SARS Income Tax & Salary Calculator (South Africa) 2026/2027
Turn your gross salary into your real monthly take-home pay. PAYE, UIF, net salary, effective and marginal rate for 2026/2027, after retirement and medical aid credits.
Income tax and take-home pay estimate
Income Tax & PAYE Calculator
Work out your monthly take-home pay, PAYE tax and UIF for the 2026/27 tax year, after retirement contributions and medical aid credits.
Your gross pay, before any deductions. This is the figure on your payslip before PAYE, UIF and pension come off.
From age 65 you get a larger tax rebate, so you pay less tax on the same income.
What you pay from your salary into a pension, provident or retirement annuity fund. It is tax deductible up to 27.5% of your pay, capped at R430,000 a year, and lowers your taxable income. Leave at 0 if none.
The total number of people on the scheme, including you, if you are the main member who pays. Each person earns a fixed medical scheme fees tax credit that reduces your tax. Enter 0 if you have no medical aid or are not the main member.
Add an annual bonus or 13th cheque
A once-a-year bonus or 13th cheque, before tax. A bonus is taxed on top of your salary, at your marginal rate, so it is taxed more heavily than your normal pay. We show the tax on it and what you actually keep.
What if I get a raise?
See how much of a pay rise you actually keep. Most of a raise is yours, but the top slice is taxed at your marginal rate, so the take-home increase is smaller than the raise.
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Work out your salary after tax and take-home pay in South Africa
The number on your contract is your gross salary, but the number that reaches your bank account is what is left after PAYE tax, UIF and your pension come off. This free SARS income tax and salary calculator for South Africa turns your gross salary into your real monthly take-home pay, also called your net salary or nett pay, for the 2026/2027 tax year, using the official SARS tax tables. Put in what you earn, your age, your retirement contribution and how many people are on your medical aid, and it shows your PAYE, your UIF, your effective and marginal tax rate, and the cash you actually keep, with a full breakdown of how it is worked out. It doubles as a take-home pay calculator, a net salary calculator and a salary after tax calculator, all on the 2026/2027 (2027 tax year) SARS tables.
South Africa taxes income on a sliding scale, so a raise never costs you more than it gives you. Your income is divided into bands, and only the slice that falls in each band is taxed at that bandβs rate. That is why your marginal rate, the rate on your top slice, is higher than your effective rate, the tax you pay across your whole income. The calculator shows both, so you can see what a bonus or a raise would really be taxed at, and what your average tax rate actually is.
Two things quietly cut your tax bill, and the tool builds both in. Retirement contributions to a pension, provident or retirement annuity fund come off your income before tax, up to 27.5 percent of your pay and capped at R430,000 a year, a cap that was lifted from R350,000 in the 2026 Budget. And if you are the main member of a medical scheme, a fixed medical scheme fees tax credit lowers your PAYE for every person on the plan. The calculator even shows how much more you could still put into retirement savings this year, and the tax that extra contribution would save.
South Africa income tax brackets for 2026/27
These are the SARS tax rates for the 2026/27 tax year, from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027. The tax below is before the rebates that everyone gets, which are R17,820 for those under 65, and more from age 65.
| Taxable income a year | Rate of tax |
|---|---|
| R1 β R245,100 | 18% of taxable income |
| R245,101 β R383,100 | R44,118 + 26% of the amount above R245,100 |
| R383,101 β R530,200 | R79,998 + 31% of the amount above R383,100 |
| R530,201 β R695,800 | R125,599 + 36% of the amount above R530,200 |
| R695,801 β R887,000 | R185,215 + 39% of the amount above R695,800 |
| R887,001 β R1,878,600 | R259,783 + 41% of the amount above R887,000 |
| R1,878,601 and above | R666,339 + 45% of the amount above R1,878,600 |
Rebates for 2026/27: primary R17,820, a further R9,765 from age 65, and a further R3,249 from age 75. Tax thresholds: R99,000 under 65, R153,250 from 65 and R171,300 from 75. Retirement deduction: 27.5% of pay, capped at R430,000. Medical scheme fees tax credit: R376 for the main member, R376 for the first dependant, R254 for each additional dependant a month.
A worked example
Take someone under 65 earning R30,000 a month, that is R360,000 a year, with no retirement or medical deductions. Their taxable income is R360,000. The SARS tables charge R44,118 on the first R245,100 and 26 percent on the R114,900 above it, which is R29,874, for R73,992 of tax. The primary rebate of R17,820 comes off, leaving R56,172 of tax for the year, or R4,681 a month. UIF adds R177 a month. So the take-home pay is about R25,142 a month. The marginal rate is 26 percent but the effective rate is only about 16 percent. Now add a R2,000 a month retirement annuity, and R24,000 comes off the taxable income, saving R6,240 in tax for the year, real money back for saving for your future.
Take-home pay on common South African salaries (2026/2027)
Not sure where you land? This table shows the monthly PAYE and take-home pay on some common salaries for the 2026/2027 tax year, for someone under 65 with no retirement or medical deductions. It answers the quick questions people ask, like what your salary is after tax, or your net (nett) salary each month. Tap any salary to open it in the calculator and add your own age, pension and medical aid for an exact figure.
| Monthly salary | Monthly tax (PAYE) | Monthly take-home |
|---|---|---|
| R8 000 | R0 | R7 920 |
| R10 000 | R315 | R9 585 |
| R12 000 | R675 | R11 205 |
| R15 000 | R1 215 | R13 635 |
| R20 000 | R2 115 | R17 708 |
| R25 000 | R3 381 | R21 442 |
| R30 000 | R4 681 | R25 142 |
| R35 000 | R6 135 | R28 688 |
| R40 000 | R7 685 | R32 138 |
| R50 000 | R11 076 | R38 747 |
| R60 000 | R14 736 | R45 087 |
| R75 000 | R20 608 | R54 215 |
| R100 000 | R30 858 | R68 965 |
Figures are for a taxpayer under 65 with no pension or medical aid, and include UIF of 1 percent (capped at R177.12 a month). Your own take-home will differ with age, retirement contributions and medical aid, so use the calculator above for your exact salary after tax.
