How to read a job offer after tax

Turn a gross salary offer into take-home pay, compare offers across countries and check holiday pay, pension and bonus before you decide.

Denne siden er skrevet på engelsk.

Oppdatert 17 October 2026

Start with the right number

A job offer states a gross amount, and a budget has to be built on net pay. First check what the gross figure contains: yearly or monthly, with or without holiday allowance, with or without a bonus. In the Netherlands, 8 % holiday allowance is often paid on top of a monthly salary or included in a yearly figure. In Germany and Norway the contract may state 12 months or 13 or more. Enter the total you will receive over the year, and read the monthly net figure as one twelfth of it.

Use the same settings for every offer

If you compare two offers in one country, keep the options the same. Where you live decides the Swedish table and the Scottish or English bands in the UK, and your family situation decides the German tax class. Changing the options between two calculations changes net pay without any difference between the offers.

For a move between countries, use the page of each country. Amounts are in local currencies, so convert both net figures at a fair exchange rate and compare them as a share of local costs: housing, health insurance and childcare can differ more than tax does.

Look at the whole package

Employer pension contributions, insurance, a company car and shares are part of the value of an offer but not part of net pay. A higher pension contribution reduces take-home pay today and adds to what you receive later. Benefits in kind are usually taxed as income, so they can lower net pay even though you never receive cash.

Ask for the pension scheme, the notice period, holiday entitlement and whether the salary is reviewed. Two offers with the same net pay can differ in value by several months of salary once these are counted.

Check the effect of a raise or a bonus

A negotiated raise is taxed at your marginal rate, not at your average rate. Use the deduction on the next pay rise shown under the result to see how much of a raise you keep. Between 100,000 and 125,140 GBP in the UK or between 45,592 and 78,426 EUR in the Netherlands, a raise is worth much less than the headline figure, because allowances and credits are withdrawn at the same time.

A short checklist before you accept

Run through these points with the calculator open:

Is the amount gross or net, yearly or monthly, with or without holiday pay?
Which tax table, class or region applies to you?
Which pension, student loan or union deductions will appear on the payslip?
What is the net amount per month, and does it cover your fixed costs?
How much of an extra 1,000 do you keep, and does a bonus change it?

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