£16 an Hour — Full Breakdown
If you earn £16 per hour and work a standard 37.5-hour week, your gross annual salary is £31,200. After income tax and National Insurance for 2026/27, your take home pay is £25,984 per year or £2,165 per month.
Is £16 Per Hour a Good Wage?
£16 per hour is 19% below the median hourly wage for full-time employees (£19.67, excluding overtime, ONS, April 2025). This rate is 26% above the National Living Wage (£12.71). At this level you are comfortably above the Real Living Wage and should be able to cover rent, bills, and have some money left over in most UK cities. It is a typical rate for skilled workers, experienced administrators, and those with a few years in their field. To see how this compares to salaried roles, check the full £16/hr salary guide.
What Does £16/Hour Get You?
On a 37.5-hour week, £16/hr gives you £2,165 per month after tax and National Insurance (or £500 per week). Here is what that looks like in practice:
Your monthly take-home of £2,165 gives you workable options. Budget roughly £714 for rent (a modest flat outside London or a room in zone 3+), £260 for bills and council tax, and £325 for food. After about £216 for travel, that leaves around £650 per month. That is enough for small savings contributions and occasional treats, but a tight budget if you have dependents. Use our tax calculator to model different weekly hours.
Who Earns Around £16 Per Hour?
A wide range of skilled and semi-skilled roles pay around £16 per hour in the UK. Common positions include:
- Qualified electrician (early career)
- Medical receptionist (experienced)
- Bookkeeper
- Support worker (specialist settings)
- Library assistant (local authority)
Salaries vary by location, employer, and experience. Use our take-home pay calculator to see your exact figures.
Moving Up from £16/Hour
From £16/hr, you are well-positioned to move into mid-level roles. Professional qualifications make the biggest difference at this stage: CIPD for HR, AAT/ACCA for accounting, PRINCE2 or Agile certifications for project management. In skilled trades, going self-employed or becoming a contractor can boost your effective rate by 30–50%. Management experience is also valuable — taking on team leader responsibilities, even informally, strengthens your CV for £22–28/hr roles. Healthcare workers should explore NHS band 6 positions, which typically pay £18–23/hr. See the jump to £25/hr: £25/hr salary breakdown.
£16 an Hour at Different Weekly Hours
Not everyone works a 37.5-hour week. Here is what £16 an hour comes to as an annual salary — and take-home pay after tax and National Insurance for 2026/27 — at the most common full-time and part-time schedules. A 40-hour week at £16/hr is £33,280 a year (take home £2,290/month), while a 30-hour week is £24,960 a year (take home £1,791/month).
| Weekly hours | Gross / year | Take home / year | Take home / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hrs/wk | £33,280 | £27,481 | £2,290 |
| 37.5 hrs/wk (standard) | £31,200 | £25,984 | £2,165 |
| 35 hrs/wk | £29,120 | £24,486 | £2,040 |
| 30 hrs/wk | £24,960 | £21,491 | £1,791 |
| 20 hrs/wk | £16,640 | £15,500 | £1,292 |
Gross = £16/hr × weekly hours × 52 weeks. Take-home figures apply the 2026/27 England income-tax bands (20/40/45%) and Class 1 National Insurance (8% / 2%), standard tax code, no student loan or pension. Change any assumption in the full calculator.
Different hours or want to add student loans?
Use our full calculator →Other Hourly Rates
See the full salary breakdown: £31,200 salary after tax