Pay Raise Calculator 2026 rates
Your raise after taxes
+$55.63 per paycheck
+$1,446 a year · +$120.53 a month take-home · a 3% raise to $61,800 a year
| Before | After | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay a year | $60,000 | $61,800 | +$1,800 |
| Federal income tax | −$5,020 | −$5,236 | −$216 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$3,720 | −$3,832 | −$112 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$870 | −$896 | −$26 |
| Take-home a year | $50,390 | $51,836 | +$1,446 |
| Take-home per paycheck | $1,938.08 | $1,993.70 | +$55.63 |
- You keep 80.4% of the raise
- Top federal bracket: 12% → 12%
- Raise per hour (2,080 hrs): +$0.87
Estimate for tax year 2026, standard deduction, no pre-tax deductions. A raise never lowers your take-home pay: only the dollars above each bracket line are taxed at the higher rate. How we calculate.
How to use the pay raise calculator
- Choose salary or hourly and enter your current pay.
- Enter the raise as a percent (for example 3) or as a dollar amount: dollars per year for a salary, dollars per hour for an hourly wage.
- Pick your state and filing status so the calculator can apply the right taxes.
- Read the result: your new pay, the raise per paycheck after taxes, and the share of the raise you keep.
How to calculate a raise
| You know | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Old pay and raise % | new pay = old pay × (1 + raise % ÷ 100) | $60,000 × 1.03 = $61,800 |
| Old pay and new pay | raise % = (new − old) ÷ old × 100 | ($27 − $25) ÷ $25 × 100 = 8% |
| Raise in dollars per hour | yearly raise = hourly raise × 2,080 | $1 × 2,080 = $2,080 a year |
| Raise per paycheck (before tax) | yearly raise ÷ paychecks per year | $1,800 ÷ 26 = $69.23 biweekly |
How much is a raise? Quick chart
Yearly raise before taxes, with the new salary in brackets:
| Salary | 2% raise | 3% raise | 4% raise | 5% raise | 10% raise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | +$800 ($40,800) | +$1,200 ($41,200) | +$1,600 ($41,600) | +$2,000 ($42,000) | +$4,000 ($44,000) |
| $50,000 | +$1,000 ($51,000) | +$1,500 ($51,500) | +$2,000 ($52,000) | +$2,500 ($52,500) | +$5,000 ($55,000) |
| $60,000 | +$1,200 ($61,200) | +$1,800 ($61,800) | +$2,400 ($62,400) | +$3,000 ($63,000) | +$6,000 ($66,000) |
| $75,000 | +$1,500 ($76,500) | +$2,250 ($77,250) | +$3,000 ($78,000) | +$3,750 ($78,750) | +$7,500 ($82,500) |
| $100,000 | +$2,000 ($102,000) | +$3,000 ($103,000) | +$4,000 ($104,000) | +$5,000 ($105,000) | +$10,000 ($110,000) |
For hourly workers (full time, 2,080 hours a year):
| Hourly wage | 3% raise | 5% raise | +$1 an hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $15.45 (+$936/yr) | $15.75 (+$1,560/yr) | $16 (+$2,080/yr, 6.7%) |
| $20 | $20.60 (+$1,248/yr) | $21.00 (+$2,080/yr) | $21 (+$2,080/yr, 5.0%) |
| $25 | $25.75 (+$1,560/yr) | $26.25 (+$2,600/yr) | $26 (+$2,080/yr, 4.0%) |
| $30 | $30.90 (+$1,872/yr) | $31.50 (+$3,120/yr) | $31 (+$2,080/yr, 3.3%) |
Your raise after taxes: worked examples (2026)
Single filer, paid every two weeks, standard deduction, no 401(k):
| Raise | Before taxes | After taxes | You keep | Per paycheck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3% on $60,000, no state income tax | +$1,800 | +$1,446.30 | 80.4% | +$55.63 |
| 5% on $60,000, no state income tax | +$3,000 | +$2,410.50 | 80.4% | +$92.71 |
| 3% on $100,000, no state income tax | +$3,000 | +$2,110.50 | 70.4% | +$81.17 |
| 3% on $60,000 in California | +$1,800 | +$1,314.90 | 73.1% | +$50.57 |
| $25 → $26 an hour, no state income tax | +$2,080 | +$1,671.28 | 80.4% | +$64.28 |
Why the share you keep changes: at $60,000 each extra dollar is taxed at 12% federal plus 7.65% Social Security and Medicare, so you keep about 80 cents. At $100,000 the extra dollars fall in the 22% bracket, so you keep about 70 cents. State income tax (California charges 6% at this income, plus 1.3% SDI) takes a little more.
Will a raise push me into a higher tax bracket?
It can, but that never lowers your take-home pay. Federal tax brackets are marginal: only the part of your income above a bracket line is taxed at the higher rate. If a raise moves a single filer's taxable income from $49,000 to $52,000 in 2026, only the $1,600 above the $50,400 line is taxed at 22%; everything below it is taxed exactly as before. See the federal income tax calculator for the full 2026 brackets.
Some benefits do depend on income (for example the earned income credit or health insurance subsidies), so in rare cases a raise can reduce a benefit. Payroll taxes and income tax alone never take more than the raise itself.
Is my raise keeping up with inflation?
A raise only increases what you can buy if it is bigger than the rise in prices. Compare your raise percentage with the latest yearly change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), published every month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. If prices rose more than your pay, your "real" pay went down.
Tips for asking for a raise
- Know your number. Use the calculator to turn a percentage into dollars per paycheck, so you know what you are asking for.
- Look at market pay for your job and city, not just your current salary.
- Ask in dollars and percent. "$4,000, about 6%" is clearer than "a bit more".
- Count the whole package: a bigger 401(k) match or cheaper health insurance can be worth as much as a small raise.
Want to see your full new paycheck, with 401(k) and health insurance? Use the paycheck calculator or the salary to hourly calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a 3% raise on $60,000?
$1,800 a year before taxes, for a new salary of $61,800. After 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, a single filer in a state with no income tax keeps about $1,446 of it, or $55.63 more per biweekly paycheck.
How do I calculate a raise percentage?
Subtract your old pay from your new pay, divide by your old pay and multiply by 100. For example, going from $25 to $27 an hour is (27 − 25) ÷ 25 × 100 = an 8% raise.
Can a raise put me in a higher tax bracket and lower my take-home pay?
No. The U.S. uses marginal tax brackets, so only the dollars above a bracket line are taxed at the higher rate. A raise always increases your take-home pay; you just keep a slightly smaller share of the extra dollars.
How much of my raise do I keep after taxes?
Usually 70% to 80%. A single filer earning $60,000 in a state with no income tax keeps about 80% of a raise (12% federal tax plus 7.65% Social Security and Medicare). At $100,000 it is about 70%, because the extra dollars fall in the 22% bracket. State income tax lowers it further.
How much is a $1 an hour raise per year?
$2,080 a year before taxes for a full-time worker (40 hours × 52 weeks). On a $25 hourly wage that is a 4% raise, and a single filer keeps about $1,671 of it after federal taxes.
What is a good raise?
Compare your raise with inflation. If your raise percentage is lower than the yearly inflation rate (the Consumer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics), your pay buys less than it did a year ago, even though the number went up.