A second paycheck comes with new costs. See what actually lands in your budget.
This calculator shows how much a second income adds to your household after taxes, childcare, and work-related costs.
A second salary rarely lands in full, because it is often taxed at your household's higher marginal rate and it can trigger new expenses like childcare. The tool subtracts the taxes on that income, annual childcare, and commuting and other work costs from the gross salary to reveal the true net benefit. Seeing the net figure helps couples judge whether the financial gain matches the added time and effort.
The result is the yearly amount the second income actually contributes after these deductions, which can be much smaller than the headline salary. It does not capture longer-term factors such as career growth, retirement contributions, benefits like health insurance, or Social Security credits, all of which can tilt the decision. Non-financial factors like fulfillment and family time matter too. Treat this as one input, not financial advice.
The second income is often taxed at your higher marginal rate and can add childcare and commuting costs, all of which reduce what the household actually keeps.
No, employer benefits and retirement contributions are not modeled, and they can meaningfully increase the value of a second job.
Use your household's marginal rate, since the second income stacks on top of the first and is generally taxed at that higher bracket.
See the exact formula and a worked example on our methodology page.