Salary Calculator
Calculate gross salary, PF deductions and net take-home pay — free, instant, no signup
Gross salary
PF deduction
Take-home pay
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What is this Salary Calculator?
This free salary calculator helps any salaried employee in India find out exactly how much they will take home each month. You enter your salary components — Basic salary, HRA (House Rent Allowance), Special allowance, and your PF contribution percentage — and the tool instantly shows your Gross salary, your PF deduction amount, and your actual Net take-home pay with a full component-by-component breakdown table.
Most employees in India look at their CTC (Cost to Company) figure and wonder why their bank account receives so much less every month. This calculator makes that gap clear — showing you exactly where your money goes before it reaches you.
How to use this Salary Calculator — step by step
- Step 1: Enter your Basic salary — this is the fixed base component of your pay, usually 40–50% of your CTC. Check your offer letter or payslip for this figure. The tool starts with ₹30,000 as an example.
- Step 2: Enter your HRA (House Rent Allowance) — this is shown separately on your payslip. If you live in a metro city (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai), HRA is usually 50% of basic. For non-metro cities it is typically 40% of basic.
- Step 3: Enter your Special allowance — this is the remaining variable component after Basic and HRA. It appears on your payslip as "Special allowance" or sometimes "Flexi allowance."
- Step 4: Enter your PF contribution percentage — for most employees this is the standard 12% of basic salary. Some companies allow voluntary contributions at higher rates.
- Step 5: Click "Calculate salary" or just type in any field — results update instantly. You will see your Gross salary, PF deduction, and Net take-home, plus a full breakdown table.
Real example — ₹12 LPA CTC employee
Suppose your CTC is ₹12,00,000 per year and your monthly salary slip shows:
- Basic salary: ₹40,000
- HRA: ₹20,000 (50% of basic — metro city)
- Special allowance: ₹30,000
- Gross salary: ₹90,000/month
- PF deduction (12% of basic): ₹4,800
- Estimated take-home (before TDS): ₹85,200/month
But your CTC is ₹1,00,000/month — so where does the remaining ₹14,800 go? Your employer pays ₹4,800 as their matching PF contribution, and the rest covers gratuity provision, health insurance premium, and other benefits. This is why your take-home is always lower than your CTC divided by 12.
Key features
- Gross salary: Sum of Basic + HRA + Special allowance
- PF deduction: Calculated at 12% (or your custom rate) of basic salary
- Net take-home: Gross salary minus PF deduction
- Full breakdown table: Every component shown clearly in one place
- Real-time results: Updates instantly as you type — no button needed
- 100% private: Nothing is stored or sent — all calculations run in your browser
Understanding your Indian salary structure
Indian salary structures are deliberately split into multiple components because each component is taxed — or exempt from tax — differently. Knowing how each part works helps you understand your payslip, verify that your employer is calculating deductions correctly, and make informed decisions when negotiating a job offer or switching companies.
The 5 key salary components every employee should know
Basic salary
The fixed core component. Typically 40–50% of CTC. PF, gratuity and leave encashment are all calculated as a percentage of basic — so a higher basic means higher PF deduction but also higher retirement savings.
HRA
Tax-exempt up to 50% of basic (metro) or 40% (non-metro) — provided you actually pay rent. You must submit rent receipts to your employer to claim this exemption. Without proof, the full HRA is taxable.
PF (Employee)
12% of basic salary deducted every month and deposited to your EPFO account. This is your money — it earns tax-free interest (currently 8.15% p.a.) and is fully yours when you leave the job after 5 years.
Professional tax
State-specific deduction. In Karnataka and Maharashtra it is ₹200/month (₹2,400/year). Some states like Delhi do not charge it at all. Shown on your payslip but not included in this calculator's deductions.
TDS / Income tax
The largest deduction for higher earners. Your employer estimates your annual tax liability and deducts it monthly as TDS. This varies by your tax regime (old vs new), investments, and exemptions claimed.
Why your CTC and take-home pay are very different
CTC (Cost to Company) is the total annual cost your employer bears for employing you. It includes components you never see as cash in your account — like the employer's matching PF contribution (12% of your basic), gratuity provision (4.81% of basic), group health insurance premium, and sometimes meal vouchers or gym allowances.
As a rough guide for salaried employees in India:
- CTC ₹5 LPA: Take-home approximately ₹38,000–₹42,000/month
- CTC ₹10 LPA: Take-home approximately ₹70,000–₹78,000/month
- CTC ₹15 LPA: Take-home approximately ₹95,000–₹1,05,000/month
- CTC ₹20 LPA: Take-home approximately ₹1,20,000–₹1,35,000/month
The gap widens at higher CTCs because TDS (income tax deducted at source) increases significantly once you move into the 20% and 30% tax slabs.