Frequently asked questions
How much tax will I pay on my salary in South Africa?
It depends on how much you earn, your age, and your retirement and medical aid contributions. South Africa uses a sliding scale, so your income is split into bands and only the slice in each band is taxed at that band's rate. On a salary of R30,000 a month, someone under 65 with no other deductions pays roughly R4,700 a month in PAYE for 2026/27, an effective rate of about 16 percent even though the top slice is taxed at 26 percent. Enter your own figures in the calculator above to see your exact PAYE, UIF and take-home pay.
How is PAYE worked out in South Africa?
PAYE, Pay As You Earn, is the income tax your employer takes off your salary each month and pays to SARS. It is worked out by taking your annual salary, subtracting your tax deductible retirement contributions to get your taxable income, applying the SARS tax tables to that, and then subtracting your tax rebates and medical scheme fees tax credits. The result is your annual tax, and one twelfth of it comes off each month. The calculator does all of this for you and shows the full breakdown.
How much can I earn before I pay tax in 2026/27?
For the 2026/27 tax year the tax threshold is R99,000 a year, about R8,250 a month, if you are under 65. It rises to R153,250 from age 65 and R171,300 from age 75, because older taxpayers get extra rebates. If your taxable income is below the threshold for your age you pay no income tax, though as an employee you may still pay UIF. Retirement contributions lower your taxable income, so paying into a pension or retirement annuity can push you below the threshold.
How much of my bonus or 13th cheque is taxed?
A bonus is added on top of your normal salary for the year and taxed at your marginal rate, the rate on your top slice of income, so it feels heavily taxed compared with your monthly pay. If your salary already sits in the 31 percent band, most of a bonus is taxed at 31 percent, and part may spill into the next band. The calculator has an annual bonus field that works out the tax on it and what you actually keep in your bonus month.
Do retirement contributions reduce my tax?
Yes, and this is one of the biggest legal ways to lower your tax. Contributions to a pension, provident or retirement annuity fund are deducted from your income before tax is worked out, up to 27.5 percent of the greater of your remuneration or taxable income, capped at R430,000 a year. The R430,000 cap was raised from R350,000 in the 2026 Budget, the first increase since 2016. Because the contribution comes off at your marginal rate, a saver in the 31 percent band gets R31 of tax back for every R100 paid in. The calculator shows how much more you could still contribute within the limit and the tax it would save.
How much of a pay raise do I actually keep after tax?
Less than the full raise, but usually most of it. A raise is added to your income and its top slice is taxed at your marginal rate, so if you are in the 31 percent band you keep about 69 cents of every extra rand, before any extra retirement contribution. That still means a raise almost always leaves you better off, the idea that a raise can push you into a higher bracket and leave you worse off is a myth, because only the portion above the bracket line is taxed at the higher rate. Open the 'What if I get a raise?' section in the calculator, pick 5, 10 or 15 percent or enter your own, and it shows the extra take-home a month and the share of the raise you keep.
What is the difference between my marginal and effective tax rate?
Your marginal rate is the rate on your next rand of income, the band your top slice falls into, so it is the rate that applies to a raise, a bonus or extra interest. Your effective rate is the total tax you pay as a percentage of all your income, and it is always lower because the earlier bands are taxed more gently and the rebates come off. For example a salary of R360,000 has a 26 percent marginal rate but only about a 16 percent effective rate. The calculator shows both.
How much UIF do I pay?
As an employee you pay 1 percent of your remuneration towards the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and your employer pays another 1 percent. Your 1 percent is capped, because it is only charged on the first R17,712 of monthly pay, so the most you pay is R177.12 a month whatever you earn. UIF is separate from income tax and is not affected by your rebates or deductions. The calculator includes your UIF in the take-home figure.
Does this calculator include medical aid tax credits?
Yes. If you are the main member who pays a medical scheme, you get a fixed medical scheme fees tax credit that lowers your PAYE, R376 a month for you, R376 for the first dependant and R254 for each further dependant in 2026/27. Enter the number of people on the scheme and the calculator applies it. It only models this section 6A credit, which runs through your monthly PAYE. The separate section 6B credit for large out-of-pocket medical costs is claimed when you file your return, and our medical tax credit calculator works that one out.
Is this an official SARS calculator?
No, it is a free independent tool that uses the official SARS 2026/27 tax tables, rebates, thresholds, retirement deduction limits and medical credits to give you a reliable estimate. It is general information, not tax advice, and it assumes you are a South African tax resident and an ordinary employee. It does not model a travel allowance, company car, commission, or income from a business, each of which has its own SARS rules. For your official assessment, always check with SARS or a registered tax practitioner.
This calculator gives estimates using the 2026/27 SARS tax tables, rebates, thresholds, the retirement fund deduction and the section 6A medical scheme fees tax credit. It is general information and not tax advice. It assumes you are a South African tax resident and an ordinary employee, and it does not model a travel allowance, company car, commission, or income from a business, each of which is taxed under its own SARS rules. Confirm your own position with SARS or a registered tax practitioner. Last reviewed July 2026.