Salary Increase Calculator: Work Out Your Pay Raise
Work out the percentage of a pay raise by comparing your current salary with the new one — the figure that shows how much your pay has really grown.
Adjust the inputs and select Calculate for a full breakdown.
Compare Common Scenarios
How the numbers shift across typical situations for this calculator:
| Scenario | Raise percentage | Raise amount |
|---|---|---|
| $60k to $64.5k | 7.50% | 4,500 |
| $45k to $48k | 6.67% | 3,000 |
| $90k to $99k | 10.00% | 9,000 |
| $52k to $53.56k | 3.00% | 1,560 |
How This Calculator Works
Enter your current salary and your new salary. The calculator finds the difference — the raise in dollars — and divides it by the current salary to express the raise as a percentage. The percentage is the figure to compare against inflation and against typical raises.
The Formula
Percentage Change
Old is the starting value, New is the ending value
Worked Example
A salary rising from $60,000 to $64,500 is a raise of $4,500. Measured against the current salary, that is a 7.5% raise. Whether that is a real gain depends on how it compares with inflation over the same period.
Key Insight
A raise only increases your buying power to the extent it beats inflation. A 4% raise in a year of 3% inflation is a real gain of roughly 1%; a 3% raise in the same year barely holds your ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate my raise percentage?
Subtract your current salary from the new salary, divide by the current salary, and multiply by 100. That is the raise as a percentage of your old pay.
Is my raise keeping up with inflation?
Compare the raise percentage against the cited inflation figure. If the raise is below inflation, your real purchasing power has fallen despite the higher number.
What is a typical annual raise?
Annual raises commonly fall in the low single digits, with larger jumps for promotions or job changes. The right benchmark depends on your industry and role.
Should I use gross or net salary?
Use gross salary — the figure before tax — for a clean comparison. The raise percentage is the same either way, but gross is how salaries are normally quoted.
Does a promotion change the calculation?
No. Whether the increase comes from a standard raise or a promotion, the math is identical: the new salary measured against the current salary.
Related Calculators
Data Sources & Benchmarks
This calculator draws on 1 independent, dated source.
Methodology & Review
The raise is the new salary minus the current salary; the raise percentage divides that by the current salary. Comparing the percentage against inflation shows the real change in buying power.
Written by Ugo Candido · Last updated May 17, 2026.