Calculators → Pay rise
Pay rise calculator
The percentage, the money per month, and the figure that actually decides whether it was a rise: what is left once inflation has taken its share.
Your result
| Period | Now | After the rise | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per year | — | — | — |
| Per month | — | — | — |
| Per week | — | — | — |
These are gross figures. What lands in your account will be less once tax, National Insurance and pension come off — and if the rise is tied to extra hours, check it against the true hourly wage calculator before accepting.
The two calculations that matter
The headline percentage is the easy one: the difference between old and new, divided by the old salary. The common error is dividing by the new figure, which understates every rise. £30,000 to £31,200 is £1,200 over £30,000, or four per cent.
The real terms figure is the one worth arguing over. Inflation does not subtract from your rise, it divides into it — a four per cent rise against three per cent inflation leaves 1.04 ÷ 1.03, which is 0.97 per cent, not a clean one per cent. The shortcut of subtracting gets close at low rates and drifts as both numbers grow.
Run with inflation set above your rise and the result goes negative. That is the important case: a pay rise that is below inflation is a pay cut wearing a rise's clothing, and it is the most common way real incomes fall without anyone's payslip appearing to shrink.
What to do with the number
If the real terms figure is negative, you have a concrete, non-emotional case to put: not "I would like more money" but "this offer reduces my purchasing power by X per cent". That framing is far harder to wave away than a request, and it puts the discussion on arithmetic rather than sentiment.
It is also worth knowing the gross-to-net gap before you celebrate. A £1,200 rise is £100 a month on paper, but after income tax, National Insurance, pension contribution and any student loan, the amount actually reaching your account is often little more than half that. Ask what the net change is if the difference matters to your budgeting.
And check what is being asked in return. A rise that comes with extra hours, a longer commute or a move back into the office may not be a rise at all once the hours are counted — which is the whole purpose of the true hourly wage calculation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out a pay rise as a percentage?
Subtract your old salary from the new one, divide the difference by the old salary, then multiply by 100. Going from £30,000 to £31,200 is a difference of £1,200; divided by £30,000 that is 0.04, so a 4 per cent rise. Always divide by the old figure, never the new one.
What is a real terms pay rise?
A real terms rise is what is left after inflation. If prices rise 3 per cent and your pay rises 4 per cent, your buying power has improved by roughly 1 per cent — precisely, 1.04 divided by 1.03, which is 0.97 per cent. If your rise is below inflation, you have taken a real pay cut even though the number on your payslip went up.
Why does my rise feel smaller than the percentage suggests?
Because the percentage applies to gross pay, and you only receive the net. Income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and student loan repayments all take a share of the increase, so a rise of £1,200 a year might add closer to £60 a month to your bank account than £100. If the rise pushes you into a higher tax band, the marginal share taken is larger still.
What is a normal pay rise to expect?
Annual increases usually sit somewhere near the prevailing rate of wage growth, and an offer meaningfully below inflation is a real terms cut that is worth challenging. Promotions and job moves are where large increases happen: changing employer has historically produced a bigger jump than staying put, which is why the real terms figure is the one to check before accepting an internal offer.