Company Information▼
Employee Information▼
Pay Details▼
Bank Details (for EFT)▼
Tax References (for HMRC)▼
Leave Balance (Optional)▼
Custom Payslip Items▼
| Description | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
| Basic Salary | 0.00 |
| Allowances | 0.00 |
| Statutory Deductions | |
| PAYE (Income Tax) | -0.00 |
| National Insurance | -0.00 |
| Other Deductions | -0.00 |
| Total Earnings | 0.00 |
| Total Deductions | -0.00 |
| Net Pay | £0.00 |
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Free Payslip Generator for UK Businesses
Creating payslips for your employees doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. SmartSheets's free payslip generator is built specifically for the United Kingdom — it automatically calculates PAYE income tax using the latest HMRC 2026/2027 tax bands, National Insurance contributions (8% employee above £12,570, 15% employer above £5,000), and shows a clear earnings-and-deductions breakdown that meets the itemised pay statement requirements of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Simply enter your employee's salary, choose a template, and download a professional PDF payslip — no payroll software subscription needed.
How to Generate a Payslip — Step by Step
Add your company name, address, PAYE reference number, and National Insurance reference number.
Fill in the employee's name, ID/passport number, and job title.
Select the month or pay cycle (e.g. "March 2026" or "Week 1–4, March 2026").
PAYE tax and National Insurance are calculated automatically from the salary amount.
Include travel, housing, overtime, pension, private medical insurance, and other items.
Pick from 7 layouts: Corporate, Classic, Modern, Minimal, Executive, Compact, or Bold.
Save as PDF, email directly to the employee, or send to the self-service portal.
What's Included in Every Payslip
Automatic PAYE Tax
PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is the income tax withheld from an employee's salary each month. Our generator uses the official HMRC 2026/2027 tax tables — annual brackets from 18% to 45%, with primary rebate (£12,570), the taper above £100,000, and National Insurance at 8%. Just enter the salary and the tax is calculated instantly.
National Insurance & Apprenticeship Levy Deductions
National Insurance is 8% of earnings between £12,570 and£50,270 a year, then 2% above. Employers pay15% on everything above £5,000, with no upper cap. The Apprenticeship Levy of 0.5% applies only to employers with a pay bill over £3,000,000. Both are calculated automatically.
Employment Rights Act 1996 Compliance
Section 33 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 requires every payslip to include: employer name and address, employee name and occupation, pay period, gross remuneration, itemised deductions, and net pay. Our payslips include all required fields. Non-compliance can result in fines.
Professional Templates
7 professionally designed layouts generating clean A4 PDFs. Corporate (blue) for professional services, Classic (green) for traditional businesses, Modern (teal) for tech companies, Minimal (grayscale) for clean simplicity, plus Executive, Compact, and Bold premium designs.
Free Payroll & Tax Tools for the United Kingdom
In addition to our payslip generator, we offer a complete suite of free calculators and tools for UK businesses:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this payslip generator really free?
Yes. You can generate 1 payslip per month completely free with no signup required. The free plan includes automatic PAYE and National Insurance calculations, PDF download, and access to the Corporate and Classic templates. For more payslips and premium templates, see our pricing plans.
How does the PAYE calculation work?
Our generator uses the official HMRC 2026/2027 annual tax brackets. It takes the employee's monthly taxable income, annualises it, applies the progressive tax rates (18% to 45%), subtracts the applicable rebates (primary, secondary, or tertiary based on age), and divides by 12 to get the monthly PAYE amount. This is the same method prescribed by HMRC for employers.
What is National Insurance and how much is deducted?
National Insurance is deducted at 8% on earnings between the Primary Threshold of£12,570 and the Upper Earnings Limit of £50,270 a year, then 2% on anything above. Employers pay a further15% above £5,000, with no upper limit. National Insurance contributions build entitlement to the State Pension and contributory benefits.
Is the payslip Employment Rights Act 1996-compliant?
Yes. Our payslips include all fields required by Section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act: employer details, employee name and occupation, pay period, gross remuneration, itemised deductions, and net pay. The Employment Rights Act 1996 requires employers to provide a written payslip with every payment.
Can I generate payslips for domestic workers?
Yes. Domestic workers in the United Kingdom are covered by the Employment Rights Act 1996, which means they are entitled to a written payslip. Enter the domestic worker's salary, and the generator will calculate PAYE (if applicable) and National Insurance contributions. Domestic employers must also register with HMRC and the National Insurance.
Can I email payslips directly to employees?
Yes. After generating a payslip, click "Email Payslip" and enter the employee's email address. The PDF payslip will be sent directly to their inbox. Premium users can also set up an employee self-service portal where employees can log in and view their own payslips.
What are the current HMRC PAYE tax brackets for 2026/2027?
The 2026/2027 Income Tax bands are: £12,571–£50,270 at 20%, £50,271–£125,140 at 40%, above £125,140 at 45%. The Personal Allowance is £12,570. Our payslip generator applies these brackets automatically.
Do I need to register with HMRC to use this?
You don't need a HMRC registration to use the payslip generator, but if you employ staff, UK law requires you to register as an employer with HMRC within 21 business days. This gives you a PAYE reference number for monthly P32 submissions. You can add your PAYE and National Insurance reference numbers to the payslip for compliance.
Can I download a blank payslip template?
Yes! Visit our Payslip Template page to download free Employment Rights Act 1996-compliant payslip templates in Excel (.xlsx) and Word (.docx) formats. These templates include all required fields and can be customised with your company details.
Is my data safe?
The free payslip generator works entirely in your browser — salary data is not sent to any server. If you create an account, your data is stored securely on Google Cloud (Firebase) with encryption at rest and in transit. We never share your data with third parties.
Learn More About Payroll in the United Kingdom
Not based in the United Kingdom? Use our free international payslip generator with support for USD, GBP, EUR, INR, NGN, KES, PHP, AUD, CAD, and custom currencies.