Does this account for taxes?

Only through the marginal tax rate you enter. That number is your estimate — a starting point — not a computed withholding. Your actual take-home depends on federal brackets, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, benefits, and 401(k).

What does the compounded column mean?

It assumes the same percentage raise repeats each year — an assumption, not a prediction. It shows what an early raise can grow into if future raises stack on the new, higher base.

Why is the 'one-time' column smaller?

Because a single raise never repeated is worth exactly the annual increase times the number of years. The gap between the two columns is what compounding does for you when raises stack.

Raise calculator

See what a raise actually adds to your paycheck, what it looks like after inflation, and what it compounds to over the next decade.

Current annual salary

Raise as

Raise (%)

Pay frequency

Inflation assumption (%)

Default 3.0%. Editable.

Your marginal tax rate (%)

Your estimate — edit. Not a computed tax.

Result

New annual salary

$100,700.00

New monthly gross

$8,391.67

Per paycheck increase (bi-weekly)

$219.23

Gross, before any withholding.

Per paycheck — after tax est.

$164.42

Using your 25% marginal rate. Your estimate.

Real raise after inflation

2.91%

≈ $2,850.00 of purchasing power at 3% inflation.

The cost of not asking:Skipping this raise for one year leaves $5,700 on the table — before any future raises build on it.

Over time

Cumulative extra earnings above your current salary.

After	If this raise repeats annually (compounded)	One-time raise only
1 year	$5,700	$5,700
3 years	$35,589	$17,100
5 years	$92,655	$28,500
10 years	$377,306	$57,000

Compounded column assumes the same % raise each year — an assumption, not a prediction.

You just did the hardest part: you looked at it straight.

Keep going

Get the Kit — the 30-day plan for what happens next →How to write a counter-offer →Counter-offer letter builder →

How this raise calculator works

Forward mode: enter your current salary and a raise as either a percentage or a dollar amount. We compute your new annual, new monthly, per-paycheck increase (gross and after your marginal tax rate), and the real raise after inflation.

Target mode: enter the salary you want. We show the raise percent needed to get there from where you are today.

All base numbers are gross. The after-tax row uses only the marginal rate you enter — your estimate, not a computed tax claim. Federal, state, Social Security, Medicare, benefits, and 401(k) all affect your real take-home.

Why early raises matter so much. A raise is not a one-time bonus. It moves your baseline. Every future raise stacks on the new number, and every promotion, bonus, and 401(k) match is calculated off that new number too. A raise you get in your early career can be worth several multiples of its face value over the decades that follow — not because of a magic formula, but because you spent all those years being paid from the higher base instead of the lower one. The "over time" table below is a conceptual way to see that: the compounded column is what happens when raises repeat and stack; the one-time column is what happens when they don't.

FAQ

Cost-of-living raises often land in the low single digits. Promotion or market-adjustment raises can be larger. What's 'normal' varies by industry, geography, and employer.

Glidepath provides general information and document tools, not legal, financial, or tax advice. Employment rules vary by state and country. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed professional.