South Africa Income Tax Calculator
Created by: James Porter
Last updated:
Estimate South African take-home pay for the 2027 and 2026 tax years with SARS income tax, age rebates, employee UIF and retirement contribution relief.
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South African salary and take-home pay
Use this calculator to compare regular salary offers or plan a monthly budget. It separates income tax, unemployment insurance and your own retirement saving, so you can see how each affects the cash available to spend. All amounts are in South African rand.
Full-year resident employee estimate for one evenly paid cash salary. Excludes medical scheme contributions and credits, bonuses, employer fringe benefits, other income and part-year employment. Period figures are budget averages, not exact PAYE withholding.
How the calculation works
The calculator subtracts allowed retirement contributions, allocates the remaining taxable income across progressive bands, and deducts the applicable age rebates. A higher band applies only to the income in that band. The effective income tax rate describes the share of gross salary used for income tax; the marginal band describes the rate before rebates on an extra rand of taxable income.
Employee UIF is 1% of monthly remuneration, capped at R177.12 per month. The employer’s separate contribution is not deducted from your salary here. The annual estimate assumes twelve equal monthly payments; uneven pay can change the total because the ceiling applies monthly.
- Choose the tax year. Select the SARS year of assessment matching your salary period.
- Enter salary and age. Enter annual gross cash salary and age at the end of February for that tax year.
- Enter employee deductions. Enter your own annual retirement contributions and choose whether employee UIF applies.
- Review the estimate. Calculate and review the summary, full tax breakdown and illustrative payslip averages.
Example: R30,000 per month
For the 2027 tax year, an employee under 65 earning R360,000 annually with no retirement payments has R73,992 of tax before the R17,820 primary rebate. Annual income tax is R56,172 and employee UIF is R2,125.44. Estimated cash take-home is R301,702.56 annually, or R25,141.88 per average month. Medical scheme deductions and credits are excluded.
With R36,000 of qualifying employee retirement contributions, taxable income becomes R324,000 and income tax falls to R46,812. Cash after the retirement payment, tax and UIF is R275,062.56 annually. That contribution saves R9,360 in current-year income tax in this example, while reducing cash available by R26,640.
Retirement relief and your budget
For this salary-only model, deductible retirement payments are limited to 27.5% of gross salary and the annual rand cap: R430,000 for 2027 or R350,000 for 2026. The full contribution still reduces cash even when some of it receives no deduction this year. Excess contributions and past carry-forwards require separate assessment.
Compare salaries using the same year and deduction assumptions. Keep records of qualifying retirement payments, check which age rebate applies, and verify medical credit eligibility separately if you belong to a scheme. Employer-funded benefits need a broader remuneration calculation. Increasing retirement saving can reduce tax, but also reduces the cash available for current expenses.
Frequently asked questions
What does the 2027 South African tax year mean?
It runs from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027. The 2026 year runs from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026. Choose the year that covers your salary, rather than the calendar year in which you submit a return.
Will this calculator match my PAYE payslip?
It estimates annual income tax and divides the result into budget periods. Actual PAYE depends on payroll rounding, year-to-date earnings, directives and irregular payments. A retirement annuity paid privately may receive relief at assessment rather than on each payslip.
How does age affect the calculation?
Your age at the end of the tax year determines which rebates apply. Everyone receives the primary rebate; a secondary rebate applies from 65 and a tertiary rebate from 75. Rebates reduce tax, but cannot create a negative tax bill.
Does this include medical aid tax credits?
No. This version excludes both medical scheme payments and medical tax credits, including additional medical expenses credits. If you pay medical aid, the displayed tax and cash balance will need adjustment. Do not enter medical contributions in the retirement field.
How are retirement contributions treated?
Enter only your own current-year payments funded from the salary entered. The calculator separates the full cash contribution from the amount allowed as a deduction. It excludes employer-paid fringe benefits and unused deductions carried forward from previous years.
Can I enter my cost-to-company package?
Use gross cash salary before employee deductions instead. A cost-to-company package can contain employer retirement contributions, medical benefits and other non-cash amounts that this model does not calculate. Also exclude bonuses, allowances and income from other jobs.
Official sources
Rates and scope checked on 29 September 2026. This is an annual planning estimate, not a SARS assessment or payroll directive.