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South African Income Tax Calculator 2026/27
Enter your monthly basic salary and travel allowance below for an instant estimate of your SARS tax liability, UIF, and net pay, laid out like a payslip. Read on for how the numbers are worked out.
Updated 5 October 2026 for the 2026/27 SARS tax tables and Budget 2026 changes.
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How this calculator works
This tool estimates PAYE (Pay As You Earn) tax the way a payslip would: your basic salary and travel allowance make up your gross monthly package, your retirement contribution reduces what's taxable, age-based rebates reduce the tax itself, and what's left is taxed using SARS's 2026/27 individual tax brackets.
Tax brackets
South Africa uses a progressive tax system: you pay a higher rate only on the portion of income that falls into each higher bracket, not on your whole income.
| Taxable income (per year) | Tax |
|---|---|
| R1 to R245,100 | 18% of taxable income |
| R245,101 to R383,100 | R44,118 + 26% above R245,100 |
| R383,101 to R530,200 | R79,998 + 31% above R383,100 |
| R530,201 to R695,800 | R125,599 + 36% above R530,200 |
| R695,801 to R887,000 | R185,215 + 39% above R695,800 |
| R887,001 to R1,878,600 | R259,783 + 41% above R887,000 |
| R1,878,601 and above | R666,339 + 45% above R1,878,600 |
Rebates for 2026/27 are R17,820 (everyone), plus R9,765 from age 65 and a further R3,249 from age 75. That means you pay no income tax if you earn under R99,000 a year (R153,250 from age 65, R171,300 from age 75).
Rebates and medical tax credits
Every individual taxpayer gets a primary rebate that reduces tax payable directly, with additional rebates for taxpayers aged 65 and over, and again for those 75 and over. If you belong to a medical aid, you also get a fixed monthly tax credit for each person on it, regardless of what your medical aid actually costs: R376 for you, R376 for your first dependant, and R254 for each additional dependant. Enter everyone on your medical aid, including yourself, in the calculator.
Travel allowance
Where an employer pays a fixed monthly travel allowance, SARS generally requires 80% of it to be included in your taxable income for PAYE purposes, reduced to 20% only where your employer is satisfied you use the vehicle for business more than 80% of the time. This calculator applies the standard 80% inclusion.
Retirement contributions
Contributions to a pension fund, provident fund or retirement annuity are deductible up to 27.5% of the greater of your remuneration or taxable income, capped at R430,000 a year from 1 March 2026 (up from R350,000). The calculator subtracts your contribution from your net pay, the way it would appear on a payslip.
Provisional tax
If you earn income that isn't taxed at source under PAYE (freelance income, rental income, or investment income, for example), you may need to register as a provisional taxpayer and pay tax in two or three payments across the year rather than through monthly payroll deductions.
Limitations
This calculator is a planning estimate, not a tax assessment. It doesn't account for other income sources, deductions, fringe benefits, or your specific circumstances. For an assessment you can rely on, talk to us directly.