It is easier to claim you know your salary in terms of figures and more often than not, it sounds well satisfactory especially when it some huge amount. But the question is whether you actually know how much you earn?Salaries are important to us and they describe who we are and what our employers think we are worth, what we can do and how efficient we can create change in their businesses. Calculating your salary with accuracy will give you a picture of what you are worth, leave alone that huge contract you sign. So let’s see how you can better understand how much you earn. First of all, deduct your health insurance costs and if your employer does not remit it for you, deduct the pension- social security fund contribution and other taxes and see how much you remain with.Many employers deduct all these charges and actually pay you a net salary which you negotiate in your contract. Check how much you have remained with. Now that is your salary but not the salary you earn and your worth.To calculate your actual salary, try to list expenses that you incur in terms of executing your duties at your workplace, for instance, transport, telephone bills, stationery, replacing some things in office for your convenience or buying computer software, using your personal computer, internet charges among others.From this list, see how much it costs you and deduct this from your salary. You will actually find that at least 20 per cent of that net salary is reloaded back to your employer automatically. I am not saying that you should not do all these things. Remember they improve your performance and ease your work. However, you should understand that such expenses may at the end of the day affect your personal finances if you always place your budget on the net salary-before deducting the work expenses. Try to always first take away taxes, insurance deductions, and other work related expenses before you plan for your salary.Now, how can you avoid such expenses? Ensure that you negotiate with your employer to put in place costs you incur while executing your duties such as telephone, internet among others. If all these are in place, but not convenient for you, then you need to see how you negotiate with your employer to provide with you airtime on your mobile phone, giving you petty cash or extending a fund to buy yourself a personal laptop. Give yourself incentives such as lunch, pay for your health insurance, even if it is deducted from the actual salary as it will help you to understand your net salary and plan for it. Remember, salary is never enough. What is important is for you to adore what you do and not what you earn to avoid unnecessary stress.