Take Home Pay Calculator
Your pay slip has more cuts than just tax. This tool lets you add them all so you see your true take home.
I use this sum every time I change jobs or my pay moves.
Union fees, life cover, loan pay backs.
Retirement cuts come out before tax in most plans, so they lower your tax a little too.
How to use this tool
- 1Gross pay times tax rate gives the tax cut.
- 2Take away tax and other cuts from gross pay.
- 3What is left is the cash that lands in your bank.
The math behind it
Take home = gross pay - all cuts
Gross 4,000 a month with 800 in tax and cuts leaves 3,200 take home.
That is the number your rent should really be priced against.
Who this tool is for
I watch which tools folk open most, and this one gets used by the same kinds of people again and again. If any of these sound like you, you are in the right place.
- Any one whose pay slip looks like a puzzle
- Folk with several small cuts eating their pay
- Job switchers comparing two offers for real
A reader once mailed me two pay slips and one question. Why do these differ by 140 dollars for the same pay? The answer was a gym plan and a dental plan he forgot he signed. We ran this sum to gether and he fixed both in a week. Small cuts matter when you can see them.
Tips from me
- Always plan your life on take home, never on gross. The gap is where budgets break.
- If your cuts move each month, run the tool with your worst month first.
- Round your take home down when you plan. Small pads save big fights.
Mistakes I see with this sum
These are the three slips I made my self or watch folk make most. Skip them and your number will be closer to the truth on the first try.
- 1Only counting tax and ignoring the small cuts. Small cuts are a second tax.
- 2Using last years rate after a raise or a move.
- 3Forgetting pre tax cuts lower your tax a little. The math is not all bad news.
Two words worth knowing
Pre tax
Taken out before tax is worked out. Lowers your tax a bit.
Post tax
Taken out after tax. Does not change your tax bill.
That is the whole page. The tool does the math, and the words above give it a shape. If a number still looks odd, change an input and watch what moves. Playing with the boxes taught me more than any guide did.
Common questions
+What counts as other cuts?
Any thing your job takes out that is not tax. Health cover, work plans, union fees or a loan pay back.
+Can I use yearly pay?
Yes. Split your yearly pay by 12 first, or use my salary after tax tool for a yearly view.
+Gross or net for rent rules?
Net. The old rule says rent near a third of take home. Gross rules belong to lenders, not to your life.
+Where do I find my cuts?
Your payslip lists them. Tax, cover, pension. Add them all and type the total as one rate.
+Why is my take home different each month?
Variable hours, bonuses or one off cuts. Use a few months of averages for planning.