What Salary Do I Need? UK Take-Home Target Calculator

Section 1 of 4

Your target

Set the amount you want and the period it applies to.

1 · The answer you need

What should the salary achieve?

Target typeRequired

Target periodRequired

Amount you want (£)Required

Current annual salary (£) OptionalUsed only to show the gross pay-rise gap.

Expected annual work and commute costs (£) OptionalLeave blank if unknown. Enter £0 only when you mean no cost. For an after-cost target, this answer is required.

Take-home means payslip money after modelled deductions. Money after work costs subtracts only the cost amount you supply.

Advanced detailsWork-cost breakdown and working-time basis

Use a breakdown instead of the annual total when you know its parts. The two methods are never added together.

Use this breakdown instead of the annual work-cost total

Annual commute costs (£)

Other annual work costs (£)

Annual employer reimbursements (£)Only reimbursements for costs entered here.

Optional equivalents and time

Hourly and day equivalents appear only when you provide a valid work basis.

Paid working hours per week

Average physical paid hours worked per week across the yearExclude paid leave not worked. Leave blank if unknown; enter 0 only when there are no physical paid hours.

Working days per week

Average additional unpaid work hours per week across the year

Commute minutes per working day

Normal unpaid break minutes per working dayShown separately and excluded from real-life hourly value.

Section 2 of 4

Tax & pension

Add the tax, loan and pension details that shape the required salary.

2 · Essential assumptions

Tax and loan details

Tax yearRequired

Income Tax regionRequired

Tax codeRequiredUse the full code from your payslip, such as S1257L or K500.

Student loanRequired

Include a postgraduate loan

Advanced detailsPension and specialist tax details

How is your pension taken?

Enter pension as

Employee pension contribution (%)

Percentage applies to

For relief at source, enter a gross percentage including the provider top-up. For an annual amount, enter the amount actually deducted from your pay, excluding the provider top-up.

Other annual salary sacrifice (£)

Confirmed annual non-cash taxable benefits (£)Enter only a confirmed taxable value that is not already reflected in the tax code.

Blind Person’s Allowance

Fixed deductions from an old payslip are never silently reused at a different salary.

Section 3 of 4

Review

Check the two sides or target, then calculate.

What salary do I need?

Your target

What should the salary achieve?

Optional equivalents and time

Tax & pension

Tax and loan details

Review

Results

Review compatible answers

Can use

Still needed

Couldn’t use