Opens in a new tab
Logo of Peoplebox.ai - blue font

Home / HR Toolkit / Salary Hike Calculator / USA

● Free HR tool · USA

Pay Raise Calculator 2026

This free pay raise calculator shows your new salary or hourly wage after a raise, or works out your raise percentage from your old and new pay. It also shows the monthly difference and how your pay grows over the years.

  • Salary or hourly wage
  • Raise % to new pay, or new pay to raise %
  • Shows growth over 1 to 10 years

Last updated October 2026 · Salary data sources listed below

Calculate your pay raise

Enter your current pay and your raise or new pay.

What do you want to find?
Salary is
$
%
Projects your salary if you get the same raise every year.

How do you calculate a raise? Multiply your current pay by (1 + raise % ÷ 100) to get your new pay. To find the raise percentage, subtract old pay from new pay, divide by old pay and multiply by 100. A 3% raise on $50,000 is $1,500, for a new salary of $51,500.

Pay raise calculator formula: raise percentage equals new pay minus old pay, divided by old pay, times 100
The formulas behind the pay raise calculator.

How to calculate a pay raise

A raise is the change in pay shown as a percentage of your old pay. The pay raise calculator uses these two formulas.

Raise % = (New pay − Old pay) ÷ Old pay × 100
New pay = Old pay × (1 + Raise % ÷ 100)

Worked example: raise percentage

Your salary goes from $72,000 to $75,600. The increase is $3,600. Divide $3,600 by $72,000 and multiply by 100: your raise is 5%.

Worked example: hourly raise

You earn $22.50 an hour and get a 4% raise. Multiply $22.50 by 1.04: your new rate is $23.40 an hour. At 40 hours a week that is $1,872 more a year before taxes.

How to use the pay raise calculator

  1. Choose what you want to find: your new pay from a raise percentage, or the raise percentage from your new pay.
  2. Pick yearly, monthly or hourly pay. For hourly pay, enter the hours you work each week.
  3. Enter your current pay and the raise percentage or your new pay.
  4. Click Calculate to see your new pay, the yearly and monthly difference and how your pay grows over several years.

Raise chart: new salary after common raises

Current salary2% raise3% raise3.5% raise4% raise5% raise10% raise
$40,000$40,800$41,200$41,400$41,600$42,000$44,000
$50,000$51,000$51,500$51,750$52,000$52,500$55,000
$60,000$61,200$61,800$62,100$62,400$63,000$66,000
$75,000$76,500$77,250$77,625$78,000$78,750$82,500
$90,000$91,800$92,700$93,150$93,600$94,500$99,000
$100,000$102,000$103,000$103,500$104,000$105,000$110,000
$120,000$122,400$123,600$124,200$124,800$126,000$132,000
$150,000$153,000$154,500$155,250$156,000$157,500$165,000

New annual salary before tax after each raise.

Hourly raise chart

Hourly pay3% raise5% raise10% raiseYearly pay now (40 hrs/week)
$15.00$15.45$15.75$16.50$31,200
$18.00$18.54$18.90$19.80$37,440
$20.00$20.60$21.00$22.00$41,600
$25.00$25.75$26.25$27.50$52,000
$30.00$30.90$31.50$33.00$62,400
$40.00$41.20$42.00$44.00$83,200

What is the average raise in 2026?

Mercer’s US compensation planning survey puts 2026 salary increase budgets at 3.5% in total, including 3.3% for merit increases. That is an average across employees. High performers usually get more than the budget average, and a promotion or job change often brings a bigger jump.

Compare that with India, where average hikes run close to 9% (see the salary hike calculator), and the UK, where pay awards are centred around 3%.

Merit increase vs cost of living raise

Type of raiseBased onWho gets it
Merit increaseIndividual performance ratingVaries by employee
Cost of living adjustment (COLA)Inflation or local costsUsually everyone, same %
Promotion increaseMove to a bigger rolePromoted employees
Market adjustmentPay below the market rate for the roleSelected roles or people

Gross raise vs take-home pay

The calculator shows gross pay, before federal and state income tax, FICA and benefit deductions. Your take-home pay rises by less than the raise percentage. Check your next pay stub to see the net change.

Sources

Planning merit increases this cycle?

Peoplebox connects performance reviews, goals and calibration, so merit decisions rest on consistent, documented performance data.

Book a Demo →

Related HR guides

More free HR tools

Free tools from the Peoplebox HR Toolkit for the rest of the employee lifecycle.

    See all free HR tools →

    Frequently asked questions

    How do I calculate a pay raise percentage?

    Subtract your old pay from your new pay, divide by the old pay and multiply by 100. A salary that goes from $60,000 to $63,000 is a 5% raise: ($63,000 − $60,000) ÷ $60,000 × 100 = 5%.

    How much is a 3% raise on $50,000?

    A 3% raise on $50,000 is $1,500 a year, so your new salary is $51,500. That is $125 more a month before taxes.

    How do I calculate a raise on an hourly wage?

    Multiply your hourly rate by (1 + raise % ÷ 100). A 5% raise on $20.00 an hour gives $21.00 an hour. At 40 hours a week that is about $2,080 more a year.

    What is the average raise in 2026?

    Mercer reports that US employers budgeted a 3.5% total salary increase for 2026, including 3.3% for merit increases. Promotions and job changes often bring larger raises.

    What is the difference between a merit increase and a cost of living raise?

    A merit increase rewards individual performance and varies by person. A cost of living adjustment (COLA) is usually the same percentage for everyone and aims to keep pay in line with inflation. The calculator works the same way for both.

    Is this pay raise calculator free?

    Yes. The pay raise calculator is free. You share your name, work email and phone number once to see results.

    Are my salary details stored?

    No. The calculator runs in your browser, so salary figures are never sent anywhere. Only the name, work email and phone number you enter are shared with Peoplebox.