Percentage Salary Calculator
Calculate your new salary after a percentage-based raise or pay cut. Enter your current salary and the percentage of the change.
Enter Your Salary Details
Understanding Salary Percentage Calculations
How is a Salary Increase Calculated?
The calculation is a straightforward two-step process. First, the monetary value of the percentage change is found. Second, that amount is either added to or subtracted from the original salary.
The Formulas
- Raise/Cut Amount:
Change Amount = Current Salary × (Percentage / 100) - New Salary (Increase):
New Salary = Current Salary + Change Amount - New Salary (Decrease):
New Salary = Current Salary - Change Amount
Example Calculation
If your current salary is $50,000 and you receive a 3% raise:
1. Find Raise Amount: $50,000 * (3 / 100) = $50,000 * 0.03 = $1,500
2. Calculate New Salary: $50,000 + $1,500 = $51,500
10 Salary Calculation Examples
Click on an example to see a detailed breakdown.
Example 1: Standard Annual Raise
Scenario: An employee earning $60,000 per year receives a standard 3% cost-of-living adjustment.
1. Known Values: Current Salary = $60,000, Percentage = 3%, Type = Increase.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount = $60,000 * (3 / 100) = $1,800.
3. Formula (New Salary): New Salary = $60,000 + $1,800.
4. Result: The new salary is $61,800, which is an increase of $1,800.
Example 2: Promotion-Based Increase
Scenario: A manager is promoted and their salary of $85,000 is increased by 12%.
1. Known Values: Current Salary = $85,000, Percentage = 12%, Type = Increase.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount = $85,000 * (12 / 100) = $10,200.
3. Formula (New Salary): New Salary = $85,000 + $10,200.
4. Result: The new salary is $95,200, a raise of $10,200.
Example 3: Company-Wide Pay Cut
Scenario: Due to economic challenges, a company implements a 10% pay cut for an employee earning $120,000.
1. Known Values: Current Salary = $120,000, Percentage = 10%, Type = Decrease.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount = $120,000 * (10 / 100) = $12,000.
3. Formula (New Salary): New Salary = $120,000 - $12,000.
4. Result: The new salary is $108,000, which is a reduction of $12,000.
Example 4: Hourly Wage Increase
Scenario: An hourly worker earning $22.50 per hour gets a 4.5% raise.
1. Known Values: Current Salary (Wage) = $22.50, Percentage = 4.5%, Type = Increase.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount = $22.50 * (4.5 / 100) = $1.0125.
3. Formula (New Salary): New Salary = $22.50 + $1.0125.
4. Result: The new hourly wage is $23.51 (rounded).
Example 5: Small Merit Increase
Scenario: An employee with a salary of $48,500 receives a 1.5% merit increase.
1. Known Values: Current Salary = $48,500, Percentage = 1.5%, Type = Increase.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount = $48,500 * (1.5 / 100) = $727.50.
3. Formula (New Salary): New Salary = $48,500 + $727.50.
4. Result: The new salary is $49,227.50.
Example 6: Restoring a Previous Pay Cut
Scenario: An employee's salary was cut from $70,000 to $63,000 (a 10% cut). To restore it, what percentage increase is needed from the new salary?
1. Known Values: Current Salary = $63,000. Target is $70,000. Change needed is $7,000.
2. Find Percentage: Percentage = (Change Amount / Current Salary) * 100 = ($7,000 / $63,000) * 100 ≈ 11.11%.
3. Verification: $63,000 * (11.11 / 100) ≈ $7,000. New Salary = $63,000 + $7,000 = $70,000.
4. Result: An 11.11% increase is needed to restore the original salary.
Example 7: Calculating a Commission Bonus
Scenario: A salesperson with a base salary of $45,000 earns a 5% bonus based on that salary.
1. Known Values: Current Salary = $45,000, Percentage = 5%, Type = Increase.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount (Bonus) = $45,000 * (5 / 100) = $2,250.
3. Formula (Total Pay): Total Pay = $45,000 + $2,250.
4. Result: The bonus is $2,250, making the total pay for the period $47,250.
Example 8: High Earner's Inflation Adjustment
Scenario: An executive earning $250,000 gets a 3.8% inflation adjustment.
1. Known Values: Current Salary = $250,000, Percentage = 3.8%, Type = Increase.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount = $250,000 * (3.8 / 100) = $9,500.
3. Formula (New Salary): New Salary = $250,000 + $9,500.
4. Result: The new salary is $259,500.
Example 9: Reduced Hours Represented as Pay Cut
Scenario: A salaried employee earning $55,000 agrees to reduce their workload and pay by 20%.
1. Known Values: Current Salary = $55,000, Percentage = 20%, Type = Decrease.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount = $55,000 * (20 / 100) = $11,000.
3. Formula (New Salary): New Salary = $55,000 - $11,000.
4. Result: The new adjusted salary is $44,000.
Example 10: Freelance Rate Increase
Scenario: A freelancer wants to increase their project rate of $5,000 by 15% for new clients.
1. Known Values: Current Salary (Rate) = $5,000, Percentage = 15%, Type = Increase.
2. Formula (Amount): Change Amount = $5,000 * (15 / 100) = $750.
3. Formula (New Salary): New Rate = $5,000 + $750.
4. Result: The new freelance project rate is $5,750.
10 Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I use this calculator?
Enter your current salary (or wage), the percentage for the change (e.g., '3' for 3%), and select whether it's an 'Increase' or 'Decrease'. Then click the "Calculate" button.
2. Can I use this for hourly wages?
Yes. Simply enter your current hourly wage in the "Current Salary" field. The "New Salary" will be your new hourly wage.
3. Does this calculator work with decimal points?
Yes, both the salary and percentage fields accept decimals. For example, you can calculate a 2.5% raise on a salary of $55,250.50.
4. What's the difference between "New Salary" and "Change Amount"?
New Salary is your final pay after the adjustment. Change Amount is the specific dollar amount that your salary was increased or decreased by (e.g., +$1,500 or -$5,000).
5. How can I calculate my salary *after* taxes?
This calculator computes your gross (pre-tax) salary change. Calculating take-home pay is more complex as it depends on federal, state, and local tax brackets, deductions, and withholdings. This tool is for the top-line percentage change.
6. Is a 3% raise good?
A "good" raise is relative. It often depends on the inflation rate. If inflation is 4%, a 3% raise is effectively a pay cut in terms of purchasing power. If inflation is 1%, a 3% raise is a real gain.
7. How do I calculate a percentage increase needed to reach a target salary?
Use this formula: Percentage = ((Target Salary - Current Salary) / Current Salary) * 100. For example, to go from $50k to $55k, the increase is (($55k - $50k) / $50k) * 100 = 10%.
8. Why does the JavaScript in this tool avoid the '&&' operator?
This is a technical safeguard. Some WordPress environments can mistakenly convert the '&&' (logical AND) operator into HTML entities, which breaks the script. This tool uses a more robust method (nested 'if' statements) to ensure it works correctly on any WordPress site.
9. Can I change the currency symbol?
Yes. In the plugin's JavaScript code, you can find the line `currency: 'USD'`. You can change `'USD'` to another 3-letter currency code like `'EUR'` for Euros or `'GBP'` for British Pounds to change the output format.
10. What happens if I enter text or negative numbers?
The calculator includes validation. It will show an error message prompting you to enter valid, non-negative numbers for both salary and percentage if the inputs are incorrect.
