Question 1

How do I calculate what salary I need?

Accepted Answer

Enter your desired take-home pay (monthly or annual) and our calculator works backwards to find the gross salary you'd need. It accounts for income tax, National Insurance, and student loan repayments at current 2025/26 rates.

Question 2

Why is the required salary so much higher than my target take-home?

Accepted Answer

UK income tax and National Insurance take a significant portion of your earnings. A basic rate taxpayer loses about 28% to tax and NI. Higher earners lose 42% or more. If your target falls in the Personal Allowance taper zone (£100k–£125k gross), the required salary may be disproportionately higher due to the 60% effective marginal rate.

Question 3

Does this calculator account for pension contributions?

Accepted Answer

The calculator currently shows the gross salary needed before pension deductions. Since pension contributions depend on the gross salary (which is what we're solving for), the result shows what you'd need to earn with no pension. If you have pension contributions, you'll need a slightly higher gross to achieve the same take-home.

Question 4

How accurate is this calculator?

Accepted Answer

The calculator uses a binary search algorithm accurate to within £1 of your target take-home. It uses official HMRC 2025/26 tax rates and thresholds. The result is the minimum gross salary that would give you at least your target net income.