How the work time calculator works
Last updated 10 November 2026
A price is easier to judge when it is written in the thing you spend to earn it: your time. This page takes your salary, works out what you keep after tax for each hour of work, and shows how many hours, working days and months of pay each item on your list costs.
How it works
- Enter your monthly salary before tax, your age, and the hours and days you work in a week.
- List what you want to buy and the price of each item. Add as many as you need.
- Read the time at work for each item and for the whole list.
Worked example
With the starting figures:
- A salary of R 22 000 a month leaves R 19 222 after PAYE and UIF, which is R 110.90 for each hour worked.
- New phone at R 14 000 costs 15.8 working days (126.2 hours) of work, or 0.7 months of take-home pay.
- The whole list of R 185 500 takes 209.1 working days (1672.7 hours).
Why hours of work help
People often compare a price with a monthly salary, which hides how much time is behind it. Showing a phone as a few working days, or a car as many months of pay, makes the trade-off clearer. It can help you decide whether something is worth the time it costs you.
How take-home pay is found
The tool uses the current SARS tax tables, rebates and UIF to work out your pay after tax. It then divides the yearly amount by the hours you work, using 52 weeks a year. If you work longer or shorter weeks, change the hours and the result changes with them.
What it leaves out
The result ignores your other costs. Rent, food, transport and debt come out of the same pay, so the real time to save for something is longer. It also ignores interest, discounts and any change in your pay. The prices and items start as examples and are yours to change.
Where the figures come from
The tax tables come from SARS. We read them on 10 November 2026. The figures register shows the source and the date. The example prices are only examples. This is an estimate from public tables, not advice. Read the full disclaimer.
Things to watch
- The time is based on pay after tax, before your other costs.
- Your payslip shows your real pay.
Related: the salary breakdown calculator, the savings goals planner and the affordability check.