You just got a job offer. ₦300,000 per month! You’re already planning how to spend it. New apartment, new wardrobe, weekend owambe, travel plans.

Then your first salary hits your account: ₦255,000.

“Where is my money?” You ask. Pension took its share. Tax took its cut. Your gross salary and your take-home salary are two very different people.

This calculator shows you what you actually take home before you make expensive plans based on fake numbers.

How to use it:

Step 1: Enter your gross monthly salary. That’s the number in your offer letter before anyone touches it.

Step 2: Click on “Customize Deductions” if you want to adjust the rates (it expands when you click).

The default settings:

• Pension: 8% (standard in Nigeria)
• Tax: 7% (rough average, varies by state and income level)
• Other deductions: ₦0 (add if you have stuff like union dues, loans, etc.)

Step 3: Adjust the numbers if your company’s structure is different. Some companies do 10% pension, some states charge higher tax.

Step 4: Click “Calculate Take Home”

Reading your results: The Salary Surprise You Didn’t Want

The big banner at the top shows your actual monthly take-home in bold. That’s the number you should use for budgeting, not the gross salary.

Below the percentage, you see exactly what portion of your gross you actually get to spend.

Deductions breakdown:

The calculator shows you line by line where your money went:

• Gross salary (what they promised)
• Pension deduction (with the minus sign to show it’s gone)
• Tax deduction (another minus)
• Other deductions if any
• Total deductions (how much disappeared)

The insight:

At the bottom, you get a reality check. It tells you what percentage of your salary vanished in deductions and breaks down your daily take-home pay.

The calculator also reminds you that pension isn’t all bad because you’re building a retirement fund, even if it hurts right now.

Example that many people face:

Gross salary: ₦300,000 Pension (8%): ₦24,000 Tax (7%): ₦21,000 Other deductions: ₦0 Total deductions: ₦45,000

Take home: ₦255,000

That’s 85% of your gross. You lost ₦45,000 before you even saw it. And this is why you need to budget based on ₦255,000, not ₦300,000.

Common mistake:

People sign offer letters for ₦200,000 and start looking for apartments that cost ₦80,000 in rent (40% of gross). Bad move. After deductions, your take-home is ₦170,000. Now that rent is 47% of your actual money. You’ll be house poor.

The smart move:

Always use this calculator when you get a job offer or salary increase. Budget with your take-home, not your gross. And when you’re negotiating salary, remember to account for deductions. If you need ₦300,000 take-home, you need to negotiate for about ₦355,000 gross.