Salary Increase Calculator
See your new pay, the extra amount in each paycheck, and whether the raise stays ahead of inflation.
Reviewed for accuracy · Updated 2026
Fine-tune estimate
For the closest estimate, use the effective deduction percentage from your own pay stub. Inflation default based on: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U (all items, 12-month change) (June 2026).
| Current annual pay | $60,000 |
|---|---|
| Raise amount | $3,000 |
| New annual pay | $63,000 |
| Monthly increase | $250.00 |
| Biweekly increase | $115.38 |
| Five-year gross total | $15,000 |
Uses the effective deduction rate you enter. This is not a payroll or tax calculation.
Using 3.50% inflation, purchasing power increases by about $870 per year.
Show the math
Gross figures are mathematical results based only on the values you enter. This is not a payroll, tax, legal, or financial-advice calculation.
Free · No signup · Calculations stay in your browser. How we calculate
A salary increase calculator turns a pay raise into real numbers: your new annual salary, the extra money in each paycheck, an estimated amount after deductions, and whether the raise beats inflation. Enter your current pay and a percentage or fixed-dollar raise — for example, a 5% raise on $60,000 becomes $63,000, about $115 more in every biweekly paycheck before deductions.
On this page
How to use the salary increase calculator
Enter your current pay as a yearly salary or an hourly rate, then add the raise you were offered — choose “Percentage” for a figure like 4% or “Fixed amount” for a set dollar increase. The quick buttons (1%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 10%) fill in the most common raises in one tap. Pick how often you are paid, and the calculator instantly shows your new salary, the extra in every paycheck and, when you switch them on, an after-deductions estimate and your real raise after inflation.
Not sure what to ask for? Switch to “Find the raise I need,” type the salary you want, and the tool works backwards to the exact percentage and dollar amount you should request. Everything recalculates as you type — there is no submit button, and nothing you enter is sent anywhere or stored.
What counts as a good pay raise?
There is no single “good” number, but a few reference points help you judge an offer. A standard annual merit or cost-of-living raise at most U.S. employers lands in the low single digits — often around 3% to 4%. A strong performance or market-adjustment raise is usually 5% to 7%, and a promotion or a move to a new employer commonly delivers a larger step of 10% or more.
The figure that really matters is your real raise — the increase left after inflation. If prices rise 3% and your pay rises 3%, your buying power is flat. For the current pace of U.S. wage growth and inflation, check the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Cost Index and Consumer Price Index, then enter that inflation rate above to see whether your raise actually gets you ahead.
Percentage raise vs. fixed-dollar raise
A percentage raise scales with your salary: 4% is worth more to someone earning $90,000 than to someone on $45,000. A fixed-dollar raise is the same for everyone — a $2,000 bump is a 4% raise on $50,000 but only 2% on $100,000. This calculator handles both. Enter a percentage to see the dollar value, or set “Raise type” to Fixed amount to see what a set increase is worth as a percentage of your pay.
To convert on your own, use raise percentage = (new pay − current pay) ÷ current pay × 100. A jump from $52,000 to $55,000 is $3,000, or about 5.8%.
The formulas behind the numbers
New pay = Current pay × (1 + Raise % ÷ 100)
Required raise % = ((Target pay − Current pay) ÷ Current pay) × 100
Real raise % = ((1 + Raise ÷ 100) ÷ (1 + Inflation ÷ 100) − 1) × 100
Hourly pay is annualized as hourly rate × hours per week × paid weeks per year. Intermediate values are never rounded; only displayed numbers are.
Worked example: a 5% raise on $60,000
A $60,000 salary with a 5% raise becomes $63,000 — an extra $3,000 per year. Paid every two weeks, that is $115.38 more per gross paycheck. With a 25% effective deduction rate, roughly $86.54 of each check remains. Against 3% inflation, the real raise is about +1.94%.
Prefer an hourly example? A worker earning $25.00 an hour who gets a 4% raise moves to $26.00 an hour. Over 40 hours a week for 52 weeks that is $54,080 a year — an extra $2,080, or about $80 more in each biweekly paycheck before deductions.
What common raises look like
Every figure below is the current salary multiplied by the raise — plain arithmetic, gross, before any deductions. Find the row nearest your pay to sanity-check a number before a review conversation.
| Current salary | After 3% | After 5% | After 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $41,200 | $42,000 | $44,000 |
| $50,000 | $51,500 | $52,500 | $55,000 |
| $60,000 | $61,800 | $63,000 | $66,000 |
| $75,000 | $77,250 | $78,750 | $82,500 |
| $100,000 | $103,000 | $105,000 | $110,000 |
To get the per-paycheck change, divide the annual increase by your number of pay periods — 26 if you are paid every two weeks. A 5% raise on $60,000 adds $3,000 a year, which is $115.38 per biweekly paycheck before deductions.
