Your in-hand salary lower than what was offered in CTC? CA shares tips to help you avoid this situation
Chartered Accountant Abhishek Walia recently shared tips on social media for freshers and experienced professionals, cautioning those who celebrate offer letters without realising the challenges that follow months later.
"Because the real paycheck isn't what's written in your offer - it's what you keep, grow, and protect," said the CA in a post on LinkedIn
Check full post here
Your CTC is lying to you!
Every year, lakhs of freshers and experienced professionals celebrate offer letters with eye-popping CTCs.
But a few months in, reality hits:
'Why is my in-hand salary so low?'
'Where did half of my CTC go?'
'Should I be doing something about these deductions?'
Here's the truth: CTC ≠ Take-Home Pay
Let's break it down:
- Gratuity – Locked till 5 years. Not yours yet.
- Employer PF – Yours, but not liquid. Think long-term savings.
- Performance Bonus – Not guaranteed. Subjective, delayed.
- ESOPs – May sound glamorous, but only valuable if exercised + liquid.
- Insurance Premiums – Paid on your behalf, but no cash value in hand.
So what's actually yours each month? Your net pay after deductions. Yet most people plan their lifestyle expenses based on CTC - which is a trap.
So, here's what you should actually do:
✅ Understand your payslip. Not just the top line, but every component.
✅ Track net income, not gross. That's your real capacity to spend/invest.
✅ Build buffers for performance bonuses and variable components - treat them as bonuses, not baselines.
✅ Ask the right questions before accepting an offer: 'What's the fixed pay?
What's variable? What's the vesting period for ESOPs?'
Because the real paycheck isn't what's written in your offer - it's what you keep, grow, and protect.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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What did people say?
"Until you decode your payslip, you're budgeting on fiction. This post is a must-read for every job seeker and young professional," said one user in reply to the post.
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