3 UK Money Checks I Run Before Saying Yes to a Pay Rise

3 UK Money Checks I Run Before Saying Yes to a Pay Rise Most salary conversations focus on one number: gross pay . But when your pay crosses certain UK thresholds, your effective gain can be much smaller than expected. I keep a simple checklist and run the same three calculations every time I get an offer, raise, or contract change. 1) Check for the GBP 100k tax trap first In the UK, your Personal Allowance is reduced by GBP 1 for every GBP 2 earned above GBP 100,000. That means in the GBP 100k-GBP 125,140 range, many people face an effective 60% marginal rate (before National Insurance and student loan effects). So if your salary goes from GBP 99,000 to GBP 109,000, the headline increase can feel great, but the take-home uplift can be underwhelming. Use this first: UK 100k Tax Trap Calculator Quick sanity check If a raise puts you just into that band, options like pension salary sacrifice can sometimes improve outcomes more than a straight cash increase. 2) Model student loan repaymen