Which? tax calculator

Calculating your tax

If you've got all the information you need about tax already, and just want to work out your tax bill, your can download the Which? tax calculator and open it in Excel now.

There is also a pdf version of the Which? tax calculator available.

Tax basics

If you want to check tax rates, tax allowances and tax reliefs in more detail before entering your figures, take a look at our guide to tax rates, allowances and amounts. 

As well a table of tax rates and allowances, it explains the types of tax you might have to pay, it also tells you how much you can receive as income before you have to start paying tax and what expenses you can set against your income to reduce your tax bill. 

In a section called How much tax you pay, it outlines the levels of tax charged against different types of income, such as income from your employment and interest on savings. It also tells you how much capital gains tax and inheritance tax you might pay. 

Further information

There's a lot more information about tax on Which.co.uk. We recommend Capital gains tax explained; Tax on property and rental income; Tax on savings and investments and Tax and allowances for older people.

Our tax calculator will help you get a quick idea of your income tax for the 2008-09 tax year. You will need to work your way down the form, rounding all sums you enter to the nearest pound in your favour – ie income down and outgoings up. 

To open the calculator in Excel, click on the link below:

Download the Which? income tax calculator 2009.

Using the Which? tax calculator

To keep things simple, our tax calculator doesn't cover:

• Taxable gains from life insurance and taxable lump sums from employers.
• Gift Aid payments if you pay little or no tax.
• Double taxation relief on income from abroad (otherwise foreign income is treated largely as if it were UK income).
• Student loan repayments collected through your tax.
• Overpayments or underpayments of tax from a previous tax year.

If any of the above applies to you, you can use HMRC's self-assessment online service or free online tax return. Alternatively, you might be able to use its Tax calculation summary notes. See the HMRC website for further information and advice.The government also provides plenty of up-to-date information on its Directgov website.

You can find out how to fill in your tax return in our handy online guide.

Tax-free income

The following income is tax-free, so you can ignore it when filling in the calculator:

• Interest from National Savings certificates and children’s bonus bonds; premium bond prizes
• Savings or investment income from Isas, Venture Capital Trusts, SAYE accounts, child trust funds or friendly society tax-exempt plans
• Education grants and scholarships
• Some damages for personal injury
• Most insurance benefits if you are sick, disabled or unemployed
• Rental income that is tax-free under the rent-a-room scheme
• Interest on tax rebates or on delayed compensation for injury or death
• Statutory redundancy pay and some other lump sums from employers
• Housing benefit, council tax or rent rebates and home improvement grants
• Adoption allowances and most foster-care payments
• Maintenance and alimony
• Some state benefits, including child benefit, tax credits and pension credit
• Payments from some long-term care policies if paid directly to the care provider
• Qualifying life insurance policies – not strictly tax-free but you are not taxed on any payouts
• Tax-free lump sums from a pension plan
• Lottery and betting winnings

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