Know Your Worth: 7 Salary Calculators Tools to Compute Your Earnings

Got a job offer in your hands? Or perhaps you’re thinking about how much to ask for when the question comes up in your upcoming job interviews. Part of your research for considering any job and negotiating a salary increase is knowing how much your take-home pay will be. 

Knowing your estimated take-home pay has significant benefits—from motivating you to perform well at work to having well-managed finances. But all the computations can be overwhelming. You can solve this problem using salary calculators in Malaysia that automatically apply the salary calculation formula to compute your net pay.

What's the rate that you should ask for if you are going to negotiate a salary offer?

In Malaysia, the current range for salary increments in a job offer is from 10% to 30% of your previous pay. However, you need to be mindful, especially if the salary offer is on the lower side of this range. Remember to always consider the monthly deductions. You may end up earning the same amount as your current job once the deductions are made. If this is the case, negotiate a higher salary to cover the deductions. You can actually use this as one reason to justify the additional salary increase.  

What should you take note of when you’re computing your net income?

When computing your net income, you’ll need to take note of these factors and how much the deduction is for each, if applicable:  

• Gross or basic salary (monthly or annual)
• Monthly Tax Deduction or Potongan Cukai Bulanan (PCB)
• Employment Provident Fund (EPF)
• Social Security Organisation (SOCSO)
• Employment Insurance System (EIS)
• Overtime pay
• Fixed allowances
• Other expenses such as bonuses

To get your take-home pay, you need to compute your monthly deductions first. Salary calculators are helpful tools for this. Some offer features to also compute your recurring deductions: income tax, EPF, SOCSO, and EIS. If you are projecting some overtime hours in this potential job, add your overtime pay to your basic income first before computing the deductions. Also, consider bonuses and allowances that are subject to deductions and those that are not.

(Read more: 5 High Paying Jobs in Malaysia That Will Earn You Better Money)

How do you compute your monthly pay, and are there salary calculators to do this?

You don’t have to fret about manually computing for your take-home pay because there are many tools to do it for you. Here are some of them that can help. They are available online or downloadable to your smartphone devices for quick and easy use.

Salary calculators in Malaysia you can use for free

1. JobStreet’s Salary Calculator

JobStreet has a handy salary calculator that can easily compute your basic take home pay and can quickly do the math for you. All you need to do is input your monthly salary and choose your EPF contribution, and you’ll see a breakdown of the deductions from your salary. It also includes your income tax calculation and shows your annual earnings. There’s even a colourful bar graph underneath the computation for a more visual breakdown!

Try it out for free here.

2. Salarycal – Salary Calculator Malaysia

Salarycal is a useful Android device app that lets you compute your salary by also deducting your other monthly expenses such as loans and credit card bills. Enter your basic monthly salary, monthly bonus, select your EPF percentage contribution, and enable EIS and PBC. Then, it will show you your net pay through a pie-chart report.

Available on Android.

3. Payroll.my

This website is an online calculator that computes your monthly income tax, EPF, SOCSO, and EIS. You can also input specific information under the Salary Options such as Tax Category, Tax Residency, Calculation Preference between Salary and Bonus, and Zakat Muslim Fund.

Available online.

4. Talenox

This website will help you if you need a net pay calculation that includes tax relief for your children, medical expenses, school fees, and insurance premiums. You may also enter your email address to have the result sent to you in an Excel file.

Available online.

5. Simple PBC Calculator

This app is downloadable for iOS users who need an instant and easy computation of their income tax. You can enter your monthly or yearly salary, allowance, and bonus, and it will provide you with a result with your deductions and annual tax and income report. An income tax rate is available if you need a reference for tax percentage per income range.

Available on iOS.

6. iMoney Malaysia

This is another website you can use for your income tax computation. The iMoney income tax calculator has three parts with specific fields you can fill in with available amounts. The first part will include your annual gross income and essential family information, the second is for paid expenses, and the last is for other purchases, donations, and Zakat payment. The result will have a comparison of your estimated income tax for the current and previous year, your tax deductions, taxable income, and the tax amount you should pay. The website also provides essential information about income tax in Malaysia.

Available online.

7. SaverAsia

An online calculator you can use to know how much you are expected to receive for overtime work. To use it, enter your basic pay, the appropriate pay period, and the number of hours worked overtime.

Available online.

Whether you are looking for a quick salary computation or a comprehensive income report, these salary calculators are great tools to estimate your expected net pay. These applications you can use in just a few clicks also provide a more convenient way of knowing the value of your experience and skills in today’s job market and if you are getting the right amount you worked hard to earn. After all, you are the one who determines your worth. Negotiating your salary can be daunting, but knowing how to do it will be helpful for your career. Remember, if you don’t do it, who else will? 

Don’t forget!

A hefty salary is not the only thing you should consider when looking for a job. There is much more to a job than a big paycheck. For example, you should learn more about an organisation’s culture and assess if you are a good fit there. Learn to analyse company reviews here.

Additionally, you should review the job scope: Do you think your soft skills and technical knowledge are a match for the position? What about the benefits? Make sure you are amenable to what the organisation has to offer, and learn about the notable bonuses that are considered as part of a compensation package. Those factors may outweigh a high salary increase, especially if, at the end of the day, you get more in terms of experience, and learning. 

(Read more: Job Application Checklist: 7 Steps You Must Take Before Applying for a Job)

Knowing your worth and how much you’ll be earning is just one step, so #LetsGetToWork. Begin your job search and update your profile at JobStreet so you can find work that will bring you passion and purpose. 

Don’t forget to visit our Career Resources Hub for more information on how to improve your work life and well-being, including tips on negotiating low salary offers.