Salary & Dividend Tax Calculator | Gorilla (2024)

Use our salary & dividend tax calculator to find out how much tax you will pay and your take home pay based on your salary and annual dividend payments

If you’re self-employed and operating as a limited company you should already be familiar with the greater control, flexibility and tax-efficiency presented by structuring your remuneration through a combination of dividend payments and director’s salary.

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If you’re self-employed and operating as a limited company you should already be familiar with the greater control, flexibility and tax-efficiency presented by structuring your remuneration through a combination of dividend payments and director’s salary.

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Salary & Dividend Tax Calculator | Gorilla (4)

Dividends are usually distributed quarterly but as a contractor operating as a limited company, you have flexibility and can pay yourself dividends annually, twice per year, monthly or whenever your company has surplus funds available.

In addition to the £12,570 tax-free personal allowance, it’s important to note that you don’t pay any dividend tax on the first £500 you receive in dividends, no matter how much other income you receive. This means you can receive £13,070 dividend income tax-free this tax year, providing you have no other taxable income.

If your salary is between £12,570 and £50,270 it will be taxed at 20% and an 8% national insurance contribution is levied against it. That’s 28% tax against salaried earnings; a significantly higher tax rate than you’d pay against dividends in the basic rate band.

No tax has to be paid on dividends from shares held in an ISA, and your dividend allowance is unaffected. Up to £20,000 can be saved in stocks & shares ISAs in the 24/25 tax year with no tax liability. Furthermore, capital gains tax isn’t payable against any profits from investments in your stocks & shares ISAs.

Our combined salary tax calculator and dividend tax calculator enables you to easily calculate how much income tax and tax on dividends you will pay based on your current salary, and the annual dividend payments you receive to work out your take home pay. Simply enter your gross salary and the amount of dividends you’ll receive this tax year.

Contact ustoday if you need expert advice on improving your tax-efficiency, company incorporation or self-assessment tax returns.

Don’t just take our word for it

How Dividends work

Dividends are a portion of company profit that is paid to shareholders in exchange for their investment in the business. Various factors affect the dividend amount such as the amount of surplus income the company has available and the percentage of shareholdings the shareholder has.

Dividends are calculated by distributing the profits a company has made after corporation tax has been levied at a rate between 19% – 25% depending on your corporation tax band. In most cases dividends are taxed after other income sources have already been taxed.

Unlike with salaries and wages, dividend income is not taxed at source via Pay As You Earn (PAYE). Recipients are responsible for declaring their dividend income to HMRC by completing aself-assessment tax returnat the end of each tax year.

Calculating tax on dividends works more or less in the same way as the tax on any other income. The essential distinction is the dividend tax rates which are lower than income tax rates. For the 2024/25 financial year (6th April 2024 – 5th April 2025), income from dividends is taxed as follows:

  • £0 – £12,570 | 0% (Personal Allowance)
  • £12,571 – £50,270 | 8.75% (Basic Rate)
  • £50,271 – £125,140 | 33.75% (Higher Rate)
  • Over £125,140 | 39.35% (Additional Rate)

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Salary & Dividend Tax Calculator | Gorilla (7)

Ready to switch?

Many contractors will stay with their current accountant even if they aren’t receiving the service they deserve. Perhaps they are over-paying or struggling with slow response times to queries. Appointing an accountant that you can trust gives you peace of mind that your accounting and tax obligations are in order allowing you to fully focus on your business.

Switching to Gorilla is easy! Our efficient, streamlined switching and onboarding process means we’ll have you set up and benefitting from our service in no time. We’ll take care of everything for you and can even contact your previous accountant for you to obtain the accounting records and information required.

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*The information presented by the contractor tax calculator is for illustrative purposes only and merely producesa generic guide to your expected take home pay based onthe information provided. Gorilla Accounting will accept no liabilityfor any loss suffered for any reliance placed on the above.

Salary & Dividend Tax Calculator | Gorilla (2024)

FAQs

How much tax will I pay on my dividend income? ›

Qualified dividends are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% depending on taxable income and filing status. Nonqualified dividends are taxed as income at rates up to 37%. IRS form 1099-DIV helps taxpayers to accurately report dividend income.

