Who it is for
Any household deciding whether a second income covers its own costs, or whether one parent stepping back actually loses money.
Home and Family · Calculator · Free
What a second income is really worth after childcareChildcare vs Work Calculator
Take a salary, subtract tax, childcare, commuting and the costs that come with working, and see what is genuinely left, plus what that works out to per hour.
Runs in your browser. Nothing to install. Save the result or embed it on your site.
Your numbers
Before tax, for a full year.
After any subsidy you already receive.
Fuel, parking, tolls or fares.
Lunches, coffee, convenience food, work clothes.
What that means
Actually kept per year: $13,440
$13,440
Actually kept per year
$1,120 a month
The job pays $42,000, which is $32,760 after tax. Childcare, commuting and work-related spending take $19,320 of that, leaving $13,440. Across 1,920 hours worked, that is $7.00 an hour in your hand, against the $17.06 an hour the salary looks like.
$32,760
After tax
$19,320
Cost of working
$7.00
Effective hourly
salary alone looks like $17.06
42%
Childcare share of net pay
Annual figures.
Tax$9,240
Childcare$13,800
Commuting$2,880
Work-related spending$2,640
Kept$13,440
You keep $13,440 a year, about $7.00 an hour after the costs of working. The job clears its own costs comfortably.
Pension contributions, employer benefits, health cover and career progression are not in this number, and they matter.
What this assumed
- Tax is applied as one flat rate. It ignores credits, allowances, filing status and local tax.
- Childcare subsidies and dependent care benefits are not modelled. Net them off before you enter the cost.
- Pension and employer contributions are not counted, and they can be worth a lot.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is transmitted, stored, logged or placed in a link. Close the tab and it is gone.
Not financial advice
This is an illustration, not personalized financial advice. It does not account for your full financial picture, and nobody here is your financial advisor. Talk to a licensed professional before acting on a number from a free calculator.
You ran this on August 21, 2026. Rates and rules change, so check the date before you rely on a saved copy.
What this tool actually does for you
The problem it points at
The salary looks like the answer, but childcare, fuel, parking, lunches and the extra convenience spending come out of it first. Most people have never done the subtraction.
What you walk away with
The real number left after the costs of working, and the effective hourly rate behind it.
How to use it
Takes about two minutes. Be honest with the numbers, the tool is not going to tell anybody.
- Enter the gross pay for the job in question.
- Add childcare for the hours actually worked.
- Add commuting and the extra spending that only happens because you work.
- Look at the effective hourly rate, then decide with the real number in front of you.
Questions people ask
Does this account for tax credits or childcare subsidies?
No. Credits and subsidies vary by country, state and household, and this tool never guesses them. If you receive one, subtract it from the childcare figure before you enter it.
Is a small number a reason to stop working?
That is your call, and money is only part of it. Career progression, pension contributions, health cover and getting out of the house are real and do not show up here. This tool answers one narrow question.
What about the long term?
This is a snapshot of one year. Childcare costs fall sharply once children start school, while a career break can take years to recover from. Run it again for the year after next before deciding.
Put this tool on your own website
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This is a real lead magnet you can run on your own site tonight. Somebody lands on your page, plays with the numbers, sees what their problem costs, and now they are on your website instead of a competitor's. Costs you nothing, and I keep it working.
- Scroll up and press Put this tool on my website. The code appears right there, no form.
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Works on
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What it costs you
Nothing. No monthly fee, no expiring trial, no watermark you have to pay to remove. If you get stuck putting it in, text me at (903) 500-8898 and I will help you place it.
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