Here is that R25,000 worked out by hand. It's R300,000 a year, which sits in the 26% band: R44,118 plus 26% of the R54,900 above R245,100 comes to R58,392. Take off the R17,820 primary rebate and you have R40,572 of tax for the year, or R3,381 a month. UIF is 1% of pay up to R17,712, so R177.12. That leaves R21,441.88.
What will I take home on a common salary?
These are the sums for someone under 65 with no pension fund or medical aid, on the same pay all year.
- R5,894.40 (the national minimum wage for a 45 hour week): no PAYE, R58.94 UIF, R5,835.46 left
- R8,000: no PAYE, R80 UIF, R7,920 left
- R10,000: R315 PAYE, R100 UIF, R9,585 left
- R15,000: R1,215 PAYE, R150 UIF, R13,635 left
- R20,000: R2,115 PAYE, R177.12 UIF, R17,707.88 left
- R30,000: R4,681 PAYE, R177.12 UIF, R25,141.88 left
- R50,000: R11,075.58 PAYE, R177.12 UIF, R38,747.30 left
- R100,000: R30,857.75 PAYE, R177.12 UIF, R68,965.13 left
What actually comes off a South African payslip?
Only two things come off every normal private sector payslip by law: PAYE and UIF. Pension, provident fund and medical aid come from your contract or your fund's rules, so the rate differs from job to job. There's no state pension or health levy line in the SARS tables.
The Skills Development Levy doesn't come off your pay. Your employer pays it, along with its own 1% of UIF.
What do the pension and medical aid boxes change?
Your own retirement contribution comes off your income before tax. SARS limits that to 27.5% of your pay, and to R430,000 a year. On R35,000 a month with 7.5% going to a fund (R2,625), your taxable income falls to R388,500 a year.
Medical aid works the other way round: it gives you a credit against the tax itself. It's R376 a month for you, R376 for your first dependant and R254 for each further dependant. With both, that R35,000 pays R4,569 PAYE and leaves R27,628.88. The premium isn't in the sum, so take it off if your employer deducts it.
I work for the government. What's different?
SARS lists officers and employees in national or provincial government as not covered by UIF, so tick the box and the sum takes none off. Public servants also pay 7.5% of pensionable salary to the GEPF. Type that in the pension box if you know the figure: your pensionable salary can differ from your full pay, so your payslip is the true source.
A Level 5 clerk on the first notch earns R237,453 a year, or R19,787.75 a month. Before the GEPF, that's R2,076.80 PAYE and about R17,710.95 left.
Why does my payslip show a different number?
SARS publishes monthly tables that use the middle of each pay row. On R25,000 the table row runs from R24,945 to R25,095 and shows R3,386, which is R5 more than the exact sum here. On R30,000 the table shows R4,682, against R4,681 here.
Bigger gaps usually mean something else is on your payslip: a bonus, overtime, a travel allowance, a fund contribution or a tax directive. SARS treats a bonus separately, and this calculator leaves it out.
Questions people ask
How much tax do I pay on R20,000 a month?
About R2,115 PAYE on R20,000 a month, if you're under 65 with no fund or medical aid. UIF takes another R177.12, which leaves R17,707.88.
How much do I get from R30,000 after tax?
About R25,141.88. That's R4,681 PAYE and R177.12 UIF.
At what salary do I start paying tax in South Africa?
Under 65, you pay no PAYE up to R99,000 a year, which is R8,250 a month. It's R153,250 a year from age 65 and R171,300 from age 75. UIF still comes off below those amounts.
Does UIF go up with a high salary?
No. It stops at 1% of R17,712, so the most you pay is R177.12 a month. Someone on R100,000 pays the same as someone on R17,712.
Is this calculator official?
No. It's our own estimate from the SARS rates, and it isn't tax or legal advice. We're not part of SARS. For your real position, use your payslip and your SARS eFiling profile.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026.