Pay Raise Calculator: New Salary, Per Paycheck, and After Inflation
Enter your current salary and the raise, as a percentage or a dollar amount, to see the new salary, the per-paycheck bump, and what is left after inflation. The year-by-year table shows what the same raise compounds to if it repeats.
Annual gross pay today
Raise as
Percent of your current salary
For the real-raise comparison
Pay frequency
New salary
$62,400
up from $60,000
Raise
$2,400
4.0% of current pay, per year
Per paycheck, gross
$92.31
26 checks a year, before withholding
Real raise after inflation
+1.0%
about $583 more buying power at 3.0% inflation
The per-paycheck figure is gross. Withholding applies to the new dollars at your marginal rate, so the deposit grows by less than $92.31 but never by nothing; the paycheck calculator shows the after-tax version.
If a 4.0% raise repeated every year
| Year | Salary | Above today | In today's dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $62,400 | +$2,400 | $60,583 |
| 2 | $64,896 | +$4,896 | $61,171 |
| 3 | $67,492 | +$7,492 | $61,765 |
| 4 | $70,192 | +$10,192 | $62,364 |
| 5 | $72,999 | +$12,999 | $62,970 |
| 6 | $75,919 | +$15,919 | $63,581 |
| 7 | $78,956 | +$18,956 | $64,198 |
| 8 | $82,114 | +$22,114 | $64,822 |
| 9 | $85,399 | +$25,399 | $65,451 |
| 10 | $88,815 | +$28,815 | $66,086 |
Assumes the same percentage raise each year and 3.0% inflation throughout. The last column divides each year's salary by cumulative inflation, so it shows buying power in today's terms.
Nominal raise, real raise: a two-line calculation
A raise has two sizes. The nominal size is the one in the letter: new salary minus old, divided by old. The real size is what that money buys once prices have moved, and it is not simply the raise minus inflation. The exact version divides: one plus the raise, over one plus inflation, minus one. At everyday numbers the shortcut lands close, since a 4% raise against 3% inflation reads as 1% by subtraction and 0.97% by division, but the division is what the calculator uses because it stays correct when either number gets large. The inflation calculator shows the same erosion from the other side, in what a fixed salary buys over time.
A 4% raise on $60,000, before and after inflation
On $60,000, a 4% raise adds $2,400 a year and takes the salary to $62,400. Spread over 26 biweekly checks that is $92.31 more per check before withholding; on a monthly schedule it is $200. Against 3% inflation the real raise is about 0.97%, roughly $583 of extra buying power, which is why a 3% raise in a 3% year is a hold and a 2% raise is a quiet pay cut of about the same $583. Repeat the 4% every year and the salary compounds to about $88,800 in ten years, but in today's dollars that is closer to $66,100, because inflation compounds too. The table under the results runs both columns side by side.
The paycheck grows by less, but never by nothing
The deposit grows by less than the gross figure because withholding applies to the new dollars at your marginal rate, and the raise may also lift a percentage-based 401(k) contribution. That is a slice, not a penalty: a raise never leaves you with less after tax, whatever the break-room theory says, because brackets tax only the dollars above each threshold. To see the after-tax version of your own bump, run the old and new salary through the paycheck calculator and compare the two deposits.
Taking the number into the room
The most useful thing this calculator produces is a calm sentence. "A 4% raise is about 1% real this year" is a fact you can say without heat, and it frames the ask in terms a manager can carry upward. Anchor on the real number, know the dollar figure so you can trade between salary and other terms, and decide in advance what you will do with the new $92 a check. The one habit that erases raises is letting spending rise to meet them, which our lifestyle creep guide covers, so the best time to raise a savings percentage is the same payday the raise lands.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the percentage of a raise?
Subtract your old salary from the new one and divide by the old salary. Going from $60,000 to $62,400 is a $2,400 raise, and $2,400 divided by $60,000 is 4%. The calculator accepts either the percentage or the dollar amount and shows the other one.
What is a real raise?
The raise after inflation, measured in buying power rather than dollars. If prices rise 3% and your pay rises 4%, you can buy about 1% more than last year. The calculator uses the exact division, one plus the raise over one plus inflation, which is why it shows 0.97% rather than a flat 1%.
Is a 3% raise good?
It depends on what prices did. A 3% raise in a year of 3% inflation keeps your buying power level: a hold, not a gain. Whether it is good also depends on the market rate for your role, which is a separate question from inflation. The calculator shows the inflation side; salary data for your field covers the other.
Why is the increase in my paycheck smaller than the raise?
Because income tax withholding, Social Security, and Medicare apply to the new dollars, and percentage-based contributions such as a 401(k) rise with pay. The raise is taxed at your marginal rate, the rate on your top dollars, so the deposit grows by less than the gross figure but always grows. The paycheck calculator estimates the after-tax amount.
How much does a raise add up to over time?
More than it looks, because each raise is calculated on the previous salary. A 4% raise repeated for ten years turns $60,000 into about $88,800, an increase of almost 50% rather than 40%. In today's dollars, after 3% inflation, that is about $66,100, which the table shows year by year.
Does this calculator save my numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
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