Enter what you bill and Contractor Pay Calculator IQ works out the most tax-efficient salary and dividend split — then shows your real take-home pay, after corporation tax, dividend tax and National Insurance. Built for one or two directors.
What's included
Built specifically for UK Limited Company directors who want clarity on their tax position throughout the year — not just at self-assessment time.
Enter what you bill and the app finds the most tax-efficient salary and dividend split for you — then shows your real take-home, monthly and annual. No guesswork.
Applies the 2026–27 dividend allowance (£500) and rates across basic (10.75%), higher (35.75%), and additional (39.35%) rate bands automatically.
Correctly calculates small profits rate (19%), main rate (25%), and marginal relief for profits between £50,000 and £250,000 — a calculation many tools get wrong.
Applies the 15% employer NI rate and £5,000 secondary threshold — and claims the £10,500 Employment Allowance automatically when you have two directors on the payroll.
Log each month's billing, salary and dividends. The dashboard shows your year-to-date cash in hand, what to set aside for tax, and a calendar of upcoming HMRC deadlines.
Everything runs in your browser. No server, no login, no cloud. Your financial data is stored locally using browser storage and never transmitted anywhere.
Compare taking it all as cash against paying into a pension — see your cash in hand now, your total tax, and your total value kept (cash plus pension) side by side.
Getting started
No installation, no software, no account. Just a single HTML file that runs in any modern browser.
Pay £4.99 via Stripe. Your card details are handled entirely by Stripe — we never see them.
Within seconds, an email arrives with your personal licence key and the app file attached.
Save the HTML file and open it in Chrome, Safari, or Edge — no installation required. On a phone or tablet it works too: see "Using it on your phone or tablet" in the Help panel for the quick step-by-step.
Enter your name, email, and licence key. Your data saves automatically as you work throughout the tax year.
Example calculation
A contractor billing £80,000 a year, taking the most tax-efficient salary plus dividends — the split the app calculates for you.
Important: This example is for illustrative purposes only. Your actual liability will depend on your individual circumstances, including any other income, tax reliefs, and HMRC determinations. This does not constitute financial or tax advice. Consult a qualified accountant for guidance specific to your situation.
Frequently asked questions
It is designed for UK Limited Company directors taking a low salary alongside dividends. It supports companies with one or two directors/shareholders — including the £10,500 Employment Allowance where two directors are on the payroll. It is not built for sole traders, partnerships, or companies with three or more shareholders.
No. It was built by a contractor looking for an easy way to estimate take-home pay — not by a qualified accountant — and it is for planning and awareness only. It does not constitute tax advice and cannot account for every individual circumstance. Always consult a qualified accountant for your self-assessment and tax affairs.
Yes — the calculator uses 2026–27 rates and thresholds, including the employer NI changes introduced in the April 2025 Autumn Budget. Always verify current rates at gov.uk/hmrc, as legislation can change.
Everything is stored in your browser's local storage on your own device. No data is ever sent to a server. Clearing your browser data will clear your saved figures, so we recommend keeping a copy of the HTML file.
You receive an email with your personal licence key and the calculator as an HTML file attachment. Open the file in any modern browser, enter your licence key, and you are ready to go.
The licence is personal to you. Each licence key is generated from your email address and cannot be used by others. Please purchase a separate licence for each user.
In your first year of Self Assessment, your January bill is the tax you owe plus a 50% payment on account towards next year — with another 50% the following July. The app flags this first-year "triple whammy" so it does not catch you out. Just tick "first year as a contractor" in the calculator.
Both. Choose one or two directors and the calculator splits income to minimise tax and claims the £10,500 Employment Allowance automatically when two directors are on the payroll.
Yes — the Scenarios tab shows three options side by side: take it all as cash, pay a chosen amount into a pension, or maximise your pension. For each you see your monthly cash in hand, your total tax, and your "total value kept" (cash plus pension), so you can weigh spending power now against long-term wealth.
Pricing
No subscription. No renewal. Pay once and use it all tax year.
One-time payment · Personal licence · Instant delivery
🔒 Secure payment via Stripe · Delivered by email instantly
By purchasing you confirm you have read and agreed to our disclaimer. This tool does not constitute financial or tax advice.
Purchase the calculator — click any "Buy Now" button and complete payment via Stripe. Your card details are handled entirely by Stripe and are never seen by us.
Check your email — within seconds you will receive an email with your personal licence key and the calculator attached as an HTML file. Check your spam or junk folder if it does not arrive.
Save the file — save the attached HTML file to your computer in a location you can find again, such as your Documents folder.
Open in a browser — open the file in Chrome, Safari, or Microsoft Edge. Double-clicking the file is usually sufficient.
Unlock the app — enter your name, the email address you used to purchase, and your licence key exactly as it appears in the email. Click Unlock.
Enter what you bill and your expenses, and choose one or two directors. The calculator works out the most tax-efficient salary, the dividends to draw, your corporation tax, and your real take-home pay — monthly and annual.
The Scenarios tab compares three ways to use the same profit: take it all as cash, pay a set amount into a pension, or maximise your pension. It shows cash in hand now, total tax, and total value kept for each, so you can see the trade-off between spending now and building pension wealth.
Use the monthly tab to enter actual salary and dividend payments each month. The app accumulates year-to-date figures and shows your running tax position as the year progresses.
No — the Pay Calculator recommends the salary for you, usually at the £12,570 NI / personal-allowance threshold, and takes the rest as dividends. You can still log a different salary in the monthly tracker if your accountant advises one.
Everything is stored in your browser's local storage on your own device. Nothing is ever uploaded to a server. If you clear your browser data, your saved figures will be lost — so keep a copy of the HTML file itself in a safe place.
Yes. The file works on any device with a modern browser. However, data saved on one device does not sync to another, as everything is stored locally.
Corporation tax: 19% (profits up to £50,000) / 25% main rate (above £250,000), with marginal relief between those thresholds. Dividend allowance: £500. Dividend tax rates: 10.75% (basic), 35.75% (higher), 39.35% (additional). Employer NI: 15% on salary above the £5,000 secondary threshold, with the £10,500 Employment Allowance for companies with two or more directors. Personal Allowance: £12,570.
Your purchase email includes an "Open in your browser" button. On a phone or tablet, just tap it — the app opens at contractor-pay-calculator.uk/app in Safari or Chrome and unlocks automatically, with nothing to download. This is the most reliable way to use it on mobile.
The file needs to open in a real browser tab. In Mail, tap the attached ContractorPayCalculatorIQ.html, choose Share → Save to Files, then open the Files app and tap the file. When the preview appears, tap the Share icon and choose Open in Safari (or Chrome). Enter your name, email and licence key to unlock. Note: on some iPhones, Safari may not keep your saved figures between sessions for local files, so keep your licence email to hand.
Open the email, download the attached ContractorPayCalculatorIQ.html, then tap it and choose Open with Chrome (or your preferred browser). Enter your name, email and licence key to unlock. Android Chrome keeps your saved figures between visits.
The calculator is fully usable on a phone for quick what-if calculations. For ongoing month-by-month tracking, a laptop or desktop — or Android Chrome — gives the most reliable saving of your data over time.
This tool provides illustrative estimates for planning purposes. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified accountant before making financial decisions. Tax rules can change — verify current rates at gov.uk/hmrc.