Start with your annual CTC — everything below is calculated from this number.

₹10 L
45%

Check your payslip or offer letter — most Indian employers set this between 40% and 50%.

Metro = Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai. Affects your HRA and, under Old Regime, your HRA tax exemption.

₹0

Included in your CTC. Used only to calculate fixed monthly salary.


This affects only the Professional Tax deduction — a minor part of your total deductions.

Not sure which one? New Regime usually works out better unless you claim large 80C or HRA deductions.

Monthly In-Hand Salary Take-Home
0 /month
Annual In-Hand
—% of CTC
Total Deductions
PF + Tax + PT

Detailed breakdown of where your CTC goes each year:

Basic Salary
₹0
HRA
₹0
Employer PF
₹0
Employee PF
₹0
Gratuity (Provision)
₹0
Professional Tax (Annual)
₹0
Estimated Income Tax (Annual)
₹0
CTC Breakdown
Share of CTC
Amount
In-hand / Net ₹0
PF (Employer + Employee) ₹0
Income Tax + Prof. Tax ₹0
Gratuity ₹0

Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates using common salary structure assumptions (Basic ~45% of CTC, employer/employee PF at 12% of Basic, gratuity provisioning). Actual salary breakup, PF applicability, and tax deducted vary by employer policy and individual circumstances. Income tax is estimated using FY 2026-27 slabs. Verify exact figures with your offer letter, payslip, or a tax professional.

What is a Salary Calculator?

A salary calculator converts your CTC (Cost to Company) into your actual in-hand salary — the amount that lands in your bank account every month. The number on your offer letter is rarely the number you take home, because CTC includes several components that never reach your account directly: employer PF contribution, gratuity provisioning, and sometimes insurance premiums. On top of that, your in-hand pay is further reduced by employee PF, professional tax, and income tax.

This CTC to in-hand salary calculator breaks every one of these pieces apart so you know exactly where your money goes — not just the final number.

CTC (What's on Paper)

  • Total cost the employer bears for you, annually
  • Includes Basic, HRA, allowances, employer PF, gratuity
  • The figure quoted in your offer letter

In-Hand Salary (What You Get)

  • CTC minus employer PF, gratuity, and all deductions
  • Reduced further by employee PF, professional tax, TDS
  • Typically 68–80% of CTC, depending on structure and tax
There's no fixed formula that turns any CTC into a take-home number — it depends on how your company structures Basic, HRA and allowances, which state you work in, and which tax regime you choose. That's exactly why a salary breakup calculator is more useful than a rough "70% of CTC" estimate.

How Your CTC is Broken Down

Every CTC, however it's presented on your offer letter, boils down to the same handful of building blocks:

Component Typical Share of CTC Reaches Your Bank Account?
Basic Salary 40%–50% of CTC Yes — fully credited monthly
HRA (House Rent Allowance) Usually 40%–50% of Basic Yes — credited monthly, partly tax-exempt if renting
Special Allowance Balancing figure to complete CTC Yes — fully taxable, fully credited
Employer PF Contribution 12% of Basic (capped in many companies) No — goes into your EPF account, not your bank account
Gratuity Provision ≈4.81% of Basic No — paid only on exit, after 5 years of continuous service
Employee PF Contribution 12% of Basic Deducted from gross pay, not lost — it's your own retirement saving

So the gap between CTC and in-hand salary is really two things stacked together: money that never enters your salary account at all (employer PF, gratuity), and money that enters your account but is then deducted (employee PF, professional tax, income tax).

Worked Example: ₹10 Lakh CTC

Step-by-step, new tax regime, FY 2026-27

Inputs: CTC = ₹10,00,000  |  Basic = 45% of CTC  |  No other deductions

  1. Basic Salary = 45% × 10,00,000 = ₹4,50,000/yr (₹37,500/month)
  2. Employer PF = 12% of Basic = ₹54,000/yr (removed from CTC, doesn't reach your account)
  3. Gratuity provision ≈ 4.81% of Basic = ₹21,645/yr (removed from CTC, paid only on exit)
  4. Gross salary credited to you = CTC − Employer PF − Gratuity ≈ ₹9,24,355/yr
  5. Employee PF deducted = 12% of Basic = ₹54,000/yr
  6. Professional Tax (varies by state) ≈ ₹2,400/yr
  7. Income tax under new regime (after ₹75,000 standard deduction) ≈ ₹0 — taxable income falls under the ₹12 lakh rebate threshold
Monthly in-hand ≈ ₹72,163  |  Annual in-hand ≈ ₹8,65,955  |  That's about 86.6% of CTC

Notice how much of the "loss" here is really employer PF and gratuity — money that isn't gone, just parked for your retirement or held until you leave the company. The actual cash cost to you (employee PF plus tax) is much smaller than the full CTC-to-in-hand gap suggests.