Gross vs. take-home: what actually hits your paycheck
Your raise is quoted in gross pay — the amount before tax, retirement contributions and benefits come out. To see the change in a single paycheck, divide the annual raise by your number of pay periods: 52 for weekly, 26 for biweekly, 24 for semimonthly, or 12 for monthly. A $3,000 raise is $115.38 per biweekly paycheck before deductions.
Take-home is lower because part of every raise goes to withholding. Turn on the after-deductions option and enter your effective rate — the share of gross pay that actually leaves each check, which you can read off a recent pay stub. At a 25% effective rate, that same $115.38 is closer to $86.54 in hand. Because income tax is marginal, a raise can be withheld at a higher rate than your existing pay, so treat this as an estimate, not a tax filing.
Is your raise beating inflation?
A raise that trails inflation is a pay cut in real terms. The real-raise formula divides growth by growth rather than subtracting: real raise % = ((1 + raise ÷ 100) ÷ (1 + inflation ÷ 100) − 1) × 100. A 5% raise with 3% inflation is not a 2% real gain — it is about +1.94%.
Enter the current inflation rate in the fine-tune options and the calculator shows whether your buying power rose or fell, in both percentage and dollar terms. If the real raise is negative, you would need a larger increase just to stand still.
Turning the number into a stronger raise
Once you know what a raise is worth, use it in the conversation. Anchor to a specific figure instead of a vague “more” — the “Find the raise I need” mode gives you the exact percentage to reach a target salary. Frame the ask around the annual and multi-year totals the calculator shows, because a 5% raise on $60,000 is not just $3,000 this year but $15,000 in extra gross pay over five years, before any future raises.
Bring market context from a reliable salary source for your role and location, weigh the real value after inflation, and decide the smallest number you would accept before you walk in. The math on this page gives you the concrete figures to make that case with confidence.
Limitations
The after-deduction line multiplies the gross change by the single effective rate you enter. Actual take-home pay depends on filing status, location, benefits, retirement contributions, credits, and payroll settings, and marginal tax rates mean a raise can be deducted at a different rate than existing income. Use an official withholding calculator or a qualified professional for a tax-specific answer.
Sources & data as of
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U (all items, 12-month change) — as of June 2026
The inflation rate is a value you can change. This site does not fetch live data, so check the current figure at the source before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a salary increase?
Multiply your current salary by the raise percentage to get the increase, then add it back. For a percentage, new pay = current pay × (1 + raise ÷ 100). For example, a 4% raise on $65,000 is $2,600, so the new salary is $67,600 — about $100 more in each biweekly paycheck before deductions.
How do I calculate a raise percentage from two salaries?
Use raise % = (new salary − old salary) ÷ old salary × 100. Going from $52,000 to $55,000 is a $3,000 increase, or about 5.8%. Switch the calculator to “Fixed amount” to do this automatically from a dollar figure.
What is a 3% raise on $50,000?
A 3% raise on $50,000 adds $1,500 a year, bringing the salary to $51,500. That is about $57.69 more per biweekly paycheck, or $125 a month, before tax and deductions.
How do I calculate a 5% salary increase?
Multiply the current salary by 0.05 to find the raise amount, then add it to the current salary. For example, 5% of $60,000 is $3,000, so the new salary is $63,000 — roughly $115.38 per biweekly paycheck.
Is a 3% raise good?
A 3% raise is close to a typical annual cost-of-living or merit increase, so it is average rather than strong. What matters most is whether it beats inflation: if prices are rising faster than 3%, your buying power falls even with the raise. Enter the current inflation rate above to see your real raise.
How much of my raise will I actually see in each paycheck?
Divide the annual raise by the number of paychecks per year: 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semimonthly, or 12 monthly. The optional after-deduction line then applies the effective deduction rate you enter; the exact amount on your pay stub depends on your payroll settings.
How do I calculate a raise on an hourly wage?
Switch the basis to per hour and enter your hourly rate. A 4% raise on $25.00 an hour becomes $26.00 an hour — over 40 hours a week for 52 weeks that is $54,080 a year, about $2,080 more. Annual figures use hourly rate × hours per week × paid weeks per year.
What is a real raise after inflation?
A real raise adjusts your nominal raise for inflation using the ratio (1 + raise) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1, rather than simple subtraction. A 5% raise with 3% inflation is a real raise of about +1.94%, not 2%. If the result is negative, the raise does not keep up with the inflation rate you entered.
What is the average pay raise?
Annual merit and cost-of-living raises at most U.S. employers tend to sit in the low single digits, often around 3% to 4%, while promotions and job changes usually deliver more. For the current pace of wage growth, check the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Cost Index and compare it with inflation.
Does the calculator store my salary?
No. Calculations run in your browser and nothing you type is submitted or saved. Share links keep the values after the # symbol in the URL, which browsers do not send to the web server.