What to enter
Basic salary
Your basic salary before any deductions. This is usually the first line on your payslip or the "basic" figure in your offer letter. SSNIT is calculated on this amount only, so do not include allowances here.
Monthly or annual
Choose how the salary you typed is paid. If you enter an annual figure, the calculator divides it by 12 (to the pesewa) because employers deduct SSNIT and PAYE every month. You can switch the result between monthly and annual views at any time.
Taxable allowances
Cash allowances such as transport, housing or fuel allowances that are paid with your salary. They are added to your taxable income but are not part of the SSNIT base. Enter them for the same period as your salary (monthly or annual).
Bonus
A bonus paid once in the year. Ghana taxes the part of a bonus up to 15% of annual basic salary at a flat 5%; any amount above that is taxed together with that month's pay. The annual view includes the bonus; the monthly view shows a regular month without it.
Tax rules
The rates are stored by tax year. The latest set is selected by default and the result always shows which set was used. See the rates and where they come from.
Reading your result
- Estimated take-home pay — what should reach your bank account.
- Gross salary — basic salary plus allowances (and bonus in the annual view).
- SSNIT and PAYE — the two statutory deductions most employees in Ghana pay.
- Effective tax rate — PAYE as a share of gross pay. It is always lower than your top band rate because lower slices of income are taxed at lower rates.
Open "How PAYE was worked out" under the result to see exactly how much of your income fell into each band.
When your payslip will differ
The result is an estimate. Your actual pay can differ if you claim personal reliefs, contribute to a voluntary (Tier 3) pension, receive benefits in kind, work overtime, or have deductions such as loans, union dues or welfare contributions. See how to read a Ghana payslip.