How the model works
Each region is taxed entirely in its own currency using its published income-tax brackets and mandatory employee social-contribution rates. Your salary is converted into that currency, taxed, then the net is converted back so you can compare like for like. The effective tax rate is currency-independent, which makes it the most honest cross-border comparison.
Who it models
A single, tax-resident, employed person with no dependents, using only the universal allowances everyone gets. It covers income tax + mandatory employee social contributions — the deductions that actually come off a payslip.
What's excluded
Employer contributions, voluntary or occupational pensions, student-loan repayments, most city and local taxes (e.g. New York City), wealth and church taxes, tax-treaty effects, and situation-specific reliefs. It's an estimate, not a filing tool.
Sub-national assumptions
Where sub-national tax matters, we model a representative location and label it on the card: Canada = Ontario, Switzerland = Zürich, China = Shanghai, Spain = Madrid, Italy = Rome. For the US we cover federal plus California, New York, Texas, Florida and Illinois.
Flagged approximations
Some systems are region-dependent or formula-based and can't hit the same precision as clean bracket systems — these carry an explicit note on their card: Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, South Korea and Israel. Our accuracy target is within ~2% of an official calculator for clean bracket systems, and ~2–3% for these flagged cases.
Sourcing & verification
Tax tables are researched from official revenue authorities and checked against official or reputable calculators before publishing. In full honesty: many government sites block automated access, so some figures were corroborated via PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, EY and the Tax Foundation rather than read directly off the government page. Tax years vary by region (shown on every card) and tables are refreshed as rates change. For anything that affects a real decision, confirm against the official source below and a qualified professional.