How this number is made
A raise is a percent of current pay, and the dollars that reach you are smaller than the raise because tax and FICA apply to the new wage. This page compounds the percent into a new salary, then estimates take-home the same way the paycheck calculator does.
- Use your annual salary before the raise. If you are hourly, multiply the rate by hours per week by 52 first.
- Enter the raise as a percent. Five means five percent, not five dollars.
- Pick filing status, state, and pay schedule so the paycheck change is in the same units as your stub.
Formula
New salary = current × (1 + raise). Take-home uses 2026 brackets, the standard deduction, a flat state rate, Social Security at 6.2% up to $184,500, and Medicare at 1.45%.
Worked example
Five percent of $75,000 is $3,750, so the new salary is $78,750. A single filer keeps most of that raise, but not all of it: the top slice is in the 22% federal bracket, plus state tax and FICA.
Questions
Does a raise that crosses a bracket tax my whole salary at the new rate?
No. Only the dollars above the bracket threshold are taxed at the higher rate. The rest stays at 10%, 12%, or whatever slice it already occupied.
What about a bonus, not a raise?
A bonus is extra wages in one check, often withheld at a flat supplemental rate. This page spreads a permanent raise across the year. It is not a bonus withholding calculator.