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TAX YEAR 2026–27 · RATES CHECKED OCTOBER 2026

South Africa Income Tax Calculator 2026–27

Enter a South African salary and see what lands in your account after PAYE and UIF for the 2026/27 tax year, which runs from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027. The calculator uses the SARS tables for a single employee under 65, with the primary rebate applied.

Calculate your South Africa take-home pay

Income tax and employee contributions, 2026–27 rates.

Take-home pay / year—
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Estimates for a single employee with standard allowances, calculated in your browser. Rates checked October 2026. Not tax advice.

The system

How income tax works in South Africa

South Africa taxes employment income through PAYE, withheld by the employer each month against SARS tables. There are seven brackets: 18% on the first R245,100, rising through 26%, 31%, 36%, 39% and 41% to a top rate of 45% on income above R1,878,600. The 2026 Budget raised the thresholds by roughly 3.4%, the first inflation adjustment since the 2023/24 year, so the bands are slightly wider than the ones many older calculators still use.

The figure that does most of the work at lower salaries is the primary rebate. It is a flat R17,820 taken off the tax bill of everyone under 65, which means no tax is payable at all on the first R99,000 a year. On top of income tax, employees pay UIF at 1% of pay, capped at earnings of R17,712 a month, so the contribution never exceeds R177.12 a month.

What this calculator leaves out

  • Primary rebate of R17,820 (under 65) is subtracted from the tax bill; it creates an effective tax-free threshold of R99,000 a year. Extra rebates at 65+ (R9,765) and 75+ (R3,249) are not modelled.
  • Medical scheme fees tax credits (R376/month for the member and first dependant in 2026/27) are not included.
  • Retirement-fund contributions are deductible in South Africa (up to 27.5% of income, capped) but no contribution is assumed here, so results are an upper bound for members of a pension or retirement annuity fund.
  • UIF is 1% of remuneration up to the earnings ceiling of R17,712 a month (R212,544 a year), a maximum of R177.12 a month.
Rates

South Africa tax brackets (2026–27)

Taxable income bandRate
Up to R245,10018%
R245,100 – R383,10026%
R383,100 – R530,20031%
R530,200 – R695,80036%
R695,800 – R887,00039%
R887,000 – R1,878,60041%
Above R1,878,60045%

Bands apply to taxable income — what is left after any allowance. A tax credit of R17,820 comes off the computed tax.

Worked examples

Take-home pay at four salaries in South Africa

Gross salaryIncome taxSocialTake-homeEffective rate
R416,000R72,377R2,125R341,49817.9%
R832,500R220,708R2,125R609,66726.8%
R1,665,000R560,943R2,125R1,101,93233.8%
R3,329,500R1,301,424R2,125R2,025,95139.2%

On R832,500 a year, take-home pay in South Africa is R609,667 — about R50,806 a month — after R220,708 in income tax and R2,125 in social contributions. Salary levels are the local equivalents of US$25,000 / $50,000 / $100,000 / $200,000 at the ECB reference rate of 28 October 2026, rounded.

Payroll contributions

Social contributions in South Africa

ContributionRateApplies fromApplies up to
UIF (employee) 1% First R0 R212,544

Employee side only. Employer contributions, where a country charges them, do not come out of your pay and are not in these results.

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FAQ

South Africa tax — frequently asked questions

Because of the primary rebate. SARS first works out your tax using the brackets, then subtracts R17,820 if you are under 65. At an 18% rate, R17,820 of tax is exactly the tax on R99,000, so salaries at or below that level come out at zero. The rebate is already included in every result on this page.
The Unemployment Insurance Fund pays short-term relief if you lose your job or take maternity leave. Employees contribute 1% of their pay and employers match it. The employee share is capped at 1% of R17,712 a month, a maximum of R177.12 a month or R2,125.44 a year, and the cap is built into the calculator.
No. Members of a medical scheme get a monthly tax credit, R376 for the member and the first dependant in 2026/27, with smaller amounts after that. The credit comes straight off the tax bill, so if you belong to a scheme your actual PAYE will be lower than the figure shown here.
No contribution is assumed. In South Africa those contributions are tax-deductible up to 27.5% of your income, subject to an annual cap of R430,000, so a fund member’s taxable income is lower than the salary typed in here. Treat the result as an upper bound if you contribute to a pension, provident or retirement annuity fund.
Sources & method. Rates and bands: SARS — Guide for Employers in respect of Employees’ Tax (2027); brackets cross-checked on PwC Tax Summaries, checked 29 October 2026. The calculator models a single employee using standard allowances only; the full method, including what is left out and why, is on the Methodology page. Estimates only — not tax advice.