The crossover salaries: at what income does each party's tax plan help or hurt you?
We modelled every party's announced income-tax and National Insurance proposals across salaries from £15,000 to £150,000. Here are the break-even points — and the exact annual gain or loss at each salary.
The headline numbers
- Reform UK's £20,000 allowance is the biggest cut at every salary: worth £1,486 a year to everyone earning £20,000–£50,270, rising to a peak of £5,432 between £70,000 and about £120,000.
- The Greens' NI plan costs nothing below £50,270, then 6p per extra £1: −£584 at £60,000, −£1,184 at £70,000, −£5,984 at £150,000 (before their offsetting plans elsewhere).
- Labour and the Conservatives propose no headline rate changes for workers — but the freeze on thresholds to 2030/31 quietly raises everyone's bill each year (fiscal drag).
- The crossover: £50,270 is the dividing line of this Parliament's tax debate. Below it, the parties differ only on the size of a giveaway. Above it, the plans point in opposite directions — a £70,000 earner is £6,616 a year apart between the Reform and Green proposals.
Annual change vs today's rules, by salary
Income tax (England, Wales & NI) and employee NI, 2025/26 baseline. Positive = you keep more.
| Salary | Reform UK | Greens | Labour / Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| £15,000 | +£486 | no change | no rate change* |
| £20,000 | +£1,486 | no change | no rate change* |
| £25,000 | +£1,486 | no change | no rate change* |
| £30,000 | +£1,486 | no change | no rate change* |
| £35,000 | +£1,486 | no change | no rate change* |
| £40,000 | +£1,486 | no change | no rate change* |
| £50,000 | +£1,486 | no change | no rate change* |
| £60,000 | +£3,432 | −£584 | no rate change* |
| £70,000 | +£5,432 | −£1,184 | no rate change* |
| £80,000 | +£5,432 | −£1,784 | no rate change* |
| £100,000 | +£5,432 | −£2,984 | no rate change* |
| £120,000 | +£5,432 | −£4,184 | no rate change* |
| £150,000 | +£3,946 | −£5,984 | no rate change* |
*No announced change to income-tax or employee-NI rates; the threshold freeze to 2030/31 raises effective tax over time for all salaries. Reform figures show the party's stated £20,000 allowance and £70,000 higher-rate threshold; the party calls the exact figures an aspiration. Green figure is the NI change alone. Sources and modelling notes: see each linked explainer.
Check your own salary
These are point estimates at round salaries — your exact figure depends on pension contributions, student loans and where you live. Run your own numbers:
- Take-home pay calculator (all deductions, including Scotland)
- Reform £20,000 allowance calculator
- Green NI calculator
- Which party would cut your taxes? (interactive)
Journalists and bloggers: you're welcome to cite these figures with a link to this page. The modelling is reproducible from the published thresholds on each explainer.
Frequently asked questions
Which party's tax plan would save me the most money?
For pure income tax, Reform UK's £20,000 allowance and £70,000 higher-rate threshold is the largest cut at every salary — about £1,486 a year for anyone earning £20,000–£50,000, peaking at £5,432 between £70,000 and £120,000. The trade-off critics raise is its £50–80 billion annual cost and what that means for services or borrowing.
At what salary would the Green plans cost me money?
The Greens' National Insurance change only affects earnings above £50,270 — below that, nothing changes. At £60,000 it costs about £584 a year, at £70,000 about £1,184, and at £150,000 about £5,984. Green plans also include a wealth tax above £10 million, which doesn't depend on salary.
Does Labour's plan change my income tax?
Labour pledges no change to income tax, NI or VAT rates — but keeps thresholds frozen until 2030/31. That freeze acts as a gradual tax rise: each pay rise pulls more of your income into tax, an effect known as fiscal drag worth hundreds of pounds a year to a typical earner by 2030.