Labour-cost to net-pay estimator
Pick one of the 38 OECD countries and a gross salary, and this tool estimates the total cost to the employer, the income tax, employee and employer social security, and your net take-home pay, using that country's OECD average-worker tax-wedge components. It runs entirely in your browser. It is a model based on average-worker rates, not your personal tax — it ignores brackets, allowances and local rules, and it is not tax advice.
Source: OECD Taxing Wages. Data as of June 2026 (OECD Taxing Wages, 2023 data year).
How it works
The estimator uses each country's published OECD average-worker components so you can see exactly what it does:
- Income tax and employee social security are applied as a share of your gross salary.
- Employer social security is applied on top of gross to derive the total labour cost — what it actually costs to employ you.
- Net take-home = gross − income tax − employee social security.
- The tax wedge shown is the three taxes as a share of that total labour cost.
Because it uses average-worker rates rather than your exact bracket, it is a directional estimate. See the methodology for the assumptions and limits, and any country page for the underlying figures (2023 data year).
Frequently asked questions
How does the labour-cost to net-pay estimator work?
Pick a country, a gross salary and a household type. The tool applies that country's OECD average-worker tax-wedge components — income tax and employee social security as a share of gross, employer social security as a share of labour cost — to your salary, and shows the total cost to the employer, the three tax components and your net take-home. It runs entirely in your browser with no network calls.
Is this estimator accurate enough to plan a job offer or relocation?
No. It applies a country's AVERAGE-worker rates flat to whatever salary you enter, so it ignores tax brackets, allowances, exact thresholds, regional taxes and your personal circumstances. A high earner faces higher marginal rates than the average; a low earner often faces lower effective rates. Treat the output as directional, then check official sources and a tax adviser.
Why does the estimator show an employer cost higher than my salary?
Because employers also pay social-security contributions on top of your gross wage. The tax wedge is built on total labour cost — your gross salary plus the employer's contributions. The 'total cost to employer' line shows that full figure, which is what makes the wedge larger than the tax you personally see.
Go deeper
Not tax advice. This estimator models a representative average worker, not your personal situation. Verify with the relevant tax authority and a qualified adviser before relying on any figure. See our disclaimer.
Last updated: 2026-06-29