How to calculate income tax on dividends? ›

The DDT rate is 15% on the gross dividend amount as per Section 115O. i.e., the effective DDT rate is 17.65%* on the dividend amount. However, for dividends that fall U/S 2(22)(e) of Income Tax Act, the DDT rate is 30%. For example, suppose a company declares a dividend of Rs 2,00,000.

How much do you need to make in dividends to report on taxes? ›

307. If you receive over $1,500 of taxable ordinary dividends, you must report these dividends on Schedule B (Form 1040), Interest and Ordinary Dividends. If you receive dividends in significant amounts, you may be subject to the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) and may have to pay estimated tax to avoid a penalty.

Is it better to pay yourself a salary or dividends in the USA? ›

The short answer for business owners is that for basic rate taxpayers, paying dividends is nearly always the better option, regardless of changes in the Corporation Tax (CT) rate the company pays. This is because dividends do not attract NICs and offer tax advantages for lower rate taxpayers.

How to avoid paying taxes on dividends? ›

You may be able to avoid all income taxes on dividends if your income is low enough to qualify for zero capital gains if you invest in a Roth retirement account or buy dividend stocks in a tax-advantaged education account.

Do dividends count as income for social security? ›

Pension payments, annuities, and the interest or dividends from your savings and investments are not earnings for Social Security purposes. You may need to pay income tax, but you do not pay Social Security taxes.

Are dividends taxed when declared or paid? ›

Investors pay taxes on the dividend the year it is announced, not the year they are paid the dividend.

How do you calculate taxable income formula? ›

It can be described broadly as adjusted gross income (AGI) minus allowable itemized or standard deductions.

How do you calculate dividends on a 1099? ›

Box 1a of your 1099-DIV will report the total amount of ordinary dividends you receive. Box 1b reports the portion of box 1a that is considered to be qualified dividends. If your investment makes a reportable capital gain distribution to you, it will be reported in box 2a.

Do dividends increase your tax bracket? ›

Qualified dividends are taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on your income level and tax filing status. Ordinary (nonqualified) dividends and taxable distributions are taxed at your marginal income tax rate, which is determined by your taxable earnings.

Should I count dividends as income? ›

Key Takeaways

All dividends paid to shareholders must be included on their gross income, but qualified dividends will get more favorable tax treatment. A qualified dividend is taxed at the capital gains tax rate, while ordinary dividends are taxed at standard federal income tax rates.

Are dividends double taxed? ›

Double taxation occurs when taxes are levied twice on a single source of income. Often, this occurs when dividends are taxed. Like individuals, corporations pay taxes on annual earnings. If these corporations later pay out dividends to shareholders, those shareholders may have to pay income tax on them.

Do owner distributions count as income? ›

Dividends come exclusively from your business's profits and count as taxable income for you and other owners. General corporations, unlike S-Corps and LLCs, pay corporate tax on their profits. Distributions that are paid out after that are considered “after-tax” and are taxable to the owners that receive them.

Does an owner's draw count as income? ›

For many individuals, an owner's draw is classified as income and may be subject to federal, state, local, and self-employment taxes, so it's important to plan ahead before filing taxes.

Can an LLC pay out dividends? ›

Dividends

LLC members may also receive a dividend (or a “distribution,” as it is generally referred to in the statutes). However, members have to approve the issuance of dividends, unless their operating agreement denies them the right.

Are dividends taxed higher than capital gains? ›

Capital gains are charged with high tax amounts, while dividends have low taxes. Investors who get dividends vs. capital gains are applicable to pay tax on these gains. The tax on net capital gains depends on the asset being sold, whether long-term or short-term.

Do you pay taxes on reinvested dividends? ›

Dividends from stocks or funds are taxable income, whether you receive them or reinvest them. Qualified dividends are taxed at lower capital gains rates; unqualified dividends as ordinary income. Putting dividend-paying stocks in tax-advantaged accounts can help you avoid or delay the taxes due.

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