Total cost of taking a career break.

A six-month sabbatical on a 5,000 monthly salary with a 5% employer pension match and 2,500 of monthly expenses costs roughly 46,500 — 30,000 of foregone salary, 1,500 of missed pension match, and 15,000 of continued spend. Doubling that to a year roughly doubles the cost.

How to use it

Enter your gross monthly salary, the employer pension contribution rate as a percentage, your monthly spending during the break, and the duration in months.

What the result means

Foregone salary is what you would have earned. Foregone match is the employer pension contribution you miss. Living costs are what you still spend. Total cost is the sum, and is the savings buffer needed before the break starts.

The figure ignores the value of the break itself — rest, family time, learning, career pivot — which is the reason most people take one. It also ignores tax: lost salary is gross, but you save the tax on it too, so the real net cost of foregone salary is lower than shown.

Quick example

With monthly gross salary of 5,000 and employer pension match of 5% (plus monthly spend during break of 2,500 and break length of 6), the result is 46,500.00. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.

Which inputs matter most

You enter Monthly Gross Salary, Employer Pension Match, Monthly Spend During Break, and Break Length. Frequency and unit price pull the total in different directions. The biggest surprise for most people is how small recurring amounts compound into large annual figures — that's where this calculation earns its keep.

What's happening under the hood

The cost combines foregone gross salary, foregone employer pension contribution at the rate supplied, and ongoing monthly spending — all multiplied by the number of months. Tax savings on foregone salary are not netted off — assume conservative gross figures. The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.

Using this in pay negotiations

Knowing the exact figure behind a headline rate gives you specific numbers to anchor to in conversations about pay. "The difference is £X per month after tax" lands harder than "a couple of grand a year". Concrete numbers move decisions.

What this doesn't capture

Tax bands, pension contributions, student-loan deductions, and benefits-in-kind sit outside this calculation. The figure is the headline; your actual position depends on local tax rules and personal circumstances. Pair with a dedicated take-home calculator for the full picture.