Director Salary and Dividend Calculator
Compare common salary and dividend mixes for a UK limited company director. The calculator estimates company profit, employer and employee National Insurance, Corporation Tax, dividend tax, and the amount the director personally keeps.
Compare salary and dividend options
Start with company profit before director salary. Choose a salary strategy or enter your own salary.
After normal business expenses, before director salary.
The calculator also compares common alternatives in the results.
Single-director-only companies are often not eligible.
Enter other associated companies. Thresholds are divided by total companies.
Salary saves CT
19% to 25%
Salary is normally deductible for Corporation Tax if it is allowable business pay.
Dividend allowance
GBP 500
The annual dividend allowance remains small, so most extraction is taxed.
Employer NI threshold
GBP 5,000
Employer NI starts earlier than employee NI in 2025/26 and 2026/27.
The decision this calculator helps with
For a small limited company director, the old one-line answer of "take a tiny salary and the rest as dividends" is no longer enough. Employer National Insurance starts at a much lower threshold than employee National Insurance, Corporation Tax can be 19%, 25% or somewhere in between, and the dividend allowance is only GBP 500.
This calculator compares the popular salary points: secondary threshold, Lower Earnings Limit, primary threshold, Personal Allowance and a custom salary. It then estimates what is left in the company after employer NI and Corporation Tax, how much can be paid as dividends, and how much the director keeps personally after salary tax, employee NI and dividend tax.
The best salary can change if the company can claim Employment Allowance, if there are other employees, if you already have income elsewhere, if profits fall into marginal Corporation Tax relief, or if you want to retain cash in the company rather than distribute everything.
| Salary point | Why people check it |
|---|---|
| Secondary threshold | Avoid employer NI, but it is below the LEL in 2025/26 and 2026/27 |
| Lower Earnings Limit | Often checked for NI record protection, but may create employer NI without allowance |
| Primary threshold | No employee NI, but may create employer NI without allowance |
| Personal Allowance | Uses more tax-free salary but can create employer NI |
| Custom salary | Useful for pension, mortgage, state-benefit or payroll planning |
How this director salary and dividend calculator works
Inputs used
- Tax year, because NI, dividend rates and Corporation Tax references can change.
- Company profit before director salary, after ordinary business expenses.
- Chosen salary strategy or custom salary.
- Employment Allowance setting and associated-company count.
- Other personal taxable income, retained profit and dividend payout percentage.
Calculation method
- Calculate employee NI and salary Income Tax on the director salary, after other personal income.
- Calculate employer NI on salary above the secondary threshold, reduced by Employment Allowance if selected.
- Reduce company profit by salary and employer NI before calculating Corporation Tax.
- Apply Corporation Tax at 19%, 25%, or marginal relief between adjusted lower and upper thresholds.
- Treat available post-Corporation Tax profit as the pool for retained company cash and dividends.
- Calculate dividend tax after salary and other income, then compare personal net income across common salary points.
Assumptions
- The company is assumed to be a normal non-ring-fence UK company with a 12-month accounting period aligned closely enough to the tax year for an annual estimate.
- Salary is assumed to be an allowable company expense and dividends are assumed to be legal distributions from available post-tax profit.
- Employment Allowance is applied only if the user selects it. Check GOV.UK single-director guidance before relying on it.
- Scottish selection affects salary tax only. Dividends are taxed using UK dividend rates.
What this does not cover
- It does not decide whether your salary is commercially reasonable, whether dividends are lawful, or whether the company has sufficient distributable reserves.
- It does not include pension contributions, benefits in kind, director loans, VAT, R&D relief, associated-company detail beyond threshold division, or accounting-period apportionment.
- It does not replace the Dividend Tax Calculator, Corporation Tax Calculator, Employment Allowance Calculator, or advice from an accountant.
Worked example
Say a one-person company has GBP 80,000 profit before paying the director. If the director takes a salary around the primary threshold, the company gets a Corporation Tax deduction for the salary, but may also pay employer National Insurance because the secondary threshold is much lower.
The remaining company profit is taxed for Corporation Tax. Whatever is left after Corporation Tax can be paid as dividends if the company has distributable reserves. The director then pays dividend tax depending on their total income and available allowance.
If the company can claim Employment Allowance because it has another employee or more than one director above the secondary threshold, a higher salary can sometimes look better. If it is a single-director-only company, the answer may be different. That is why the allowance toggle matters.
A quick checklist before choosing a salary
Check whether the company can actually claim Employment Allowance. GOV.UK is clear that a limited company with just one director, where that director is the only employee liable for secondary Class 1 NI, cannot claim it.
Check whether you need a salary above the Lower Earnings Limit to protect National Insurance credits. A salary can be useful even when it does not produce take-home cash immediately, because it can help maintain your contribution record.
Check whether taking every pound as dividends is sensible. Leaving cash in the company can be useful for tax bills, equipment, slow months, travel, training or simply not living one invoice away from a panic.
Common mistakes
Forgetting employer NI
Employer NI is a company cost. It can change the best salary point, especially without Employment Allowance.
Treating dividends as a company expense
Dividends are paid from post-Corporation Tax profit. They do not reduce Corporation Tax like salary does.
Ignoring other income
Other salary, rental income or pensions can push dividends into higher tax bands.
Paying dividends without reserves
Dividends must be lawful. Your company needs enough distributable profits after tax.
Director salary and dividend FAQs
What is the best director salary?
Can a single-director company claim Employment Allowance?
Why take any salary if dividends are taxed differently?
Does Scotland change dividend tax?
Can I pay all remaining profit as dividends?
Official sources
Last verified: May 9 2026. Calculations are estimates based on the published rules and assumptions shown on this page.
- GOV.UK National Insurance rates and allowances - employee and employer Class 1 thresholds and rates for 2025/26 and 2026/27
- GOV.UK employer rates and thresholds 2026 to 2027 - payroll thresholds including the GBP 5,000 secondary threshold and GBP 12,570 primary threshold
- GOV.UK single-director companies and Employment Allowance - restriction for single-director companies where the director is the only employee liable for secondary Class 1 NI
- GOV.UK Corporation Tax rates - 19% small profits rate, 25% main rate and marginal relief thresholds
- GOV.UK Corporation Tax rates and allowances - marginal relief lower and upper limits and standard fraction
- GOV.UK tax on dividends - dividend allowance and dividend tax rates for 2026/27
- GOV.UK Income Tax rates and allowances - Personal Allowance, basic-rate, higher-rate and additional-rate thresholds