Raise Calculator After Taxes
Find out how much your paycheck actually grows after a raise, accounting for the taxes and FICA that come out of the increase.
By the Easy Guides Editorial Team
A raise increases your gross pay, but taxes and deductions increase too. This calculator shows your real net increase per paycheck after federal tax, FICA, and state tax are withheld.
Your tax bracket on the additional income.
Leave blank if your state has no income tax.
Educational estimate only, not tax or financial advice. Assumes standard withholding and no changes to pre-tax deductions. Your actual net increase depends on your W-4, benefit elections, and total income for the year.
What a raise actually adds to your paycheck
A raise never arrives whole. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state tax all apply to the new money, so a $5,000 raise typically adds $3,300 to $3,900 a year in take-home pay depending on your state and bracket.
Only the dollars above a bracket threshold get taxed at the higher rate. This is the most common tax myth there is: a raise cannot leave you with less money. Crossing into the 22% bracket taxes the crossing dollars at 22%, not your entire salary.
What a raise can change is benefit eligibility and percentage-based deductions. A 401(k) set at 6% of pay quietly takes more when your pay rises, which is saving rather than tax, but it does affect the number you see.
What to do with this
Raises are not taxed at a penalty rate. Only the new dollars above the threshold are taxed higher.
Bank part of it before you see it. Raising your 401(k) rate at the same time as a raise costs you nothing you were already spending.
Confirm the real number. Put your new salary into the take-home pay calculator and compare to your current stub.
Common questions
How much of my raise will I actually get?
Typically, you keep 60-75% of a gross raise after federal income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare at 7.65%), and state tax. The exact percentage depends on your tax bracket and state. For example, a $5,000 annual raise in the 22% federal bracket yields about $3,200 in extra net pay per year.
Why does my raise feel smaller than expected?
Because taxes scale with your income. The additional salary is taxed at your marginal rate, and FICA applies to all wages up to the Social Security cap. If you also increased pre-tax deductions like 401(k) contributions, your net increase shrinks further.
Does a raise push me into a higher tax bracket?
It might, but only the dollars above the bracket threshold are taxed at the higher rate, never your entire income. The U.S. tax system is progressive, so a raise always increases your net pay; it never costs you money.