Tax on bonus
Hi all, I'm hoping someone can explain the tax I paid on my April pay + bonus that I just got paid. The tax paid seems higher than expected and I'm not sure if this is because the tax calculation as PAYE has pushed me into the higher rate tax band based on assumptions about future earnings.
Last year (25/26) my pay was £41,500 and I received a bonus of 20% which was paid today, 24th April 2026.
I calculate this bonus to be £8,300.
My pay has increased this year to £42,662 (an increase of 2.8%). My monthly pay is therefore £3,556.
My total pay for this month is therefore £8,300 + £3,556 = £11,855, and my normal pay for the rest of the year would be £3,556.
The total tax that I've paid this month is £3,603, which is higher than I would have expected to pay.
Can anyone help show how the tax calculation should be done on this given that it's the start of the tax year?
Does this bonus and tax payment assume I'm in the higher tax rate band, and could I have overpaid?
Let me know if anything is missing.