CTC vs take-home: How your salary structure impacts your net pay

Your headline CTC rarely reflects what actually lands in your bank account. As Kuljeet Singh, Chief Financial Officer at GI Group Holding, explains, the way salary components are structured plays a decisive role in determining take-home income. With the new labour codes and tax rules shaping compensation in FY2025–26, understanding salary structure is now critical for both short-term cash flow and long-term financial security.