What next?
Take-home pay is the input to almost every other decision. Here is what it usually feeds into.
How to use this calculator
- Choose your country and enter your gross annual salary.
- UK only: enter the tax code from your payslip. It sets your allowance, and an S or C prefix switches to Scottish or Welsh rates.
- Add any pension, student loan or other pre-tax deductions.
- Set your hours per week — 37.5 is the usual full-time figure. It only affects the hourly rate, not the tax.
- Read your take-home pay per hour, day, week, fortnight, month and year.
What your result means
Take-home pay is what reaches your account after income tax, national insurance/social security and the deductions you entered; deductions is everything taken off your gross. It is a close estimate based on standard bands — your real payslip can still differ with mid-year code changes, benefits and local rules.
For the UK, the tax code is what makes the estimate yours rather than generic. The number is your tax-free allowance with the last digit dropped, so 1257L means £12,570 tax-free. The letter carries the reason: L is the standard allowance, M and N mean Marriage Allowance has been transferred to or from you, and T means HMRC reviews the figure individually. Codes with no number at all — BR, D0, D1 — tax the whole of that job at one rate because your allowance is being used elsewhere, which is normal on a second job or a pension. A K code is the reverse: untaxed benefits exceed your allowance, so income is added rather than deducted, capped so PAYE never takes more than half your gross pay.
The prefix sets the rate table. S means you are a Scottish taxpayer, so six bands from 19% to 48% apply instead of three; C means Welsh rates, which currently match the rest of the UK. A W1, M1 or X suffix is an emergency, non-cumulative code: each payday is taxed on its own rather than against your year to date, so the annual figure here assumes level pay and any difference is squared up when HMRC issues a cumulative code.
Why this one is different
Eight tax systems sit behind one form, from the UK and Ireland to India and the UAE, each with its own bands rather than a single set of numbers relabelled. Pension, student loan and charitable giving come off on top. Every system links to its own official source beneath the result, so a threshold can be checked at the government that set it.
Why your headline salary isn't what lands in your account
The number on your contract is a headline, not a promise. Wherever you are in the world, income tax and a social-security contribution take their cut first — and usually the more you earn, the bigger the slice on each extra unit. That's why a pay rise can feel strangely small once it clears.
On top of tax, voluntary and mandatory deductions — pension, student loan, charity, health cover — reshape your real take-home. Some come out before tax (lowering the tax you pay), others after. This calculator handles both so you see the true figure.
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Your salary in perspective
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Frequently asked questions
How accurate are these figures?＋
They're solid estimates using each country's main national income-tax bands and social contribution, plus a standard deduction/allowance where one applies. They don't cover regional/state/provincial taxes, local surcharges or personal reliefs, so treat the result as a close guide rather than a payslip.
What's the difference between pre-tax and post-tax deductions?＋
Pre-tax deductions (like pension and "other pre-tax") are taken from your gross before tax is calculated, so they lower your taxable income. Post-tax deductions (charity, health, student loan here) come out of what's left after tax.
Why does salary sacrifice increase my take-home more than a normal pension contribution?＋
Because it reduces gross pay before both income tax and National Insurance are calculated, whereas a standard contribution is usually relieved from income tax only. The National Insurance saving is what makes sacrifice arrangements more efficient for the same amount contributed.
How are student loan repayments worked out?＋
As a percentage of income above a threshold that depends on which plan you are on, not a percentage of everything you earn. Repayments start only once you cross the threshold and rise with income above it. Different plans have different thresholds and rates.
Does this work for someone paid hourly or on a variable income?＋
It calculates from an annual figure, so an hourly or variable income needs converting to an annual equivalent first. Bear in mind that PAYE spreads allowances evenly across the year, so a month with unusually high earnings can be over-taxed and corrected later rather than being wrong permanently.
Example calculation
A £35,000 salary (illustrative England 2026/27 thresholds, under state pension age):
Income tax 20% × £22,430 = £4,486
National Insurance 8% × £22,430 = £1,794
Take-home ≈ £28,720/year (≈ £2,393/month)
Rates and thresholds change each tax year and differ in Scotland.
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Assumptions & limitations
Every figure here comes from a simplified model. Keep these limits in mind when reading your result:
- Uses standard tax and contribution rates for the country selected. The UK table is current for 2026/27 (personal allowance £12,570 and the higher-rate threshold £50,270, both frozen to April 2031). Every other table is on its current year too, and each one names that year in its “how this is worked out” note — the United States and Canada on 2026 federal brackets, Australia on 2026–27 resident rates, Ireland on 2026 bands and credits, South Africa on the 2026/27 SARS brackets, and India on the FY 2026-27 New Tax Regime. Each covers national tax and social contributions only: US state, Canadian provincial and other local taxes are not modelled, so treat those results as a floor rather than a full bill.
- Doesn’t model every allowance, relief or local levy.
- Your actual take-home can differ — treat this as a close estimate.
- Hourly and daily rates assume a 52-week year and a 5-day week. If you are paid overtime, or your hours vary week to week, the hourly figure is an average rather than a rate.
- The national comparison uses gross salary against a national gross figure, and is available only for the four countries where an official statistics office publishes one on a basis we can name and date.