Reverse Salary Calculator: From Take Home Pay to Gross Salary
A reverse salary calculator that works backwards. Tell us the take home pay you want each month and we will tell you the gross UK salary you need to earn it in 2026/27.
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The result is the smallest whole pound gross salary that reaches your target, using 2026/27 rates: £12,570 personal allowance, 20%/40%/45% income tax (Scotland 19% to 48%), 8%/2% National Insurance. See the methodology for the full detail.
How the reverse calculation works
Normal calculators go from gross to take home pay. This one goes the other way: it tests gross salaries against the 2026/27 tax bands until it finds the smallest one that reaches your target. Income tax, National Insurance, your pension and your student loan are all accounted for, so the answer already includes everything that would come out of your payslip.
Use it before a job interview, a pay rise request or a move. If you know the monthly take home pay you need, it turns into the gross figure to ask for, and the breakdown shows you where every pound of the difference goes.
What to do with your number
Once you have the gross figure, check it against reality. Look up the nearest salary page to see the full monthly breakdown, then run your current pay and the new figure through the comparison tool to see the exact monthly gain. Remember that pensions, bonuses and benefits sit on top of the salary itself: a slightly lower gross with a generous pension match can beat a higher gross with the minimum. Use the gross as your opening ask, not your final answer, and always confirm the take home figure on your first payslip once tax codes and benefits are applied.
Common questions
Because every extra pound you earn is taxed at your marginal rate. On a £30,000 salary in England you keep about 68p of each pound after income tax and National Insurance, so the gross has to be much bigger than the take home figure. The reverse salary calculator shows you exactly how much bigger.
It is the smallest whole pound salary that reaches your target, worked out with the confirmed 2026/27 rates. Your real payslip can still differ slightly because of your tax code, benefits or pay timing, so treat it as a precise estimate, not a promise from your employer.
Set both in the tool. A 5% salary sacrifice pension means your gross must be higher to leave the same take home pay, because the pension comes out first. A student loan adds 9% above your plan threshold, which also pushes the required gross up.
Yes, that is what it is for. If you need £2,500 a month to cover your bills, the tool tells you the gross to ask for. Bring the breakdown too, so you can show exactly where the tax and National Insurance go.
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How we calculate