Free tool
Where do you rank in UK earners?
The top 1% starts at £134,000 and the top 10% at £54,300 — both lower than most people guess. Type one number and see your exact percentile.
No sign-up, no email, nothing stored. It runs in your browser.
🏆 Where do you rank in UK earners?
HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, Table 3.1a, 2023 to 2024. Total income before tax, UK taxpayers — that means all taxable income, not just wages, so it includes self-employment, pensions and savings. It counts people who pay Income Tax, so anyone earning under the Personal Allowance is outside it. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or stored.
The thresholds, in full
| You are in the… | Total income before tax |
|---|---|
| Top 1% | £134,000 |
| Top 5% | £70,600 |
| Top 10% | £54,300 |
| Top 25% | £39,000 |
| Median (top 50%) | £26,600 |
| Bottom 25% | £19,300 |
| Bottom 10% | £15,200 |
Why this is lower than the "average salary" you've seen
Two different numbers get called the average, and they count different people.
The figure usually quoted in the news — £39,039 — is the median for full-time employees, from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. The figure here, £26,600, is the median total income of everyone who pays Income Tax: full-time and part-time workers, the self-employed, and pensioners drawing a taxable income.
Neither is wrong. If you want to know how your salary compares to other full-time salaries, the first is the right yardstick. If you want to know where you sit among UK taxpayers as a whole, this one is.
What the number actually means for you
- What you take home after tax and National Insurance — the figure that reaches your account.
- What house that income buys, which varies enormously by area.
- What your own home is worth now, from real sold prices.
- How pay has kept up with house prices over time.
Questions people ask
What salary puts you in the top 1% in the UK?
About £134,000 of total income before tax, on HMRC's figures for 2023 to 2024. Most people place that threshold far higher than it actually is — it is a large income, but not the seven-figure number the phrase suggests.
What income puts you in the top 10%?
Around £54,300. The top 5% starts near £70,600. Both are lower than people expect, largely because the comparison group includes everyone who pays Income Tax — part-time workers and pensioners as well as full-time employees.
What is the average UK income?
The median total income before tax is £26,600, meaning half of UK taxpayers are above it and half below. That is lower than the £39,039 median for full-time employees, because this measure counts everyone with a tax liability rather than only people in full-time work. Both numbers are right; they count different populations.
Does this include self-employment and pensions?
Yes. It uses total income before tax, which is all income subject to tax — employment, self-employment, pensions, and taxable savings and investment income. That makes it a truer picture of where someone sits overall than looking at wages alone.
Why does my percentile feel too high?
Because most people compare themselves to their colleagues and neighbours, who tend to do similar work for similar money. The national distribution is far wider than the one you see day to day, and it includes a great many part-time and pension incomes.
Do you store what I type?
No. It runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored, and there is no sign-up, email or form.
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, Table 3.1a, tax year 2023 to 2024. Total income before tax, UK taxpayers. Covers people with an Income Tax liability, so it excludes those earning under the Personal Allowance. HMRC updates this table roughly each April.