Take-home pay calculator South Africa (2026/27 net salary).
Estimate the salary you actually take home each month for the 2026/27 tax year, after PAYE, UIF, age-based rebates and any retirement contributions you choose to make. What lands in your bank account, not what's on the contract.
Updated for the 2026/27 tax year
Inputs · 2026/27
Net salary calculator
See what actually lands in your account each month after PAYE, UIF and deductions.
Take-Home Pay Calculator South Africa
Your gross salary is not what lands in your bank account. This calculator estimates your monthly take-home pay after PAYE, UIF and retirement contributions — so you can plan, budget and negotiate with confidence.
A plain-language guide to your tax.
What is take-home pay?
Take-home pay — also called your net salary — is the amount that actually lands in your bank account each month after all deductions are taken off your gross salary. The biggest deductions are PAYE (the income tax your employer pays to SARS on your behalf) and UIF. Retirement contributions, medical aid and other payroll deductions reduce it further, although some of those also lower the tax you pay.
Why your net pay is lower than your gross salary
Your gross salary is the headline figure in your contract, but you never receive all of it. PAYE is deducted according to SARS' progressive tax tables, UIF is deducted at 1% of your salary (capped at R177.12 a month), and any retirement or medical contributions come off too. The gap between gross and net is exactly what this calculator shows you.
How take-home pay is calculated in South Africa
We annualise your gross salary, subtract any retirement contributions to find your taxable income, apply SARS' progressive brackets, deduct your age-based rebate, then divide by twelve to get your monthly PAYE. We subtract that PAYE and your UIF from your gross salary to arrive at your monthly take-home pay. To see the same calculation expressed as your full-year liability, use the annual income tax calculator.
How UIF affects your take-home pay
UIF (the Unemployment Insurance Fund) is deducted at 1% of your remuneration each month, capped at R177.12. Your employer pays a matching 1%. It is a small but fixed reduction to your take-home pay, and unlike PAYE it does not change with your tax bracket.
How RA and pension contributions change your net salary
Retirement contributions reduce your take-home pay in cash terms, but not rand-for-rand — because they also lower your taxable income and therefore your PAYE. The result is that the true cost to your net salary is less than the contribution itself, since SARS effectively refunds part of it through a lower tax deduction. This is why contributing to a retirement annuity is one of the most efficient ways to use your salary.
Using take-home pay to compare job offers
When comparing two salary offers, the gross figures can be misleading because different structures (provident fund, medical aid, allowances) change what you actually receive. Comparing the net take-home figure for each offer gives you a true like-for-like comparison and a realistic basis for budgeting.
Frequently asked questions.
What is take-home pay?
Take-home pay, or net salary, is the amount paid into your bank account after PAYE, UIF and any payroll deductions such as pension, medical aid or RA contributions.
Why is my net pay different from my gross salary?
Your gross salary has PAYE and UIF deducted, plus any retirement or medical contributions. The amount left after these deductions is your take-home pay.
How is take-home pay calculated in South Africa?
Your gross salary is annualised, retirement contributions are subtracted to find taxable income, SARS' progressive brackets and your age-based rebate are applied, and the resulting PAYE plus UIF is deducted to give your monthly net pay.
How much is UIF deducted from my salary?
UIF is deducted at 1% of your remuneration each month, capped at R177.12. Your employer contributes a matching 1%.
Do retirement contributions reduce my take-home pay?
Yes, but not rand-for-rand. They lower your taxable income, so part of the contribution is offset by a lower PAYE deduction — making the real cost to your net salary smaller than the contribution.
Is take-home pay the same as net salary?
Yes. Take-home pay and net salary both refer to the amount you actually receive in your bank account after all deductions.
Which figure should I use when budgeting?
Always budget against your take-home (net) pay, not your gross salary, since the net amount is what you actually have available each month.
Related calculators and services.
Numbers are a start. Advice is the next step.
Lebon Consulting (FSP No. 52013) helps clients turn calculator outputs into properly structured insurance, retirement and investment decisions — on the record.