Guidance

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 鈥� taking off the 鈥榞rossed-up鈥� 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 鈥� take off the 鈥榞rossed-up鈥� 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:

How to work out your adjusted net income

Work out your adjusted net income by following steps 1 to 4.

Step 1 鈥� work out your 鈥榥et income鈥�

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鈥檙e 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 鈥� those that have been made without tax relief
  • trading losses, for example trade loss relief or property loss relief

This is your 鈥榥et income鈥�.

Your net income is then adjusted 鈥� using steps 2 to 4, as follows.

Step 2 鈥� take off Gift Aid donations

If you made a Gift Aid donation, take off the 鈥榞rossed-up鈥� amount 鈥� what you paid plus the basic rate of tax.

So, for every 拢1 of Gift Aid donations you made, take 拢1.25 from your net income.

Step 3 鈥� 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 鈥榞rossed-up鈥� amount 鈥� what you paid plus the basic rate of tax.

So, for every 拢1 of pension contribution you made, take 拢1.25 from your 鈥榥et income鈥�.

Step 4 鈥� add back tax relief for payments to trade unions or police organisations

Tax relief of up to 拢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 拢100,000

Bill鈥檚 taxable income is 拢115,000, made up of:

  • income from self-employment 拢85,000
  • income from property 拢20,000
  • bank interest 拢10,000

Bill makes private pension contributions without tax relief of 拢10,000.

Bill鈥檚 net income is 拢105,000 (拢115,000 less 拢10,000).

There are no further adjustments to Bill鈥檚 net income, so this is his adjusted net income.

Bill鈥檚 adjusted net income is used to work out his Personal Allowance.

High Income Child Benefit Charge

Clara鈥檚 total taxable income is 拢70,000, made up of:

  • income from employment 拢65,000
  • bank interest 拢5,000

Clara makes private pension contributions without tax relief of 拢4,750.

Her net income is 拢65,250 (拢70,000 less 拢4,750).

Clara makes Gift Aid donations of 拢1,000. She can take 拢1,250 off her net income, 拢1,000 plus 拢250, the value of the basic rate tax.

Clara鈥檚 adjusted net income is 拢64,000 (拢65,250 less 拢1,250).

Clara鈥檚 adjusted net income is used to work out her High Income Child Benefit Charge.

Updates to this page

Published 13 August 2014
Last updated 15 November 2024 show all updates
  1. Welsh translation added.

  2. The example of High Income Child Benefit Charge has been updated.

  3. Guidance under heading 'What adjusted net income is' has been updated.

  4. Reference to the Personal Savings Allowance, which comes into effect from 6 April 2016, added.

  5. First published.

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