5 Factors That Affect Your In-Hand Salary

Basic Salary Percentage

A higher Basic means higher PF and gratuity deductions, which lowers in-hand pay today — but builds a bigger retirement corpus. A lower Basic raises your monthly take-home but shrinks your PF savings over time.

Which State You Work In

Professional tax is a state subject — Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, and several others deduct it monthly, while Delhi and Haryana don't charge it at all. It's a small amount, but it does shift your final number.

Tax Regime Chosen

The new regime usually wins for salaries with few deductions. The old regime can pull ahead if you claim HRA, a home loan, or a full 80C investment — always check both before deciding.

HRA and Rent Paid

Under the old regime, HRA is partly or fully tax-exempt if you pay rent, which directly reduces your taxable income and raises your in-hand pay. Under the new regime, HRA is fully taxable regardless of rent.

Bonus and Variable Pay

Bonus is usually already included inside your CTC figure, not on top of it. It's taxed in the month it's paid, which can temporarily push you into a higher TDS deduction for that month even if your annual tax doesn't change.

PF, Gratuity & Professional Tax — What They Actually Are

Provident Fund (PF)

Both you and your employer contribute 12% of Basic salary (subject to a wage ceiling many companies apply) to your EPF account every month. Your share is deducted from your salary; your employer's share is a separate cost added to your CTC. Neither reaches your bank account monthly — the money sits in your EPF account, earning interest, until retirement, resignation, or an eligible partial withdrawal.

Gratuity

Gratuity is a lump-sum benefit paid when you complete 5 years of continuous service with an employer — whether you resign, retire, or are laid off. Companies provision roughly 4.81% of Basic annually as a CTC cost, even though you won't see this money until you actually leave. It's calculated at the time of exit using the formula: (Last drawn Basic + DA) × 15 × years of service ÷ 26.

Professional Tax

Professional tax is a small state-level tax on employment income, deducted monthly by your employer and remitted to the state government. Rates and slabs vary by state — most cap it around ₹200–₹300 a month, and a handful of states, including Delhi and Haryana, don't levy it at all.

PF and gratuity are not "lost" money — they're deferred benefits that belong to you. When comparing two job offers by their in-hand salary alone, remember that a lower in-hand figure with a higher Basic often means a meaningfully larger retirement corpus over the years.

How Income Tax on Salary Works — FY 2026-27

Income tax is the single biggest variable deduction for most salaried employees, and it depends entirely on which tax regime you pick. Under the new tax regime (the default for FY 2026-27), a ₹75,000 standard deduction applies automatically, and taxable income up to ₹12,00,000 is effectively tax-free thanks to the Section 87A rebate. Under the old regime, the standard deduction is ₹50,000, but you can additionally claim 80C, 80D, HRA, and home loan interest to lower your taxable income further.

Your employer deducts this tax monthly as TDS (Tax Deducted at Source), based on the regime you declare at the start of the year and the investment proofs you submit. If you want the full slab-by-slab breakdown and a side-by-side regime comparison, the income tax calculator runs both regimes on your exact numbers and tells you which one actually leaves more in your pocket.

Tips to Increase Your In-Hand Salary

  • Compare both tax regimes every year. Don't assume last year's choice is still optimal — run your numbers through the income tax calculator before submitting your declaration.
  • Ask HR about restructuring your CTC. Components like meal cards, fuel reimbursement, and telephone allowance can lower your taxable income legally, within limits set by your company's policy.
  • Claim HRA correctly if you rent — under the old regime, this is one of the largest exemptions available to salaried employees in metro cities.
  • Don't ignore employer NPS contribution (Section 80CCD(2)). It's deductible under both tax regimes and is one of the few ways to lower taxable income even on the new regime.
  • Understand that a higher Basic isn't a bad thing. It raises PF and gratuity, both of which are your money — just delayed, not deducted.
  • Check your state's professional tax slab if you're relocating for a job — it's a small number, but it does shift your final take-home slightly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Start with your CTC, subtract the employer's PF contribution and gratuity provision (neither reaches your bank account), and you get your gross salary. From gross salary, subtract employee PF, professional tax, and income tax (TDS) to arrive at your monthly in-hand salary. This calculator does all these steps for you based on your exact CTC, Basic percentage, state, and chosen tax regime.

