A salary figure sounds clear until you try to turn it into a monthly budget. Your gross salary is the amount before deductions. What lands in your account is your take-home pay, after Income Tax, National Insurance and any other deductions have been taken.

A useful starting point is to enter your annual salary into a tax calculator, then divide the result by twelve. This gives you a sensible monthly estimate for comparing job offers or checking whether a pay rise will make a noticeable difference.

Your personal figure can vary. Pension contributions, student loan repayments, benefits, overtime, bonuses and your tax code may all change the number on your payslip. That is why an online result should be treated as a planning estimate rather than a guarantee.

When comparing two roles, look beyond the headline salary. A role with a slightly lower gross salary but a stronger pension contribution, lower commuting costs or paid professional training may still leave you better off overall.

For a quick check, use the Tax Calculator with the annual salary you expect to earn. If the result is close to a decision you need to make, keep a recent payslip nearby and check the figures against it.