UK vs Spain: take-home pay comparison
British PAYE + NI against Spanish IRPF + Seguridad Social — the canonical retire-to-Spain comparison.
A canonical comparison for UK residents moving to Spain — both for retirement and for remote work. Spain's IRPF tramos start at 19% on the first €12,450 (after Seguridad Social) and reach 47% at the top combined. The UK's PAYE stack is more generous at the entry level: 0% up to £12,570 PA, then 20% to £50,270.
At £55,000 gross, UK net is materially higher than the equivalent €65,000 (approx parity) Spanish net — by ~£8,000/year. The gap narrows above £100,000 because Spain caps Seguridad Social at €61,214.40 brut while UK NI continues at 2% above the UEL. Spain offers the special "Beckham Law" regime for inbound qualifying expats (flat 24% on Spanish-source income up to €600k for 6 years) which is not modeled here.
Side-by-side at common gross levels
| Gross (annual) | United Kingdomnative: £ | Spainnative: € | Net delta (right − left) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £40,000 / €40,000 | £32,320 (19.2%) | €29,444 (26.4%) | -€2,875 |
| £80,000 / €80,000 | £56,957 (28.8%) | €52,958 (33.8%) | -€3,999 |
| £120,000 / €120,000 | £75,914 (36.7%) | €75,705 (36.9%) | -€209 |
| £200,000 / €200,000 | £117,158 (41.4%) | €121,196 (39.4%) | €4,038 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much more take-home does £80,000 yield in Spain vs United Kingdom?
- At £80,000 gross on each side using 2026/27 rates: United Kingdom retains £56,957 (28.8% effective), Spain retains €52,958 (33.8% effective). Native-currency comparison — no FX conversion applied.
- What is the marginal-rate difference between United Kingdom and Spain at £80,000?
- At £80,000 gross, the next 100 of gross retains £58 in United Kingdom (marginal rate 42.0%) and €57 in Spain (marginal rate 43.1%). This matters for bonus, overtime, or salary-sacrifice decisions — the marginal rate applies to the next unit earned, not the average.
- At what salary level is the take-home gap biggest between United Kingdom and Spain?
- Across the 40k–250k single-filer sweep, the largest net delta is at £250,000 gross: Spain net is higher by €5,970 per year. Above and below this point the gap is smaller, driven by the interaction of each side's band thresholds + social-contribution caps.
- What does this United Kingdom vs Spain comparison include?
- Both sides use each tax authority's published 2026/27 rates: income tax, social-insurance contributions, and any statutory levies routed through payroll. The numbers are the same ones the full /uk and /es calculators produce — open either page for the full per-line breakdown.
- What does this comparison NOT model?
- Currency conversion is NOT applied — the table shows each side in its native currency. Use a live FX rate to convert if you need a single-currency view. Pension contributions, salary-sacrifice schemes, benefits-in-kind, region-specific surcharges (Scotland for UK, Comunidad Autónoma for ES, Bundesland for DE), and cost-of-living differences are not modeled here. The comparison is a tax-stack-only view.