Free UK Landlord Tool

Section 24 Tax Impact Calculator

Quantify how Section 24 changes your tax bill as a higher-rate landlord. Compare the old full-deduction method against the current 20% credit and see the £ delta.

Your marginal tax band
Tax (pre-2017 rules)
£4,560
If interest were still fully deductible
Tax (current rules)
£6,360
Section 24 — 20% credit only
Extra tax from Section 24
£1,800
Annual hit from the rule change
Cash flow (pre-tax)
£11,400
Income minus expenses minus interest
Net cash after tax
£5,040
Effective tax rate 31.2%

Why Section 24 matters

Before 2017, every £1 of buy-to-let mortgage interest reduced your taxable rental profit by £1. A higher-rate taxpayer saved 40p in tax for every £1 of interest. From the 2020/21 tax year, that full deduction was replaced with a flat 20% tax credit.

The effect: for higher-rate landlords with significant interest costs, the headline tax bill can now exceed the actual cash flow generated by the portfolio. Many landlords end up paying tax on income they don't really earn.

This calculator quantifies the cost. Compare the "pre-2017" column (what you'd be paying if the old rules applied) against the "current rules" column — the gap is the annual cost of Section 24 to you personally.

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