Salary & Job Offer Comparison Kenya
Which of these offers actually pays more?
Paid once, taxed in that month.
Pension and benefits
Taxable value of a car or housing.
Paid by the employer.
- Take-home a month
- 70,442
- Take-home a year
- 845,300
- Total annual reward
- 989,300
- Effective PAYE
- 19.3%
Take-home KES 37,695 (4.3%) less than the best. Reward KES 98,895 (9.1%) less.
Paid once, taxed in that month.
Pension and benefits
Taxable value of a car or housing.
Paid by the employer.
- Take-home a month
- 73,583
- Take-home a year
- 882,995
- Total annual reward
- 1,088,195
- Effective PAYE
- 19.7%
Side by side
| KES | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Each month | ||
| Gross cash pay | 100,000 | 105,000 |
| PAYE | 19,308 | 20,655 |
| NSSF | 6,000 | 6,300 |
| SHIF | 2,750 | 2,888 |
| Housing levy | 1,500 | 1,575 |
| Take-home pay | 70,442 | 73,583 |
| Each year | ||
| Gross cash pay | 1,200,000 | 1,260,000 |
| Take-home pay | 845,300 | 882,995 |
| Pension, yours and employer's | 0 | 54,000 |
| NSSF, both sides | 144,000 | 151,200 |
| Total annual reward | 989,300 | 1,088,195 |
| Cost to employer | 1,290,600 | 1,409,100 |
Take-home and total reward a year
Take-homePension, NSSF and benefits
How it's worked out
- Monthly pay for each package: basic salary and allowances, with PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and housing levy worked out on 2026 rates. Your pension is a percentage of basic and is deducted before PAYE, within the limits.
- Bonus: added to one month's pay. The extra deductions in that month give the bonus after tax.
- Annual take-home is 12 months of take-home pay plus the bonus after tax.
- Total annual reward adds your pension, the employer's pension, NSSF from both sides, medical cover, other tax-free benefits and the value of non-cash benefits.
- Cost to employer is pay, bonus, employer NSSF, housing levy, NITA, employer pension, benefits and medical cover.
- Badges go to the package with the highest annual take-home and the highest total reward.
All amounts are monthly except bonus, medical cover and other benefits, which are per year. To compare pay quoted weekly or daily, convert it to a monthly figure first.
Questions people ask
How do I compare two job offers in Kenya?
Compare what you take home after PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and housing levy, the bonus after tax, and the value of pension, medical cover and other benefits. Gross salary alone can point you to the wrong offer.
Why can a higher gross salary give less take-home pay?
Taxable benefits such as a company car or housing raise PAYE without adding cash. Voluntary pension contributions also reduce take-home pay, although they grow your retirement savings.
Is an employer's pension contribution taxed?
Not within the KES 30,000 a month limit for all registered pension contributions combined, including NSSF from both sides. Above that, the excess may be taxed as a benefit.
How is the bonus treated?
It is taxed in the month it is paid, on top of that month's salary. The comparison shows the extra PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and housing levy on it and counts only the bonus after tax.
Sources
Rates last checked 13 Sep 2026. Estimates only, not tax or legal advice.