Salary Raise Calculator
Find out exactly how much a raise puts in your pocket — weekly, monthly, and per paycheck.
Last updated: April 2026
Raise Benchmarks
Understanding What a Raise Is Actually Worth
The gross increase is only part of the story. Every dollar of raise is subject to income tax — and depending on where it pushes your bracket, the effective after-tax gain is lower than the headline number.
If you are in the 22% federal bracket, a $5,000 raise nets roughly $3,900 after federal tax (before state tax and FICA are applied). That works out to about $150/biweekly paycheck more — not $192. This is why running the numbers before a negotiation is useful: it calibrates your expectations and helps you understand the real impact on take-home pay.
Raise Percentage Benchmarks
What counts as a "good" raise depends on context, but here are the standard reference points across US employers:
- Inflation / cost-of-living adjustment (COLA): 3–4%. Keeps you neutral against purchasing power loss but is not a real increase.
- Merit raise (solid performance): 5–7%. Represents genuine recognition above COLA.
- High-performer raise: 8–12%. Reserved for exceptional contributors.
- Promotion: Typically 10–20%, depending on level jump.
- Job switch (external): Median is 18–25%+, which is why switching employers remains the fastest path to significant salary growth.
The Hidden Cost of Below-Inflation Raises
If inflation runs at 4% and you receive a 3% raise, your purchasing power effectively decreased by 1% — even though your nominal salary went up. This is a real pay cut in economic terms. When evaluating a raise offer, compare it explicitly against CPI inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How to Use This Calculator for Negotiation
Enter your current salary and the raise percentage you are targeting to see the exact dollar impact. Then use that number in your negotiation conversation — "a 7% raise is $4,200/year, which comes out to about $161 more per biweekly paycheck" is a concrete, specific number that is harder to dismiss than just saying "I want a 7% raise."
For a fuller picture of what each scenario does to your net take-home, run the new and old salaries through the salary comparison calculator side by side.