Most salaried employees take home roughly 70–85% of their CTC, depending on their Basic salary percentage, tax regime, and income level. Lower CTC bands tend to be closer to 85–90% because income tax is minimal, while higher CTC bands often fall closer to 65–75% once higher tax slabs and surcharge apply.

CTC includes several components that never enter your bank account monthly — mainly the employer's PF contribution and the gratuity provision, both of which are paid out later (at retirement, resignation, or after 5 years of service for gratuity). On top of that, your gross salary is further reduced by your own PF contribution, professional tax, and income tax, which is what actually brings you down to your final in-hand figure.

Most Indian companies set Basic between 40% and 50% of CTC. A higher Basic increases PF and gratuity (both long-term savings) but lowers your monthly in-hand pay today, while a lower Basic does the opposite. Neither is objectively "better" — it depends on whether you value monthly liquidity or a larger retirement corpus more.

No. Professional tax is levied by state governments, not the central government, so rates and applicability vary. States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu charge it monthly, typically capped around ₹200–₹300, while states like Delhi and Haryana do not levy professional tax at all.

If you have few deductions — no home loan, minimal 80C investment, and don't claim HRA — the new regime usually results in a higher in-hand salary due to its lower rates and higher rebate threshold. If you pay significant rent, have an active home loan, or invest heavily in 80C and 80D instruments, the old regime can work out better. Run both scenarios through the income tax calculator before deciding.

In most Indian companies, bonus or variable pay is already included within the CTC figure quoted in your offer letter — it isn't paid on top of it. It's taxed in the month it's actually disbursed, which can temporarily increase the TDS deducted that month, though your total annual tax liability doesn't change because of this timing.

Yes, in specific circumstances — the EPFO allows partial withdrawals for reasons like medical emergencies, home purchase or construction, higher education, or marriage, subject to conditions on years of service and withdrawal limits. Full withdrawal is typically allowed after 2 months of unemployment or at retirement.

Gratuity is calculated as (Last drawn Basic + DA) × 15 × number of years of service ÷ 26, payable once you complete 5 years of continuous service with an employer. Companies provision roughly 4.81% of Basic annually as a CTC cost toward this, but the actual payout only happens when you leave the organisation.

A salary calculator using standard assumptions (Basic around 40–50% of CTC, PF at 12% of Basic, current-year tax slabs) closely approximates your actual in-hand pay for a typical salary structure. Your exact number can vary slightly based on your specific company's CTC structure, any additional benefits like insurance premiums built into CTC, and TDS timing. Always confirm the final figure against your payslip or offer letter.

Key Takeaways

  • CTC is not your take-home pay. Employer PF and gratuity are part of CTC but never reach your bank account monthly — they're deferred benefits, not lost money.
  • Your actual in-hand pay is CTC minus employer PF and gratuity, then minus employee PF, professional tax, and income tax.
  • A higher Basic salary raises PF and gratuity (good for long-term savings) but lowers your monthly take-home today — there's no universally "right" percentage.
  • Income tax is the biggest variable — always compare the new and old regime using your actual numbers rather than assuming one is always better.
  • Professional tax depends on your state, and is small but not identical everywhere — some states don't charge it at all.
Disclaimer: All calculations use common salary structure assumptions (Basic salary at 40–50% of CTC, PF at 12% of Basic, standard gratuity provisioning) and income tax slabs notified for FY 2026-27. Actual salary structure, PF applicability, professional tax, and TDS vary by employer policy, state, and individual circumstances. This calculator does not constitute financial or tax advice — verify exact figures with your offer letter, payslip, HR department, or a qualified Chartered Accountant. Sources: EPFO (epfindia.gov.in) · Income Tax India (incometaxindia.gov.in) · respective State Commercial Tax Departments.

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