Offer planning · United Kingdom

Compare job offers by take-home pay, not headline salary

A complete method for comparing two offers: the same annual unit, published tax rules, payday timing, benefits, and the money left after housing.

A larger headline salary can leave you with less money each month. Tax residence, payroll contributions, pay frequency, bonuses, and housing change the result more than most offer letters show. Use one method for every offer so the comparison is honest.

1. Convert every offer to annual gross

Put both offers on a 12-month gross figure before you look at tax. A monthly salary of 6,000 is 72,000 a year only if you are paid 12 months. In Austria and parts of Europe, 13th or 14th salaries change the annual total. Bonus targets are not guaranteed; include a conservative bonus and a stretch bonus as two scenarios, not one blended number.

Pay frequency matters for cash flow even when annual tax is the same. A biweekly US paycheck arrives 26 times a year; a monthly UK or German salary arrives 12 times. GrossNetGuide annualizes the salary first, then shows net per payday from the schedule you set.

2. Apply the same tax profile rules

Use the published 2026 rules for the country where you will be on payroll, not the country of the employer’s headquarters. Remote work, split-year moves, and contractor status can change tax residence; those cases need a specialist, not a standard employee profile.

In the United States, federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare apply nationwide. State income tax does not. A 120,000 offer in Texas and the same offer in California are not comparable until you add state tax. This calculator uses IRS 2026 federal brackets and 2025 state income-tax tables compiled from official state statutes.

In Canada, choose the province or territory of employment. Federal tax is only half the picture; Quebec uses QPP and QPIP instead of CPP and standard EI. In Germany, tax class, church tax, and statutory versus private health insurance change monthly withholding. In the UK, this model covers England and Wales, not Scottish bands.

3. Separate tax from benefits

Employer pension matches, private health cover, equity, and relocation allowances do not appear in a net-pay figure. Write them down as annual cash-equivalent notes next to take-home pay. Do not inflate net pay to hide a weaker benefits package, and do not ignore a strong one.

4. Subtract housing last, in local currency

Do not convert currencies until the last step, and only with a dated rate. Compare net pay in the local currency, then subtract rent and utilities from a dated city snapshot plus your own groceries, transport, health, and childcare. A higher net salary in Zurich can disappear in rent; a lower net salary in Berlin can still fund a household.

5. Decision rule

Keep the offer with the stronger combination of (a) net pay after published tax and employee contributions, (b) benefits you will actually use, and (c) leftover income after realistic housing. If those three disagree, the leftover figure is usually the one that predicts whether the move is sustainable.

grossnetguide
United States 2026 tax year
Language

United Kingdom · 2026–27

Take-home pay after tax and National Insurance.

England and Wales income tax, the personal allowance, and employee Class 1 National Insurance from HMRC 2026–27 rates and thresholds.

Made for clearer money decisions. Tax data: 2026 · U.S. state brackets: provisional 2025 · Cost data: community snapshots

Published 2026 tax-year rules · official sources linked below

01 — YOUR SCENARIO

Start with the offer

Live calculation

Federal single filer · 2026 IRS rules · add a state for state income tax

Enter a gross annual salary before deductions.

Cost of living · optional
＋Pay and work schedule
Bonuses and commissions
＋Tax profile · optional

Customize the German estimate if you know these details. The default profile is used otherwise.

Calculations run in this browser; account sync is optional.

Enter a salary to see take-home pay.

02 — YOUR TAKE-HOME

US · 2026

Take-home pay

$— / month

$— take-home per year

How gross pay is divided
In your pocket — Income tax — Payroll —

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More charts and details

Optional breakdown of tax bands, monthly cashflow, and effective versus marginal rates.

Monthly split of this salary

Effective rate versus top marginal rate

How taxable income is taxed

Top income-tax rates

Top marginal income-tax rates from the published tables in this profile. Payroll contributions and local taxes are excluded.

CountryTop rateSelection

Not tax advice. Rules vary by country, region, deductions, and payroll setup. Review the assumptions and official sources before making decisions. assumptions and sources

What’s included, and which sources?

The country models are starting-point estimates, not payroll calculations.

Estimates exclude individual credits and payroll adjustments and may differ from a payslip or tax return.

Tax references and data sources