Old tax regime vs new tax regime — which affects take-home more?
Since FY 2023–24, the new tax regime is the default in India. Under the new regime, most exemptions (HRA, LTA, 80C deductions) are not available — but the slab rates are lower. Under the old regime, you can claim HRA exemption, ₹1.5 lakh 80C deduction, and other benefits — which reduces taxable income significantly for those who invest and pay rent. For most employees earning below ₹7 lakh annually, the new regime results in zero tax due to the rebate under Section 87A. For higher earners, the right choice depends on your investments and rent — use our Income Tax Calculator to compare both regimes for your specific situation.
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Frequently asked questions
How is PF deducted from salary in India?
Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is deducted at 12% of your basic salary every month. So if your basic is ₹30,000, your monthly PF deduction is ₹3,600. This amount goes directly to your EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organisation) account. Your employer also contributes an equal 12% of your basic — but this is part of your CTC, not an additional cost to you. Of the employer's 12%, 8.33% goes to the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS) and 3.67% to the EPF account. The entire balance in your EPF account earns tax-free interest and is available on retirement or after leaving the job (after 5 years of continuous service for full withdrawal).
What is the difference between gross salary and take-home pay?
Gross salary is the total of all your salary components before any deductions — it is Basic + HRA + Special allowance + any other allowances. Take-home pay (net salary) is the amount that actually reaches your bank account after all deductions are subtracted. Deductions typically include: Employee PF (12% of basic), Professional Tax (₹200/month in most states), and TDS (income tax deducted at source based on your tax slab). For example, if your gross salary is ₹90,000 and your total deductions are ₹8,500 (PF ₹3,600 + Professional Tax ₹200 + TDS ₹4,700), your take-home is ₹81,500.
What salary components does this calculator include?
This calculator covers the four most common salary components: Basic salary, HRA (House Rent Allowance), Special allowance, and the employee's PF contribution at your chosen percentage. It calculates Gross salary (Basic + HRA + Special allowance), PF deduction (percentage of basic), and Net take-home (Gross minus PF). It does not include Professional Tax, TDS/income tax, LTA, medical allowance, or company-specific deductions — because these vary significantly by state, employer, and individual tax situation. For a calculation that includes income tax, use the Income Tax Calculator linked in the sidebar.
Why is my CTC much higher than my take-home pay?
CTC (Cost to Company) is not the same as your salary — it is the total annual cost your employer bears to employ you. It includes items you never receive as cash: the employer's 12% PF contribution (matched to your 12%), gratuity provision (roughly 4.81% of basic per year), group health insurance premium, and sometimes meal vouchers, transport allowance, or other perks. For example, if your CTC is ₹10 lakh per year, the monthly figure is ₹83,333 — but after removing employer PF, gratuity, insurance, and then your own PF and TDS deductions, your actual take-home might be ₹65,000–₹72,000. The difference is not money you are "losing" — some of it (PF, gratuity) comes back to you later.
Can I change the PF percentage in this calculator?
Yes — the PF field accepts any percentage from 0 to 100. The statutory minimum for employees covered under EPF (those working in organisations with 20+ employees earning up to ₹15,000 basic) is 12%. If your basic salary exceeds ₹15,000, PF is still usually deducted at 12% of actual basic by most employers, though technically only ₹15,000 is mandatory. You can also make Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) contributions above 12% — this increases your retirement savings and is fully tax-deductible under Section 80C. Simply enter your actual total PF percentage (e.g., 20%) to see the deduction.
How accurate is this salary calculator?
This tool gives an accurate calculation of gross salary and PF deduction based on the figures you enter. The take-home figure it shows is accurate before TDS (income tax) and Professional Tax are applied. To get your complete actual take-home, subtract your monthly TDS (visible on your payslip as "Income Tax" or "TDS") and Professional Tax (usually ₹200/month depending on your state). For exact figures including all deductions, the most reliable source is always your employer's payslip or your HR/payroll department — they have your complete tax declaration, investment proofs, and regime choice on file.
Does this calculator store my salary details?
No — nothing you enter is stored, transmitted, or logged anywhere. All calculations run entirely within your browser using JavaScript. We have no access to your salary figures. You can confirm this by disconnecting from the internet after the page loads — the calculator continues to work perfectly offline because it does not contact any server to perform calculations. Your financial data stays completely private.