Kenya PAYE Calculator (Monthly)
Use this calculator to estimate your monthly PAYE and take-home pay in Kenya based on common statutory settings.
How PAYE works in Kenya
PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is the income tax deducted from employment income every month by your employer and remitted to KRA. The tax is progressive, meaning different portions of your taxable pay are charged at different rates.
In practice, your monthly deductions often include more than PAYE. Most employees will also see deductions such as NSSF, SHIF, and Housing Levy. Your final take-home pay is your gross earnings less all statutory and voluntary deductions.
Illustrative monthly PAYE bands used in this calculator
| Tax Band (KES per month) | Rate |
|---|---|
| First 24,000 | 10% |
| Next 8,333 | 25% |
| Next 467,667 | 30% |
| Next 300,000 | 32.5% |
| Above 800,000 | 35% |
What this PAYE calculator includes
- Gross salary and taxable benefits/allowances.
- NSSF employee contribution estimate using Tier I and Tier II logic.
- Other pension contribution (with a monthly deductible cap assumption).
- Personal relief (editable).
- SHIF and Housing Levy as separate deductions from take-home pay.
- Monthly net pay estimate plus annualized summary.
Step-by-step guide to use the calculator
- Enter your monthly gross salary.
- Add any taxable benefits or allowances.
- Enter additional pension contributions (if any).
- Set SHIF and Housing Levy values (or keep defaults).
- Click Calculate PAYE to view your full deduction breakdown.
Why your payslip may differ
Your employer may apply additional payroll items that are not identical across organizations. Examples include:
- Approved non-taxable benefits or reimbursements.
- Mortgage interest deduction or special reliefs.
- Union dues, SACCO deductions, staff loans, and insurance schemes.
- Company-specific payroll rounding or cut-off rules.
That means this page should be used as a planning and estimation tool, not as a statutory filing document.
Quick example
If someone earns KES 120,000 gross with no additional benefits, the calculator first estimates NSSF and deductible pension, then computes taxable pay using graduated tax bands, subtracts personal relief, and finally applies SHIF and Housing Levy to arrive at net salary. This gives a realistic month-end estimate for budgeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this calculator for monthly or annual tax?
It calculates monthly deductions and also shows annualized totals by multiplying monthly values by 12.
Can I change relief and rates?
Yes. All key inputs such as personal relief, SHIF rates, and Housing Levy rate are editable.
Does NSSF always reduce taxable pay?
In most payroll setups, qualifying pension/NSSF deductions reduce taxable pay, subject to legal limits. This calculator applies a common interpretation for estimation.