ListenToTaxman vs PayslipCheck
ListenToTaxman has been running since 1998. Here's an honest look at what they do well — and where a newer tool built for 2026 does it better.
They solve different problems
ListenToTaxman is a salary calculator. You enter an annual salary and get an estimated take-home. It's been doing this reliably since 1998 and it does it well.
PayslipCheck is a payslip checker. You enter your actual payslip figures — gross pay, tax code, NI category, pension type — and we verify whether your deductions match what HMRC says you should pay. We also have a take-home calculator, but the core purpose is different: we check your real payslip for errors.
If you want to know roughly what you'll earn at a new salary: ListenToTaxman works fine. If you want to know whether your current payslip is correct: PayslipCheck.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ListenToTaxman | PayslipCheck |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Salary → take-home estimate | ✅Payslip checker + take-home calculator |
| Checks actual payslip for errors | No — estimate only | ✅Yes — compares your figures to HMRC rules |
| Pension input | No pension input | ✅Full pension (salary sacrifice, net pay, RAS) |
| Visual chart | No chart | ✅Interactive doughnut chart + waterfall |
| Scotland support | No Scottish-specific content | ✅Dedicated Scottish calculator + comparison tool |
| Sector guides (NHS, teachers) | None | ✅NHS, Teaching, Umbrella, Amazon, Royal Mail |
| Multilingual | English only | ✅Polish, Romanian, Punjabi, Urdu, Tagalog |
| Month-on-month comparison | £24/year paid subscription | ✅Free |
| Open Graph / social sharing | Missing OG tags | ✅Full OG tags on every page |
| Page speed | Unmerged CSS/JS, older architecture | ✅Next.js static, Cloudflare CDN |
| Domain age / authority | ✅28 years (1998) — very high authority | New — building authority |
| Brand recognition | ✅~297,000 visits/month, well-known | Growing — newer brand |
| Price | Free + £24/year premium | ✅100% free |
Frequently asked questions
Is ListenToTaxman free?
ListenToTaxman has a free calculator but charges £24/year for their premium tax insights, PDF reports, and saved calculations. PayslipCheck is completely free with no subscription.
What is the difference between ListenToTaxman and PayslipCheck?
ListenToTaxman is a salary calculator — you enter an annual salary and get a take-home estimate. PayslipCheck is a payslip checker — you enter your actual payslip figures and we verify whether your deductions are correct. They solve different problems.
Does ListenToTaxman check if my payslip is correct?
No. ListenToTaxman calculates estimated take-home pay from a salary figure. It does not compare your actual payslip deductions against HMRC rules to find errors. PayslipCheck does this — enter your actual figures and we flag discrepancies.
Check your actual payslip — free
Enter your real figures and see instantly whether your deductions are correct.