Know the take-home you want but not the salary to ask for? Enter your target net pay and get the gross salary that delivers it — plus what it costs your employer. England, Wales, NI or Scotland. No sign-up.
⚖︎ Results are for informational purposes and do not constitute tax advice. For specific situations, consult a licensed accountant or the relevant tax authority.
iHow it is calculated
This calculator works backwards: you tell it the annual take-home you want, and it finds the gross salary that produces it. Because Income Tax (20/40/45% above the £12,570 Personal Allowance) and National Insurance (8% then 2%) both change at fixed thresholds, gross does not scale in a straight line with net. The tricky part is the £100,000 taper: above £100k the Personal Allowance is withdrawn by £1 for every £2 earned, creating an effective ~60% band up to £125,140 — so a small rise in your target net can need a surprisingly large jump in gross. The tool solves for gross and also shows the total employer cost.
gross = the salary where (gross − Income Tax − National Insurance) = your target take-home
You want to take home £30,000 a year. Working forwards, a £30,000 salary only nets £25,120 — too low. The calculator solves backwards and finds you need a gross salary of about £36,778: on that, Income Tax and National Insurance come to roughly £6,778, leaving your target £30,000. The employer also pays 15% NI above £5,000 on the gross, so the total cost of employment is higher again — worth knowing before you negotiate.
?Frequently asked questions
How do I convert net salary to gross for 2026/27?
Set the mode to "Net", enter the annual take-home you want, and the calculator solves for the gross salary that produces it after Income Tax and National Insurance. For example, to take home £30,000 a year you need a gross salary of about £36,778.
What gross salary do I need to take home £30,000 a year?
About £36,778 gross in 2026/27 (England, no student loan or pension). Income Tax and NI take roughly £6,778 of that, leaving £30,000 in your account. By comparison, a £30,000 gross salary only nets £25,120.
Why isn't gross just my net plus a fixed percentage?
Because tax and NI change at fixed thresholds, the gap between gross and net widens as you earn more. On £30,000 gross you keep £25,120 (a £4,880 gap), but on £50,000 gross you keep £39,520 — a £10,480 gap. The calculator handles the steps for you instead of applying one flat rate.
How does the £100k Personal Allowance taper affect the reverse calculation?
Above £100,000 your £12,570 Personal Allowance is cut by £1 for every £2 earned, vanishing at £125,140. That creates an effective ~60% band, so pushing your target net higher through this zone needs a disproportionately large jump in gross — the reverse calc is deliberately non-linear here. For reference, £100,000 gross nets £68,557.
Why is net to gross useful when negotiating a salary?
You usually think in terms of the money that lands in your account, but employers offer a gross figure. If you need £30,000 in the bank, asking for £30,000 leaves you short — you actually need about £36,778 gross. Working backwards lets you name the right number.
What does the required gross cost my employer?
On top of the gross salary the employer pays 15% National Insurance on earnings above £5,000 a year (2026/27), plus any pension. So the gross you need to hit a target net is only part of the picture — the total cost of employment is higher, and the tool shows it. Eligible employers can offset up to £10,500 with the Employment Allowance.
How much gross do I need to take home about £2,393 a month?
Around £35,000 gross a year. A £35,000 salary nets £28,720 a year, which is about £2,393 a month. If you want more than that in hand each month, enter your target net and the calculator returns the higher gross required.
Does the reverse calculation work for Scotland?
Yes — switch the Region to Scotland and it solves against the Scottish tax bands (19/20/21/42/45/48%) while keeping UK-wide NI and the Personal Allowance. Because Scottish rates differ, the gross needed for a given take-home is usually a little higher than in the rest of the UK.
Can I include a student loan or pension in the reverse calc?
Yes. Open Advanced options and add your student loan plan or the 5% auto-enrolment pension, and the tool raises the required gross so your target net still holds after those deductions. Both reduce take-home, so both push the gross figure up.
Are these annual or monthly figures?
All amounts are annual. To take home £30,000 a year you need about £36,778 gross; you can then read the monthly and weekly equivalents from the Yearly/Monthly/Weekly toggle. Real PAYE is cumulative per period, so a single mid-year payslip may differ slightly, but the annual totals match.
Is there a maximum take-home this can solve for?
No — but be aware that near the £100,000 taper the answer climbs steeply. Between £100,000 and £125,140 gross, each extra £1 of gross adds only about 40p of net, so targeting a net in that region requires a notably larger gross than a straight-line estimate would suggest.
€Gross salary for common amounts
See the full breakdown for the most searched salaries: