60%” mental maths)
Try a live example
Open the calculator with a £50k salary and a £5k bonus, or enter your own figures under Advanced Features. TaxBite shows bonus take-home, effective rate, and the overall Tax Bite so the “celebration vs reality” gap is obvious.
Open £50k + £5k bonus →Estimates only — payroll timing and tax codes vary.