Step 1: Calculate Your Salary
Get your most recent paycheck and determine your net salary. Enter your paycheck amount in the box that goes along with your pay frequency. If you paychecks come every two weeks, then enter the amount of the check in the box marked "Bi-Weekly Check". The tool will automatically calculate the other values using simple math acording to the following:

• Weekly checks mean 52 checks / year
• Bi-Weekly checks mean 26 checks / year
• Semi-monthly checks mean 2 checks / month (∴ 24 checks / year)
• Monthly checks mean 12 checks / year

These are approximations, of course, because your taxable rate will change based on the amount of the check. Keep this in mind!

Step 2: Enter Your Expenses
Click on each of the "Your Expenses" sections and enter your Monthly expense amounts. If you are unsure, make a reasonable guess. For the sections marked minimum and maximum, enter the typical lowest and highest bills you'd expect to see over the course of time. As you update your expenses, note that the summary totals will change, too.

Step 3: Review Your Required (Net) Salary
Now that you've entered all of your expenses (you remembered everything, right?), look at the Required Salary section. This section refers to the net paychecks you'd need to cover the expenses you've entered.