Gross pay, before taxes · runs entirely in your browser
Wage Increase Calculator
Enter what you earn now, then either the raise percentage you were offered or the flat amount being added to your pay. This wage increase calculator returns your raise amount, your new pay and the percentage increase, converted across hourly, weekly, biweekly, monthly and annual pay at the same time. You can also work backwards: give it your old pay and your new pay and it will tell you what percentage raise that actually is.
Result
Fill in the form and press Calculate. Your raise, your new pay and the percentage increase will appear here, converted into all five pay cadences.
- Old pay
- Raise amount
- New pay
- Percentage increase
Every pay cadence
| Cadence | Old pay | Raise | New pay |
|---|
Gross pay, before taxes. These figures are pre-tax and pre-deduction. Income tax, payroll tax, insurance, retirement contributions and any other withholding will change what actually lands in your account.
Conversion assumptions
To move an amount between cadences, the calculator converts it to a yearly figure first and then divides. It uses these fixed conversion factors, which are the standard full-time United States assumptions:
- 2,080 work hours per year (40 hours per week × 52 weeks)
- 52 weeks per year
- 26 biweekly pay periods per year
- 12 months per year
If your schedule is different - part-time hours, 24 or 27 pay periods, unpaid weeks - the percentage increase is unaffected, but the hourly and per-period conversions will not match your payslip exactly. Amounts are shown as plain numbers with no currency symbol, so the tool works with whatever currency you are paid in.
How to calculate a pay raise
A wage increase is the difference between what you are paid now and what you will be paid after the change. It is expressed two ways: as an amount (the extra money) and as a percentage (that extra money measured against your old pay). Both describe the same raise, and either one can be derived from the other.
Percentage raise
raise amount = current pay × (raise percentage ÷ 100)
new pay = current pay + raise amount
This is the form most offer letters and annual review letters use. A 4.5% raise means your pay is multiplied by 1.045.
Fixed raise amount
new pay = current pay + raise amount
percentage increase = (raise amount ÷ current pay) × 100
A flat raise is quoted in money rather than percent - an extra 2,000 a year, or an extra 1.50 an hour. Because it is a fixed number, the same flat raise is a larger percentage for a lower-paid worker than for a higher-paid one. Note that a fixed amount always belongs to a cadence: an extra 100 per week and an extra 100 per year are wildly different raises, which is why the calculator labels the amount field with the cadence you selected.
Working backwards from old and new pay
raise amount = new pay − old pay
percentage increase = ((new pay − old pay) ÷ old pay) × 100
Use this when you already know both numbers and want to know what percentage raise you were actually given. If the new figure is lower than the old one the result is a decrease, and the calculator labels it as such rather than hiding the sign.
Converting between cadences
annual pay = amount × periods per year
amount in another cadence = annual pay ÷ that cadence's periods per year
The percentage increase is identical in every cadence, because dividing both the old and the new figure by the same number leaves their ratio unchanged. Only the money amounts change.
Worked example
Someone earning 52,000 per year is offered a 4.5% raise.
- Raise amount: 52,000 × (4.5 ÷ 100) = 2,340.00 per year.
- New pay: 52,000 + 2,340 = 54,340.00 per year.
- Old hourly: 52,000 ÷ 2,080 = 25.00. New hourly: 54,340 ÷ 2,080 = 26.13 (26.125 rounded).
| Cadence | Old pay | Raise | New pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | 52,000.00 | 2,340.00 | 54,340.00 |
| Monthly | 4,333.33 | 195.00 | 4,528.33 |
| Biweekly | 2,000.00 | 90.00 | 2,090.00 |
| Weekly | 1,000.00 | 45.00 | 1,045.00 |
| Hourly | 25.00 | 1.13 | 26.13 |
The same person offered a flat 2,000 per year instead would end up at 54,000.00 per year, which is a percentage increase of (2,000 ÷ 52,000) × 100 = 3.85%. Entering either version into the calculator above reproduces these figures exactly.
Using the calculator
- Pick what you are calculating. Percentage raise, fixed raise amount, or old pay to new pay if you want the percentage worked out for you.
- Set the pay cadence. This applies to every amount you type, so if you choose per hour, both your current pay and any fixed raise amount are read as hourly figures.
- Enter your current pay exactly as you are paid it today, before tax. Commas are fine.
- Enter the raise - a percentage, a flat amount, or the new pay figure, depending on the mode.
- Press Calculate. The result panel shows your raise, new pay and percentage increase, plus the full hourly-to-annual breakdown. Reset clears every field.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a wage increase?
Multiply your current pay by the raise percentage divided by 100 to get the raise amount, then add that amount to your current pay to get your new pay. For example, a 4.5% raise on 52,000 per year is 52,000 x 0.045 = 2,340, giving a new salary of 54,340 per year.
How do I work out my raise percentage if I only know my old pay and my new pay?
Subtract the old pay from the new pay, divide the result by the old pay, then multiply by 100. Going from 52,000 to 54,340 per year is (54,340 - 52,000) / 52,000 x 100 = 4.5%. Select the old pay to new pay mode in the calculator to do this automatically.
Are the results before or after taxes?
Before. Every figure this calculator produces is gross pay, meaning pay before income tax, payroll tax, insurance premiums, retirement contributions and any other deduction. Your take-home increase will be smaller than the gross raise amount shown here.
How does the calculator convert between hourly, weekly, biweekly, monthly and annual pay?
It converts whatever you enter into an annual figure and then divides that figure by the number of periods in a year. It assumes 2,080 work hours per year, 52 weeks per year, 26 biweekly pay periods per year and 12 months per year. If your working pattern differs, the money conversions will differ too, but the percentage increase stays the same.
What if my raise is a fixed amount rather than a percentage?
Choose the fixed raise amount mode and type the money figure. The amount is read in the pay cadence you selected, so an entry of 100 with the per week cadence means 100 more each week. The calculator adds it to your current pay and reports the percentage increase that flat amount represents.
Can I use this for a pay cut or a negative change?
Yes, through the old pay to new pay mode. Enter a new pay figure that is lower than the old one and the calculator reports the difference as a decrease and shows a negative percentage. The percentage and amount fields themselves only accept zero or positive numbers.
Is my pay data sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in JavaScript inside your own browser and no pay figure is transmitted to a server or stored. Closing or reloading the page clears everything you entered.
This tool provides arithmetic, not advice. It is not financial, tax, legal or employment advice, and it does not account for your jurisdiction, contract or personal circumstances.