Following the publication of the UK tax and National Insurance thresholds for the 2026/27 tax year, we have reviewed the most tax-efficient remuneration strategy for directors from 6 April 2026.
Companies With One Director
For sole directors (i.e. where the company has only one director), the Employment Allowance cannot be claimed. This means the choice of salary level must balance tax-efficiency with National Insurance implications.
Recommended Optimum Salary for 2026/27
The recommended salary continues to be £12,570.
At this level:
- No income tax is due (equals the Personal Allowance)
- NI credits are secured
- Employer NI is payable, but the corporation tax saving exceeds the NI cost, producing a net tax saving.
Overall Net Tax Impact – 2026/27
The following table shows the Employer NI cost, Corporation Tax saving, and net position for a sole director taking the recommended salary of £12,570.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Director salary | £12,570 | |
| Employer NI threshold | £5,000 | |
| NI-able pay | £12,570 − £5,000 | £7,570 |
| Employer NI at 15% | £7,570 × 15% | £1,135.50 |
| Corporation tax saving at 19% | £2,604.05 | |
| Net tax benefit | £2,604.05 − £1,135.50 | £1,468.55 |
A salary of £12,570 remains the most tax-efficient strategy for 2026/27, yielding an overall positive tax saving of £1,468.55.
Companies With Two or More Directors
Where a company has two or more directors, the Employment Allowance is available, so salaries of £12,570 remain optimal with no Employer NI due.
This advice is unchanged from 2025/26, as none of the rates or limits relating to employment has changed.
Things to bear in mind
There are some circumstances where the strategy above may not be right for you.
- You are a director but have income from another source outside of your limited company (i.e. rental income)
- How much tax you pay or save across the combination of your company and you personally is more important than what you personally take home in cash, and you can afford to sacrifice personal take-home pay for the benefit of the company tax position
- You are already drawing more cash than you need to fund your lifestyle
- You are planning on drawing between £100,000 and £125,000 of income from your company
- You have income of over £50,000 from other sources.
Dividends, salary and profit extraction
For the 2026/27 tax year, UK dividend tax rates will increase by 2% for basic rate and higher rate tax payers.
Dividends will now be taxed as follows:
- Dividend allowance – £500 – 0%
- Basic rate (up to £50,270 total income) -10.75%
- Higher rates (between £50,271-£125,140 total income) – 35.75%
- Additional rate (over £125,140 total income) – 39.35%
This means you should be aware that the cost of taking dividends from your company has increased. As a result, you can extract the same amount from your company as in previous years and this will result in a higher tax bill than previously seen.
Key 2026/27 Thresholds
- Secondary Threshold (Employer NI): £5,000 per year — unchanged for 2026/27
- Lower Earnings Limit (LEL): £6,708 per year — required to earn NI credits
- Personal Allowance: £12,570 per year — remains frozen
- Employer NI rate: 15% above the Secondary Threshold
Your personal position
Your personal tax position and any company profit available for extraction is unique. This is something we would review for you as part of our normal year end work.
Should you wish for us to carry out a detailed review of your personal scenario on how these changes may affect you in advance of 2026/27 and to discuss potential tax efficiencies you could adopt then do get in contact