Use TaxTim's free net-to-gross (reverse salary) calculator to work backwards from the take-home pay you want to the gross salary you need to negotiate for the 2026 tax year (the SARS year of assessment ending 28 February 2026). Just enter your desired take-home, how often you are paid and your age, and the calculator searches for the gross salary that, after SARS PAYE and UIF are deducted, leaves exactly that amount in your pocket. There is a second mode too: tell it the net raise you want and it solves for the gross raise you should ask for.
The calculator runs the normal salary-tax calculation in reverse. The forward calculation takes a gross salary, annualises it, works out taxable income, applies the SARS sliding-scale tax tables, subtracts the age-based rebates to get PAYE, and deducts UIF at 1% (capped) to give your take-home. Here you supply the take-home and we search for the matching gross.
Because South Africa uses progressive tax brackets (18% to 45%), there is no fixed mark-up between net and gross — the percentage of tax rises as you earn more. The calculator applies the exact SARS bracket for the solved income instead of a flat percentage. Optional retirement-fund contributions are deducted under section 11F (limited to 27.5% of remuneration and an annual cap of R350,000 for 2026), and 80% of any travel allowance is taxed. Enter pension and travel as a percentage of gross so they scale as the unknown gross is solved.
Tax brackets — 2026 tax year (1 Mar 2025 – 28 Feb 2026):
| Taxable income (R) | Rates of tax |
|---|---|
| 0 – 237,100 | 18% of taxable income |
| 237,101 – 370,500 | 42,678 + 26% above 237,100 |
| 370,501 – 512,800 | 77,362 + 31% above 370,500 |
| 512,801 – 673,000 | 121,475 + 36% above 512,800 |
| 673,001 – 857,900 | 179,147 + 39% above 673,000 |
| 857,901 – 1,817,000 | 251,258 + 41% above 857,900 |
| 1,817,001 and above | 644,489 + 45% above 1,817,000 |
Rebates: Primary R17,235 • Secondary (65–74) R9,444 • Tertiary (75+) R3,145
Tax thresholds (no tax below): Under 65 R95,750 • 65–74 R148,217 • 75+ R165,689
UIF: 1% of remuneration, max R177.12/month (earnings ceiling R17,712/month)
Retirement-fund deduction (s11F): 27.5% of the greater of remuneration or taxable income, capped at R350,000/year for 2026
Example (2026 tax year): You want a take-home of R30,000 per month, are under 65, with no pension or travel allowance.
Figures are illustrative; your actual result depends on medical credits and other deductions.
It runs the normal salary-tax calculation backwards. The normal calculator takes a gross salary and subtracts PAYE and UIF to give your take-home. Here you give the take-home you want and we search for the gross salary that, after the same SARS PAYE and UIF deductions, leaves exactly that amount. Because take-home rises smoothly with gross, there is exactly one gross that fits.
South Africa uses progressive tax brackets (18% to 45% for the 2026 tax year), so the percentage of tax rises as you earn more. A small net target needs almost no extra gross, while a large net target sits in higher brackets. The calculator applies the exact SARS bracket for the solved income instead of a flat mark-up.
Yes, but only up to the ceiling. UIF is 1% of pay, capped at R177.12 per month on earnings up to R17,712 per month. If your gross is above that ceiling, UIF is a flat R177.12 and does not grow with a raise, so above the ceiling the gross you need is driven almost entirely by income tax.
It answers 'I want R2,000 more in my pocket each month, so what gross raise do I need to ask for?'. Because the raise is taxed at your marginal rate (and not UIF if you are already over the ceiling), the gross raise is larger than the net target. For example, in the 31% bracket above the UIF ceiling, roughly R1,450 of gross is needed for every R1,000 of net.
Optionally. A retirement-fund contribution reduces your taxable income (limited to 27.5% of pay and an annual cap of R350,000 for 2026 under section 11F) but the full contribution is still withheld from your pay. A travel allowance has 80% of it taxed (20% excluded). Enter them as a percentage of gross so they scale as we solve for the unknown gross.
This calculator models PAYE, UIF and an optional retirement contribution on a regular monthly salary. It does not include medical scheme tax credits, other deductions, bonuses or 13th cheques, or mid-year changes, and it ignores the rounding rules payroll systems use. Treat the result as a negotiation estimate, then confirm with a payslip.
Choose the year that covers the salary period. The 2026 tax year ran 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026 and is the most recently assessed year. The 2027 tax year runs 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027. The brackets and rebates differ between them, so the required gross differs too.
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