How the job offer comparison works
Last updated 10 November 2026
Two job offers rarely differ only in salary. One may pay more but sit far from home, and a bonus may change the picture. This page puts every offer on the same footing: what you keep each month after tax, minus the costs the job adds.
How it works
- Enter your age, medical scheme details and the working days and hours that apply.
- Add each offer with its monthly salary, yearly bonus, retirement contribution, daily commute, cost a kilometre and other monthly costs.
- Read which offer leaves the most each month, and how far apart they are.
Worked example
With the starting examples:
- Offer B (close to home) leaves the most: R 25 141.88 after tax, less R 882.00 of costs, which is R 24 259.88 a month.
- Offer A (far from home) leaves R 20 873.13 a month, which is R 3 386.75 less.
Why pay after costs is a better yardstick
A salary figure is before tax, and tax takes a bigger share of higher pay. Commute costs are real money out of your pocket every month. Comparing the amount left after both gives a fair picture of what each job is worth to you in rand.
Bonuses and retirement contributions
A yearly bonus is added to your pay for the year and taxed with it, so it is shown after tax and spread over the months. A retirement contribution reduces your tax within the limits for the year, but the money still leaves your monthly pay, and the tool counts it as such.
Where the figures come from
The tax tables, rebates and UIF come from SARS. We read them on 10 November 2026. The figures register shows the source and the date. The example offers and costs are examples, not real jobs. This is an estimate from public tables, not career or financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.
What it cannot weigh
Leave, security, benefits, growth and the time a long commute takes from your day are not in the numbers. Use the result as one input to the decision, not the whole decision.
Things to watch
- Employers may pay benefits that are not in the salary figure, so ask what is included.
- Your payslip shows your real pay.
Related: the take-home pay calculator, the salary breakdown calculator and the car vs Uber vs taxi comparison.