Start from the take-home you want and see the gross salary you need — plus what it costs the employer.
You need a gross salary of
£36,778.33
a year · £3,064.86 a month
Leaves you £30,000.00a year · costs your employer £41,545.08 a year
Assumes tax code 1257L and no benefits in kind.
| Gross salary | £36,778.33 |
| Income tax | −£4,841.67 |
| National Insurance | −£1,936.67 |
| Take-home pay | £30,000.00 |
| Gross salary | £36,778.33 |
| Employer National Insurance (15%) | £4,766.75 |
| Total cost to employ | £41,545.08 |
Employment Allowance (£10,500) is claimed once per PAYE scheme per year, not per employee, so it is not deducted here. Work out your total NI bill.
Figures are annualised estimates for the 2026/27 tax year, using tax code 1257L. The gross is solved to match your target take-home to the nearest penny. Your payslip is worked out per pay period rather than annually, so National Insurance and student loan deductions can differ by a few pounds. This is the reverse of the salary calculator — enter this gross there and you get your take-home back. Always check with HMRC or a qualified accountant before making payroll decisions.
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There is no simple formula, because income tax and National Insurance are charged in bands at different rates and the personal allowance changes the picture at both ends. This calculator solves it by working forwards from a trial gross, comparing the take-home it produces against your target, and narrowing in until the two match. That means the answer accounts for the 20%, 40% and 45% tax bands (or Scotland’s six bands), 8% and 2% National Insurance, any pension or student loan, and the personal allowance taper above £100,000.
It answers the offer-negotiation question directly: “I have promised someone a certain amount in their pocket — what salary do I put in the contract, and what does it actually cost me?” The total cost to employ shown above adds employer National Insurance and pension on top of the gross, which is the figure you need to budget the real cost of the hire.