Take-home pay is the colloquial term for net salary — the amount received after all deductions. It may be paid monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly depending on country and employer.

In countries with 14 monthly payments (Portugal, Spain), annual net is divided by 14, with extra payments in June and December. When comparing salaries across countries, always use annualised net figures to avoid distortion from different payment schedules.

A Spanish worker receiving 14 payments of €2,000 earns the same annual net as a Dutch worker receiving 12 payments of €2,333.