Required salary calculator
Start from the take-home you need each month and work backwards to the salary that produces it.
How this is calculated
There is no clean formula that runs PAYE backwards, because the bands, the National Insurance thresholds and the personal allowance taper all interact. So this searches instead: it tries a salary, calculates the take-home, and narrows the range until it matches your target.
The search runs to a fraction of a penny, so the answer is exact rather than approximate.
The pension percentage is applied to the gross salary, which means asking for a higher take-home while also contributing more requires a disproportionately larger salary.
Above £100,000 the personal allowance tapers away, so each extra pound of take-home in that band needs around £2.50 of extra gross salary.
Rates used · 2026/27
| Personal allowance | £12,570 |
| Basic rate 20% | £12,571 to £50,270 |
| Higher rate 40% | £50,271 to £125,140 |
| Additional rate 45% | above £125,140 |
| Allowance taper | £1 lost per £2 above £100,000 |
Last checked July 2026. Source: HMRC and gov.uk.
Worked example
To take home £2,500 a month with a 5% pension and no student loan you would need a gross salary of about £38,942. Push the target to £4,000 a month and the salary needed rises far faster than the target does, because the extra falls in the 40% band.
Common questions
Why does the answer jump so much at higher targets?
Because the marginal rate rises. Once you are into the 40% band, each extra pound of take-home needs nearly two pounds of gross, and in the taper band it needs about two and a half.
Should I include my pension in the target?
No. Enter the take-home you want to receive. The pension is deducted before that, and the calculator accounts for it separately.
Is this useful for negotiating?
Yes, as a floor. It tells you the salary that meets your actual requirement, which is a more concrete position than a number you picked because it sounded right.
Does it work for the self-employed?
No. Self-employed profit is taxed differently, with Class 4 National Insurance rather than Class 1 and no employer pension.