💰 Take-Home Pay Calculator (SA)
See your exact salary after all taxes and deductions — updated for 2026/27 tax rules in the USA, UK, and South Africa.
South African take-home pay is gross salary minus PAYE income tax, UIF (1% employee + 1% employer, capped at R177.12/month each), and any voluntary pension or medical aid. SARS sets the PAYE bracket schedule, with the 2026/27 primary rebate of R17,820 reducing all individual taxpayers' liability.
South African PAYE is administratively straightforward compared with the UK or US, but marginal rates rise steeply and the limited tax-free thresholds mean middle-income SA earners often face a higher effective rate than their international peers on the same gross income.
The SARS PAYE bracket stack (verify against the latest Budget Review at sars.gov.za; brackets may be held flat or shifted in any given tax year): - 18% on R1 – R237,100 - 26% on R237,101 – R370,500 - 31% on R370,501 – R512,800 - 36% on R512,801 – R673,000 - 39% on R673,001 – R857,900 - 41% on R857,901 – R1,817,000 - 45% above R1,817,001
Rebates (2026/27, applied as a reduction to tax liability): - Primary rebate: R17,820 (all taxpayers) - Secondary rebate (65+): additional R9,765 - Tertiary rebate (75+): additional R3,249
Tax thresholds (2026/27 taxable income below which no tax is payable): - Under 65: R99,000 - 65-74: R153,250 - 75+: R171,300
UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund): - 1% employee + 1% employer (matched) - Capped at R17,712 monthly remuneration, equating to R177.12 per side per month - Applies to virtually all employed workers including domestic workers
Voluntary deductions the calculator handles: - Retirement annuity / pension fund: deductible up to 27.5% of remuneration or taxable income (whichever is greater), capped at R430,000/year from 1 March 2026 (up from R350,000) - Medical aid: medical scheme fees tax credit of R376/month for the first two beneficiaries and R254/month for each additional beneficiary (2026/27 SARS values) - Travel allowance: 78% taxable, 22% if a logbook proves business use
The calculator outputs annual gross-to-net, monthly cash-in-hand, marginal tax rate on the next rand earned, effective tax rate, and an optimisation pass that solves for the retirement annuity contribution that maximises after-tax wealth under the 27.5% deduction cap. For underlying rate schedules and rebate amounts, the SARS Income Tax Tables and the National Treasury Budget Review are the authoritative sources, updated each February.
See your exact salary after all taxes and deductions — updated for 2026/27 tax rules in the USA, UK, and South Africa.
🌍 Compare across USA, UK, and South Africa side-by-side →
How is take-home pay calculated?
Take-home pay is your gross salary minus income tax, social security or national insurance, and any pre-tax pension or retirement contributions. UK: income-tax bands + 8% National Insurance above £12,570. USA: federal/state tax + 7.65% FICA. South Africa: PAYE per SARS tax tables + 1% UIF, less rebates.
Use our dedicated SA Tax Calculator →| Deduction | Annual | Per Period |
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How to use this calculator
Takes about 2 minutes.
- Pick your region — USA, UK, or South Africa — to load the right tax tables
- Enter your gross annual salary and choose your pay frequency
- USA: pick your filing status and state, then add 401(k) % and pre-tax deductions
- UK: enter your pension contribution % and choose any student loan plan
- South Africa: select your age band, medical aid members, and any monthly RA contribution
- Review your monthly and annual take-home pay plus the full tax breakdown
Try these scenarios
Tap a scenario to load it into the calculator above.
Methodology & Sources
This calculator implements progressive income tax with NI/FICA/PAYE bands: Take-home = Gross − Σ(bracket_i × marginal_rate_i) − NI/FICA contributions. Region-specific tax and rate defaults are sourced directly from each country's primary government source and reviewed against the publication date below.
- USA: IRS — federal income tax brackets and contribution limits.
- UK: GOV.UK — HMRC personal allowance, National Insurance, and dividend rates.
- SA: SARS — personal income tax brackets and tax rebates.
Last verified: May 2026.
Key concepts
Gross vs. net. Your gross salary is the headline figure on your contract; your net (take-home) is what lands in your bank account after income tax, social-security contributions, and any pre-tax deductions like pension or health insurance.
Marginal vs. effective rate. Your marginal rate is the tax on your next dollar earned; your effective rate is your total tax divided by total income. Most people quote marginal but plan with effective. Progressive systems (IRS, HMRC) tax higher slices of income at higher rates, so the average is always below the top marginal bracket.
Pre-tax vs. post-tax contributions. US 401(k) and UK pension salary-sacrifice contributions come off gross — they reduce taxable income and increase take-home relative to the equivalent post-tax saving. Roth contributions are post-tax but grow tax-free.
State and regional layers. The US adds state income tax (zero in TX, FL, WA; up to 13% in CA). The UK has separate Scottish bands. The calculator applies the right layer based on your selection.
FICA / National Insurance. Social-security contributions are flat or near-flat rate up to a cap — 7.65% FICA in the US (until the SS wage base) and 8% Class 1 NI in the UK above the primary threshold.
Frequently Asked Questions
SA tax + payroll deductions
South African PAYE runs on a sliding-scale model administered by SARS. Your employer withholds tax each month based on annualised earnings, applies the primary rebate every taxpayer is entitled to, and pays UIF on top. The system is simple by international standards but the brackets bite earlier than people expect — a R450,000 salary is already well into the 31% marginal band.
2025-26 SARS personal income tax brackets
- 18% on taxable income up to R237,100
- R42,678 + 26% of income above R237,100, up to R370,500
- R77,362 + 31% of income above R370,500, up to R512,800
- R121,475 + 36% of income above R512,800, up to R673,000
- R179,147 + 39% of income above R673,000, up to R857,900
- R251,258 + 41% of income above R857,900, up to R1,817,000
- R644,489 + 45% of income above R1,817,000
Rebates and medical credits
The primary rebate of R17,235 (under 65) comes off everyone's tax bill — that is the figure that makes the first R95,750 of taxable income effectively tax-free in 2025-26. Taxpayers 65 and older get an additional secondary rebate of R9,444; those 75 and above get a further tertiary rebate of R3,145.
Medical scheme fees tax credits (MTC) are flat monthly amounts deducted directly from PAYE:
- R364/month for the main member
- R364/month for the first dependent
- R246/month for each additional dependent
UIF — Unemployment Insurance Fund
UIF is 1% employee plus 1% employer, calculated on remuneration capped at R17,712/month — so the deduction tops out at R177.12 per side, per month, even if you earn R500,000 a month. Contributions buy access to unemployment, illness, maternity, and adoption benefits administered by the Department of Employment and Labour.
Worked example: R600,000 annual income (under 65, 2025-26)
No retirement annuity, single member on medical aid. Taxable income of R600,000 falls in the 36% marginal bracket. Tax before rebates: R121,475 + 36% × (R600,000 − R512,800) = R121,475 + R31,392 = R152,867. Subtract primary rebate R17,235 and the annualised single-member MTC of R4,368 (R364 × 12). Net PAYE roughly R131,264. Add UIF capped at R2,125.44/year. Take-home approximately R466,611, or roughly R38,884/month — an effective rate near 22%. Add a R5,000/month RA contribution and PAYE drops by roughly R21,600, lifting take-home another R1,800/month after the contribution itself. Sources: SARS Rates of Tax for Individuals, SARS Rebates, Department of Employment and Labour UIF.
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