How Much Should I Tithe? The Honest Biblical Answer (with Calculator)

How much should you tithe? The short answer: 10% of your gross increase — every paycheck, bonus, and dollar of profit, given first rather than last. The longer answer depends on whether you use gross or net, how often you get paid, and what season you are in. This guide gives you the exact number for your income, the math behind it, and a biblical answer for every edge case people actually ask about.

Quick answer

• Standard tithe: 10% of gross income.
• Paid monthly? Monthly gross × 0.10.
• Paid weekly? Annual gross × 0.10 ÷ 52.
• Earning $5,000/month? Your tithe is $500/month ($6,000/year, about $115/week).

Open the free Tithe Calculator →

The biblical default: 10% of your increase

Hebrew ma'aser and Greek dekatē both mean exactly "a tenth." 10% is the consistent biblical number. Israelite faithful actually gave around 23% across three tithes (Levitical, festival, poor); 10% is the most conservative possible reading. See our biblical tithing guide for the full survey.

So when people ask "how much are you supposed to tithe," the biblical floor has never moved: a tenth of whatever came in. Not a tenth of what is left after bills, and not a tenth of what feels comfortable this month.

Gross or net? — the most asked question

Most teachers recommend gross income. Because Proverbs 3:9 ("honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits") means off-the-top, before any other allocation including taxes. The Hebrew rēšît ("first") leaves no room for prior deductions.

Net is defensible for believers in genuine financial hardship. It should be a temporary stage on the way to gross. See our tithe on gross or net deep-dive.

Net figures assume a flat 22% effective tax rate for illustration; your real rate will differ.

How to calculate your tithe (step by step)

• Salaried (gross): Annual salary × 0.10 ÷ 52 = weekly tithe.
• Hourly: Hours × wage × 0.10 = period tithe.
• Self-employed: Tithe on net profit (after business expenses, before personal taxes) — most teachers' recommended approach.
• Variable income: Tithe on each deposit as it arrives, or true-up monthly.

Worked example — calculating tithe from salary. Suppose you earn $72,000 a year and get paid every two weeks. Take $72,000 × 0.10 = $7,200 a year. Divide by 26 pay periods and your tithe is $276.92 per paycheck. Paid twice a month instead? $7,200 ÷ 24 = $300 per paycheck. Paid weekly? $7,200 ÷ 52 = $138.46.

The percentage never changes — only the divisor does. That is why the simplest habit is to set a recurring gift on payday and never recalculate again until your income changes.

Tithe amounts by income

The chart below shows a 10% tithe on gross income so you can find your number without any math.

Need a figure between these rows? The tithe calculator handles any income, tax rate, and giving percentage, and our tithe by salary chart extends the table from $20,000 to $500,000.

Special situations

• Bonuses and commissions — yes, tithe. They are increase.
• Inheritance — yes; Abraham tithed war spoil (Genesis 14:20).
• Tax refund — only if you tithed on net (otherwise you already tithed on the gross).
• Social Security — most teachers say yes, if you didn't tithe on it when earned.
• Investment gains — yes, when realized (sold).
• Gifts and prizes — yes, increase.
• Reimbursements — no, not income.
• Loans — no, not income.

Tithing in difficult seasons

• While in debt — yes. The tithe is firstfruits, not leftover. See our tithing while in debt study.
• While unemployed — tithe on unemployment payments and any side income; pause on zero income.
• In retirement — tithe on Social Security, pension, withdrawals, and gains, generally yes.
• In hardship — Mark 12:41-44 (the widow's two mites) commends sacrificial giving in poverty more than comfortable giving in wealth.

How much to tithe in retirement

Retirement is where the 10% rule gets genuinely confusing, because the same dollar can pass through your hands twice. The clean rule most teachers apply: tithe on money the first time it becomes yours.

• Social Security — tithe on the benefit if you tithed on net during your working years; if you already tithed on gross wages, you tithed on the employee portion once already, and many retirees tithe on the employer-funded half or simply tithe on the whole check as worship. See should I tithe on Social Security.
• Traditional 401(k) or IRA withdrawals — yes. That money was never tithed, because it went in pre-tax and untouched.
• Roth withdrawals — tithe on the growth, not the contributions, if you tithed on the income before contributing.
• Pension income — yes; it is new increase arriving in your hands.
• Required minimum distributions — a qualified charitable distribution sent straight from the IRA can satisfy the RMD and your giving at the same time; ask your CPA how it applies to you.

Retirees on a fixed income often find monthly giving easier than per-deposit giving. Set one recurring monthly gift equal to 10% of your total expected monthly income and true it up once a year.

Pressing above 10%

The tithe is the floor, not the ceiling. The Macedonian church gave "beyond their ability" (2 Corinthians 8:3). Many Christian families ladder upward 1% per year — 10% in year one, 11% in year two, 12% in year three. Over a decade, household giving rises from 10% to 20% with minimal lifestyle disruption.

Some Christian households set a "lifestyle finish line". They cap personal spending at a fixed amount and direct all income above it to giving. This is one of the most powerful biblical-financial practices in the modern church.

Where to send your tithe

Malachi 3:10's "storehouse" is most naturally the local church. The institution that "feeds the saints" with teaching, worship. Discipleship. Most teachers recommend tithing 10% to the local church first, then giving additional offerings above the tithe to missions, the poor. Other ministries.

How to actually start tithing this week

• Step 1: Run the Tithe Calculator to see your weekly amount.
• Step 2: Open your church's giving platform (Tithely, Pushpay, Givelify, or similar).
• Step 3: Set up a recurring weekly or monthly gift for the calculated amount.
• Step 4: Adjust your budget so the tithe is the first line, not the leftover.
• Step 5: Pray over the gift each week. Tithing is worship, not transaction.

Set the number tonight

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