Personal Allowances: adjusted net income
How to work out your adjusted net income and the circumstances when it can affect your tax liability.
What adjusted net income is
Adjusted net income is total taxable income before any Personal Allowances and less certain tax reliefs, for example:
- trading losses
- donations made to charities through Gift Aid — taking off the ‘grossed-up’ gift-aid amount
- pension contributions paid gross (before tax relief)
- pension contributions where your pension provider has already given you tax relief at the basic rate — take off the ‘grossed-up’ amount
When your tax liability can be affected by adjusted net income
Your adjusted net income will affect your tax if any of the following apply. You are liable to the:
- income-related reduction to the Personal Allowance — where you have an adjusted net income over £100,000 (regardless of your date of birth)
- High Income Child Benefit Charge — where you have an adjusted net income above £60,000
How to work out your adjusted net income
Work out your adjusted net income by following steps 1 to 4.
Step 1 — work out your ‘net income’
Add up your taxable income.
Include things like:
- money you earn from employment (including any benefits you get from your job)
- profits you make if you’re self-employed including from services you sell through websites or apps
- some state benefits
- most pensions (including the State Pension, company and personal pensions and retirement annuities)
- interest on savings and pensioners bonds
- dividends from company shares
- some rental income
- income from a trust
Take off any tax reliefs that apply like:
- payments made gross to pension schemes — those that have been made without tax relief
- trading losses, for example trade loss relief or property loss relief
This is your ‘net income’.
Your net income is then adjusted — using steps 2 to 4, as follows.
Step 2 — take off Gift Aid donations
If you made a Gift Aid donation, take off the ‘grossed-up’ amount — what you paid plus the basic rate of tax.
So, for every £1 of Gift Aid donations you made, take £1.25 from your net income.
Step 3 — take off pension contributions
If you made a contribution to a pension scheme where your pension provider has already given you tax relief at basic rate, take off the ‘grossed-up’ amount — what you paid plus the basic rate of tax.
So, for every £1 of pension contribution you made, take £1.25 from your ‘net income’.
Step 4 — add back tax relief for payments to trade unions or police organisations
Tax relief of up to £100 is available if you make payments to a trade union or police organisation for superannuation, life insurance or funeral benefits.
If you took off an amount for this type of payment at step 1, add it back.
Adjusted net income examples
Income-related reduction to Personal Allowance, income over £100,000
Bill’s taxable income is £115,000, made up of:
- income from self-employment £85,000
- income from property £20,000
- bank interest £10,000
Bill makes private pension contributions without tax relief of £10,000.
Bill’s net income is £105,000 (£115,000 less £10,000).
There are no further adjustments to Bill’s net income, so this is his adjusted net income.
Bill’s adjusted net income is used to work out his Personal Allowance.
High Income Child Benefit Charge
Clara’s total taxable income is £70,000, made up of:
- income from employment £65,000
- bank interest £5,000
Clara makes private pension contributions without tax relief of £4,750.
Her net income is £65,250 (£70,000 less £4,750).
Clara makes Gift Aid donations of £1,000. She can take £1,250 off her net income, £1,000 plus £250, the value of the basic rate tax.
Clara’s adjusted net income is £64,000 (£65,250 less £1,250).
Clara’s adjusted net income is used to work out her High Income Child Benefit Charge.
Updates to this page
Last updated 15 November 2024 + show all updates
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Welsh translation added.
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The example of High Income Child Benefit Charge has been updated.
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Guidance under heading 'What adjusted net income is' has been updated.
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Reference to the Personal Savings Allowance, which comes into effect from 6 April 2016, added.
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First published.