1.5% Raise Calculator
What a 1.5% raise adds to your salary and per paycheck, and how far short of inflation it falls.
How much is a 1.5% raise?
One and a half percent is the midpoint between a token and a real increase, and it usually appears in one of two situations: a company spreading a thin budget evenly across everybody, or a partial-year adjustment for someone who joined recently. On $60,000 it is $900 a year — about $35 per bi-weekly paycheck before tax, closer to $28 after.
| Current salary | New salary | Raise | Per bi-weekly check | After tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $30,450.00 | +$450.00 | +$17.31 | $361.57 |
| $40,000 | $40,600.00 | +$600.00 | +$23.08 | $482.10 |
| $50,000 | $50,750.00 | +$750.00 | +$28.85 | $602.62 |
| $60,000 | $60,900.00 | +$900.00 | +$34.62 | $723.15 |
| $75,000 | $76,125.00 | +$1,125.00 | +$43.27 | $791.44 |
| $100,000 | $101,500.00 | +$1,500.00 | +$57.69 | $1,055.25 |
| $150,000 | $152,250.00 | +$2,250.00 | +$86.54 | $1,537.87 |
Is a 1.5% raise good?
It is less than half the typical 2026 US salary increase budget of around 3.5%, and comfortably below inflation. In practical terms, someone on 1.5% has less spending power at the end of the year than at the start, even though their gross pay went up. If this is your third consecutive year in this range, your real salary has fallen substantially without a single pay cut ever being announced.
Against inflation of 3.4% (12 months ending July 2026), a 1.5% raise is worth −1.84% in real purchasing power — a small real-terms pay cut.
A 1.5% raise on an hourly wage
The same percentage applied to an hourly rate, at 40 hours a week:
| Current rate | New rate | Extra per hour | Extra per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00/hr | $15.22/hr | +$0.22 | +$468.00 |
| $18.00/hr | $18.27/hr | +$0.27 | +$561.60 |
| $20.00/hr | $20.30/hr | +$0.30 | +$624.00 |
| $25.00/hr | $25.37/hr | +$0.38 | +$780.00 |
| $30.00/hr | $30.45/hr | +$0.45 | +$936.00 |
| $40.00/hr | $40.60/hr | +$0.60 | +$1,248.00 |
What to do with a 1.5% offer
The number to bring to a review is not 1.5% but the cumulative gap. Add up your increases over the last three years, compare them with cumulative inflation over the same period, and put the difference in dollars. "My pay has risen 4.5% since 2023 while prices rose more than twice that" is a much harder statement to wave away than "1.5% feels low".
1.5% raise FAQ
How much is a 1.5% raise on $60,000?
$900.00 a year, taking your salary to $60,900.00. That is +$34.62 per bi-weekly paycheck before tax, and about $27.81 after federal income tax and FICA.
Does a 1.5% raise beat inflation?
No. With CPI at 3.4% over the 12 months ending July 2026, a 1.5% raise is a real-terms reduction of 1.84% — your salary rises but buys slightly less than before.
How much of a 1.5% raise do I keep after tax?
On a $60,000 salary, about $723.15 of the $900.00 — roughly 80%. The rest goes to federal income tax and to Social Security and Medicare at 7.65%. State income tax reduces it further where it applies.
Why do companies give 1.5% raises?
Usually because a fixed increase budget is being shared across everyone rather than concentrated on top performers. It keeps the payroll line flat in real terms and avoids difficult conversations, at the cost of quietly reducing everyone's real pay.
Is 1.5% better than nothing?
In nominal terms, yes. In purchasing power, no — it is a real-terms reduction at any recent inflation rate. It is better than a freeze only in the sense that it keeps your base salary marginally higher for future percentage increases.
Other raise percentages
- 1% raise
- 2% raise
- 2.5% raise
- 3% raise
- 3.5% raise
- 4% raise
- 4.5% raise
- 5% raise
- 6% raise
- 7% raise
- 8% raise
- 10% raise
- 15% raise
- 20% raise
Related calculators
- Pay Raise CalculatorAny percentage, any pay period.
- Raise After TaxesWhat you keep, by filing status and state.
- Cost of Living RaiseYour raise against inflation.
- Salary Over Time1.5% raises compounded over 10 years.
Estimates are for planning only. This is not tax, legal or financial advice.