How the sum works
Your pay is first made monthly. The transfer fee comes off in dollars. What's left is multiplied by the rate, then the spread is taken off. The formula is (pay - fee) x rate x (1 - spread).
A worked example, with a made-up rate
Say you earn 1,500 USD a month, your bank gives 130 for one dollar, the fee is 5 USD and the spread is 1%. That's (1,500 - 5) x 130 x 0.99 = 192,406.50. If you're paid by the hour, 8 USD x 160 hours is 1,280 USD a month. If you're paid by the year, 24,000 USD is 2,000 USD a month.
The 130 is only there to show the sum. It isn't anyone's real rate.
Which rate to type
Type the rate you'd really get. Central bank rates are reference rates, and the rate you get from a bank or an app is usually worse. So use a central bank's page to get a feel for the day, then ask your bank or look in your app for the true figure.
Pick your country above and we'll link its central bank. For seven countries we couldn't open a central bank page when we built this: Cabo Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Somalia and Zimbabwe. There, use the rate your own bank quotes.
What this number leaves out
The result is before tax, and tax usually still applies where you live. Read the guide for Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana or Uganda, or see all countries we cover.
Then compare the offer with a local job, or look for remote roles open to you.
Questions people ask
Why does the rate box start empty?
Rates change every day and a stored rate would soon be wrong. You type the one you actually get.
What is the spread?
It's the gap between the reference rate and the rate a bank or app gives you. If the reference rate is 130 and you get 128.70, the spread is 1%.
Is this my take-home pay?
No. It's what lands before tax. Set money aside for tax unless your payer already withholds it.
This is an estimate, not tax or legal advice. Reviewed on 2 November 2026.