Reverse salary calculator: net to gross

How it works

Most salary calculators go from gross pay to take-home pay. This one runs the other way: you tell it how much you want to land in your bank account each month, week or year, and it finds the gross salary that produces it.

It works by searching. Because take-home pay rises steadily with salary, the calculator can test a salary, compare the take-home with your target, and narrow the range until it finds the smallest salary that meets it. Each test runs the full calculation, so every deduction is included exactly as it would be on our main calculator.

What gets deducted

• Income tax. The first £12,570 is tax-free. Pay up to £50,270 is taxed at 20%, then 40% above that, and 45% for the highest earners. Scotland has six bands of its own.
• National Insurance. 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above.
• Pension and student loan if you add them under “More options”.

Why the gap grows

The more you want to take home, the bigger the gap between gross and net. In the basic-rate band you keep about 72p of each extra pound. Once you pass £50,270 that drops to about 58p, and between £100,000 and £125,140 it falls to about 38p because you also lose part of your Personal Allowance. A reverse calculation shows exactly how much more salary you need to reach a higher take-home figure.

When to use it

Use it to set a salary expectation before a job interview, to check whether an offer covers your budget, or to work out what a contractor day rate needs to be to match an employed salary. Remember that employers usually quote salaries before tax, so the figure you ask for should be the gross one this calculator shows.

Tips for using the result

The salary shown is the smallest one that reaches your target. Because pay is usually agreed in round numbers, it’s worth rounding up and then checking the result in the main calculator. If you have a student loan or pay into a workplace pension, add them: both can add several thousand pounds to the salary you need for the same take-home.

The calculator can also answer “what would I need in Scotland?” or “what about a different tax year?”: change the region or the tax year and the salary needed updates straight away, so you can see how much the rules change the answer.

The results are for the 2026/27 tax year and use rates verified against HMRC on 5 October 2026.

Worked example

To take home £2,500 a month in 2026/27 you need a salary of £36,778. Check: on £36,778 you pay £4,841.67 income tax and £1,936.67 National Insurance a year, leaving £30,000.00, or £2,500.00 a month.

In Scotland you’d need £36,825. With a 5% net pay pension you’d need £38,942.