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PayClear UK

Net to gross calculator

Estimate only

Work backwards from the take-home pay you want to the gross salary that would produce it.

Tax year 2025/26 · rules last reviewed 22 August 2026 · engine v1.0.0 · calculated 16 October 2026

Illustrated payslip and tax calculation charts
£

Scotland has its own income tax bands. Rates for the rest of the UK are the same.

%

A contribution raises the gross salary needed.

Estimated gross salary required · 2025/26

£36,778

£3,065 gross a month to take home £2,500

Gross per year
£36,778
Gross per month
£3,065
Target net per year
£30,000
Estimated net achieved
£30,000

Deductions at that salary

Gross salary£36,778.33
Pension− £0.00
Income tax− £4,841.67
National Insurance− £1,936.67
Student loan− £0.00
Estimated take-home£30,000.00
Share of gross deducted18.4%

How this calculator works

  • Your target take-home is converted to an annual amount.
  • The engine tests candidate gross salaries, running the full deduction calculation on each.
  • It narrows the range until the estimated take-home matches your target.
  • The gross salary at that point is shown, along with the deductions behind it.

Assumptions

  • The gross figure is found by searching for the salary whose estimated take-home matches your target to within a penny.
  • Your target is treated as pay from a single employment, spread evenly across the year.
  • You are aged under State Pension age and pay Class 1 employee National Insurance where relevant.
  • You have the standard tax code with no adjustments, restrictions or underpayments carried forward.
  • Income is spread evenly across the tax year, so no month-by-month PAYE smoothing effects are modelled.
  • No other taxable income, taxable benefits in kind, salary sacrifice arrangements or Marriage Allowance transfers are included unless entered.
  • Pension contributions are treated as a net pay (salary sacrifice equivalent) deduction taken before income tax is applied.

Limitations

  • Because deductions are stepped, several nearby gross salaries can produce a very similar take-home figure.
  • Employer pension contributions, benefits in kind and non-standard tax codes are not modelled.
  • A target that implies an unusually high salary will still be shown, but the assumptions matter more at that level.

Sources for 2025/26

This calculator estimates figures from what you entered and the published rates for 2025/26. Your actual position depends on your tax code, your employer's payroll, other income and reliefs. This is not tax advice — you may wish to seek professional advice. See our calculation methodology.

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