How the Irish Money Clock works
Most salary calculators hand you one annual number. This one shows the money arriving as you earn it, and the deductions leaving at the same time, so the relationship between your gross pay and what actually reaches your bank account becomes concrete rather than abstract.
Using the clock
Enter your salary and choose the period it covers — weekly, fortnightly, monthly or yearly. Add the hours you work in a normal week and the percentage of salary going into your pension. From those three inputs the tool derives your hourly rate and works forward from there.
There are two ways to run it:
- Clock in starts counting from right now, which is the mode to use if you want to watch it live during a shift.
- Use times applies the start and finish times you set, so you can see what a full day is worth without waiting for it to elapse.
Your inputs are saved in your own browser and restored the next time you visit. If you leave the clock running and reload the page, it picks up where it left off.
What each figure means
- Gross — what you have earned before anything is taken off, based on your hourly rate and the time elapsed.
- Pension — the share of gross going into your pension. It reduces the income that income tax is charged on, but not the amount USC and PRSI are charged on. Our guide to pension tax relief explains why.
- PAYE — income tax. Broadly 20% up to the standard rate cut-off point and 40% above it, less your tax credits. See PAYE explained.
- PRSI — Pay Related Social Insurance, Class A. The only deduction that buys you something specific, including the contributory State Pension. See PRSI explained.
- USC — the Universal Social Charge, applied in progressive bands on gross income above the exemption threshold. See USC explained.
- Net — your estimated take-home pay once all four have come off.
The Rates panel converts your position into net and gross amounts per hour, day, week, month and year, which is the quickest way to compare two job offers on a like-for-like basis. Year to date projects forward from 1 January at your current rate, and the Revenue line beneath it totals the PAYE, PRSI and USC that projection implies.
The rules it applies
The calculator uses a simplified model of the 2026 single-person rules. The assumptions are stated openly here so you can judge how closely the output should match your own payslip:
| Setting | Value used |
|---|---|
| Standard rate cut-off point | €44,000 at 20%, balance at 40% |
| Tax credits | €4,000 combined personal and employee credit |
| USC bands | 0.5%, 2%, 3% and 8%, with a €13,000 exemption threshold |
| PRSI | Class A at 4.2%, or 4.2375% blended |
| Pension relief | Against income tax only, not USC or PRSI |
| Working year | 52.14 weeks at your stated weekly hours |
The blended PRSI toggle matters when the PRSI rate changes part way through a tax year. Leave it on for annual and year-to-date estimates that span the change; turn it off when you are checking a single current payslip, where only today's rate applies.
Why it will not match your payslip exactly
Real payroll operates PAYE on a cumulative basis: at every pay date your employer recalculates the total tax due on your year-to-date pay, subtracts what has already been deducted, and takes the difference. That is what makes a bonus month look punitive and a return from unpaid leave look unusually light.
This tool does something simpler and smoother. It annualises your current earning rate and applies a proportional share of a full year's credits, which gives you a clean picture of your steady-state position rather than a reproduction of your employer's arithmetic on one specific date. For understanding where your money goes, the smooth version is more useful. For verifying a particular payslip, your payslip and Revenue myAccount are the authorities — our payslip guide walks through the checks.
These figures are estimates for general information. They are not tax advice and they are not official figures from the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Social Protection or any public body. Real payslips depend on your full credits, your basis of assessment, overtime, benefit in kind, salary sacrifice and other items this tool does not model. Confirm current rates with Revenue, and read our full disclaimer for the complete list of limitations.
Who it suits, and who it does not
The estimate is closest to reality for a single PAYE employee on steady pay with an ordinary pension contribution and standard credits. It drifts furthest for anyone who is married or jointly assessed, holds additional credits, has more than one employment, is on the Week 1 or emergency basis, or has significant variable pay. If you are in one of those groups, treat the output as an upper-bound sketch and check the tax credits guide for what changes.