Pay raise calculator
Work out a raise in either direction: enter your old and new pay to get the percentage, or apply a percentage to see the new number — with the annual, monthly, and weekly difference spelled out.
Figures are gross (before tax). Hourly assumes a 40-hour week, 52 weeks per year. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
How the raise percentage is calculated
One formula covers it: the difference between new and old pay, divided by old pay, times 100.
Going from $60,000 to $66,000: 6,000 ÷ 60,000 × 100 = 10%. The reverse direction multiplies instead: a 7% raise on $84,000 is 84,000 × 1.07 = $89,880.
Reading the number honestly
Two things make a raise look bigger than it is. First, inflation: a 4% raise in a year with 3% inflation is a 1% real increase. Second, the marginal tax effect — the entire increase is taxed at your top rate, so your take-home rises by a smaller percentage than your gross.
The monthly figure is the one to negotiate with. "$6,000 a year" sounds abstract; "$500 a month" is a car payment. Translating the percentage into a concrete monthly number cuts both ways — it keeps a flattering percentage honest, and it makes a good offer tangible.
Why this calculator is on a forms site
Core Forms ships a data variables engine that does live math inside WordPress forms — running totals on order forms, quote estimates, scores on quizzes. This calculator is the same idea, standalone. If you want a calculator like this on your own site, it's a form with three fields and two computed variables, no JavaScript required.
Pay raise questions
How do I calculate a raise percentage?
Subtract your old pay from your new pay, divide by the old pay, and multiply by 100. Going from $60,000 to $66,000 is (66,000 − 60,000) ÷ 60,000 × 100 = a 10% raise. The calculator above does this in either direction.
What is a good raise percentage?
Typical annual merit raises fall in the 3–5% range, with high-inflation years and strong performance pushing higher. A promotion or role change usually lands 10–20%. Switching employers is where the largest jumps happen, often beating internal raises.
How much is a 3% raise on $50,000?
A 3% raise on $50,000 is $1,500 more per year — $125 per month, or about $28.85 per week before taxes. Enter your own numbers above to see the same breakdown for any salary and percentage.
Will my take-home pay rise by the same percentage?
Usually slightly less. The raise applies to gross pay, and part of the increase lands in your highest marginal tax bracket. Your net percentage gain depends on your bracket, deductions, and local taxes — this calculator shows gross figures.
Is a bonus better than a raise?
A raise compounds: next year’s raise applies on top of it, and salary-linked benefits grow with it. A one-time bonus does not. If total money offered is similar, the raise is almost always worth more over time.