Reverse Salary Calculator.
Know the take-home pay you want? This works backwards to tell you the gross salary you need — solving through PAYE, USC, PRSI and pension using 2026 Revenue rates, with a 2027 Budget preview.
Our salary calculator tells you the net from a gross. This one does the opposite — enter your target net and it finds the gross.
Working out what salary to ask for, or what you'd need to hit a monthly take-home target.
It uses the same tax assumptions as our salary calculator — 2026, or the 2027 Budget preview — so the two stay consistent.
Assumes standard credits for your status and no benefits-in-kind. Your exact figure depends on your circumstances.
Reverse Calculator
Enter the take-home pay you want.
The net (after-tax) amount you want in your hand each month.
Eligible pension contribution as a % of gross salary. Actual tax relief depends on your age and Revenue limits (15%–40% by age, €115,000 earnings cap). Leave 0 if none.
Estimate only, using your selected tax year's rates (2026, or the 2027 Budget preview) and standard credits for your status. It doesn't model benefits-in-kind, non-standard credits or other income. For an exact figure, confirm with Revenue or an adviser.
How the reverse calculation works
Irish tax can't be run backwards with a single formula — the bands, the USC exemption and the PRSI credit make it "piecewise". So this calculator does something smarter and more reliable.
It uses the real forward calculation, in reverse
Rather than trying to invert the tax formula, it repeatedly tries a gross salary, runs it through the exact same PAYE, USC and PRSI logic as our main salary calculator, and narrows in (by binary search) until the net it produces matches your target. It uses the same PAYE, USC and PRSI assumptions as the salary calculator for the selected year — confirmed 2026 rates or the 2027 Budget preview — so the two stay consistent.
What it accounts for
The income-tax bands and standard-rate cut-off for your status, the standard tax credits (Personal + Employee, adjusted for married/single-parent), USC bands and the €13,000 exemption, PRSI (Class A, blended rate with the tapered credit), and any pension contribution you enter — all for your selected tax year (confirmed 2026 rates or the 2027 Budget preview). See the bands, USC and PRSI explainers for the detail.
What it doesn't model
Benefit-in-kind, non-standard tax credits (rent, medical, etc.), other income, or salary-sacrifice arrangements. It assumes a single source of PAYE employment income. Treat the result as a close estimate for planning, not an exact payroll figure.
Frequently asked questions
This calculator provides estimates for general guidance only, using confirmed 2026 rates or the optional 2027 Budget preview, depending on your selection. It is not tax advice. Confirm your figures with Revenue.ie or a qualified adviser.
Related calculators & guides
More free Irish tax tools.