£30,000 Self-Employed After Tax (2026/27)
Sole trader take-home using Class 4 National Insurance for 2026/27.
£25,468 / year take-home
31st 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 £30,000 of profit in 2026/27 takes home £25,468 - that's £2,122 a month or £490 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 £349 higher than the equivalent employed take-home (thanks to lower Class 4 NI rates versus Class 1). You rank around the 31st 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 £30,000
| Personal Allowance | £12,570 |
|---|---|
| Taxable profit | £17,430 |
| Basic Rate (20%) on £17,430 | £3,486 |
| Income tax (total) | £3,486 |
| Class 4 National Insurance | £1,046 |
| Total deductions | £4,532 |
| Take-home (profit after tax) | £25,468 |
Self-employed vs employed at £30,000
| Employed take-home | £25,119 |
|---|---|
| Self-employed take-home | £25,468 |
| Difference | +£349 |
Compare with the employed PAYE £30,000 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.