£20,000 Self-Employed After Tax (2026/27)
Sole trader take-home using Class 4 National Insurance for 2026/27.
£18,068 / year take-home
5th percentile - relative to UK full-time earners. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2024 (Open Government Licence v3.0).
What this means for a sole trader
A sole trader with £20,000 of profit in 2026/27 takes home £18,068 - that's £1,506 a month or £347 a week. Self-employed earners pay Class 4 NI (6% on profit between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above) instead of Class 1, and income tax uses the same UK bands as an employee. At this profit level, your take-home is £149 higher than the equivalent employed take-home (thanks to lower Class 4 NI rates versus Class 1). You rank around the 5th percentile of UK full-time earners.
Disclaimer: This assumes no allowable expenses - deduct expenses from profit first.
New to self-employed NI? Read the Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance explainer for the full rate breakdown and payment dates.
Breakdown - bands hit at £20,000
| Personal Allowance | £12,570 |
|---|---|
| Taxable profit | £7,430 |
| Basic Rate (20%) on £7,430 | £1,486 |
| Income tax (total) | £1,486 |
| Class 4 National Insurance | £446 |
| Total deductions | £1,932 |
| Take-home (profit after tax) | £18,068 |
Self-employed vs employed at £20,000
| Employed take-home | £17,920 |
|---|---|
| Self-employed take-home | £18,068 |
| Difference | +£149 |
Compare with the employed PAYE £20,000 page.
Self-employed guides for 2026/27
- Sole trader vs limited company - Which pays less UK tax - and how the April 2026 dividend rates shift the answer.
- Allowable expenses - The HMRC-accepted categories you can deduct from profit, plus the simplified-expenses option.
- Class 4 National Insurance - Rates, thresholds, and how Class 2 became voluntary.
- Payments on account - HMRC's advance-tax mechanism explained, with the January and July cycle.
- Self Assessment deadlines - Every Self Assessment date that lands in the 2026/27 tax year, plus penalty escalation.
- Reduce your tax bill legally - Pensions, mileage, home office, spouse employment and the trading allowance.