October 2026 · 10 min read
Salary vs Dividends: Optimal Split for Company Directors 2026/27
Compares a £5,000 and a £12,570 salary, with the employer National Insurance each one costs.
Read guide →UK Dividend Tax Guides (2026/27)
In-depth UK dividend tax guidance for contractors, directors, investors and retirees, covering 2026/27 rates and planning strategies.
The blog holds longer, single-topic articles on dividend tax for the 2026/27 tax year. Each works through one situation with figures, using the same rates as the calculators: the £500 dividend allowance, then 10.75%, 35.75% and 39.35%. Articles are grouped below by the question they answer, with a line on what each one adds.
For a quick number, use the calculators. For the rules on a specific point, such as how to declare a dividend or which tax year a dividend falls in, the guides section is usually the shorter read.
Running your own company
Salary, dividends and Corporation Tax for owner-directors.
October 2026 · 9 min read
Optimal Director Salary and Dividend Mix for 2026/27
Works the split through at several profit levels, including where Corporation Tax marginal relief bites.
Read guide →October 2026 · 12 min read
Dividend Tax for Limited Company Directors 2026/27: Complete Guide
The longest director article: salary, dividends, Corporation Tax and the paperwork in one place.
Read guide →May 2026 · 8 min read
Dividend Tax for Company Directors, Salary Plus Dividends
A shorter overview for new directors of how salary plus dividends is taxed.
Read guide →October 2026 · 8 min read
Pension Contributions to Reduce Dividend Tax 2026/27
How a pension contribution moves dividends from the 35.75% band back to 10.75%.
Read guide →Working out your own bill
Worked examples at specific amounts.
October 2026 · 8 min read
How Much Dividend Tax Will I Pay? 2026/27 Worked Examples
Five common situations, from a basic-rate employee to an additional-rate earner.
Read guide →October 2026 · 7 min read
How Much Dividend Tax on £50,000 Dividends? (2026/27 Worked Examples)
One amount, £50,000 of dividends, with no other income and on top of a £30,000 salary.
Read guide →October 2026 · 8 min read
Dividend Tax Planning for 2026/27: Strategies to Reduce Your Bill
The legitimate ways to reduce the bill: ISAs, pension contributions, the allowance and the basic-rate band.
Read guide →May 2026 · 5 min read
Dividend Tax in Wales 2026/27: What Welsh Taxpayers Need to Know
Why Welsh taxpayers pay the same dividend tax as England, and what the Welsh Rate of Income Tax covers.
Read guide →Investors
Shares and funds held outside an ISA or pension.
October 2026 · 9 min read
Dividend Tax on an Investment Portfolio 2026/27
How tax on a general investment account builds up as the portfolio grows.
Read guide →October 2026 · 6 min read
Dividend Tax on ISA vs Non-ISA Investments
The same holdings inside and outside an ISA, side by side.
Read guide →May 2026 · 6 min read
Dividend Tax vs Capital Gains Tax, Which Is Lower?
When taking income as dividends costs less than taking it as gains, and when it costs more.
Read guide →May 2026 · 8 min read
Foreign Dividend Tax UK 2026/27: Withholding Tax and How to Declare
Withholding tax abroad, treaty rates and claiming the credit on the Foreign pages.
Read guide →Background
How the rules got here.
October 2026 · 6 min read
UK Dividend Allowance History: £5,000 (2016) to £500 (2026/27)
The allowance and rates year by year since April 2016, and what each cut meant for shareholders.
Read guide →