Raise Ask Calculator
Turn "I think I deserve more" into a specific, defensible number. Five independent benchmarks — inflation, typical progression, tenure, market, and scope — produce an ask range you can walk into a meeting with.
Questions this answers — what you can actually figure out
- How much should I ask for in my next raise?
- Is my salary keeping up with inflation since my last raise?
- Am I underpaid compared to the market for my role?
- Should I push for more if my responsibilities have grown?
- What's a defensible opening number for a salary negotiation?
- How do I justify a 10%+ raise request to my manager?
Your situation
Three baseline facts. Time since your last raise is the biggest lever — longer means more inflation drag and more missed merit increases. Years in role drives the pay-compression check: long tenure without an adjustment is a real, defensible argument.
Base pay only — exclude bonus
Count from when the increase took effect
Drives pay-compression check (caps at 5 yrs / 5%)
Market benchmark
The single most powerful piece of evidence in a raise conversation. "The market pays X and I make Y" is far more persuasive than inflation math. Look up the median for your title + experience + location on Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, Payscale, or the BLS Occupational Employment dataset.
Leave at 0 if you don't know it yet
Strongly recommended. Market data produces the most defensible raise request. Without it, the calculator can only reason about inflation, progression, tenure, and scope — all real, but none as persuasive as "the market pays more."
Assumptions
Inflation rate — recent annual CPI change. US 10-year average is around 3%. Typical raise rate — the average annual increase companies give for "meets expectations" performance (historically 3–4%). This already contains some inflation, which is why we call this benchmark "typical salary progression" rather than treating merit and inflation as fully independent.
Recent US CPI average ≈ 3.0%
Industry norm ≈ 3.5%
Scope changes
One of the most common reasons people are underpaid: responsibilities grow without compensation catching up. Has your scope materially expanded since your last raise? Direct reports added, project ownership expanded, scope of decisions widened, took on responsibilities of a more senior role.
Your contribution level
Be honest. This multiplier scales your target ask. Claiming "exceeds" without documented performance reviews undermines the rest of your case — stick to what's been formally recognized.
Your defensible ask
Open with is your opening number — gives room to negotiate down. Target is a fair adjustment given the math. Walkaway is the inflation-adjusted floor: anything less and you're going backwards in real terms. These are scenario numbers, not predictions — your employer's response depends on budget, internal equity, and many things this math can't see.
Open with
$0
+0% from current
Target
$0
+0% from current
Walkaway
$0
+0% from current
Adjust the inputs to see your ask range.
How we got there
Five independent benchmarks. We pick the highest one as the baseline (max, not sum — to stay conservative and defensible), then apply your performance multiplier. The benchmark with the biggest gap from your current salary is marked as the primary driver — that's the one you lead with in the conversation.
How to present the ask
A number without a story is easy to dismiss. A number tied to specific, independent benchmarks is much harder to wave off.
- Lead with the primary driver. Whichever benchmark shows the largest gap is your opening: market data, scope growth, or pay compression. Frame it as data, not demand.
- Open at the anchor number. Stating a specific figure (not a range) sets the reference point for the rest of the conversation. The target is where you're hoping to land.
- Tie the ask to forward-looking value. Past contribution explains your performance rating; what you'll deliver next is why they should fund the increase.
- If they can't move on base, ask about a one-time bonus, accelerated review timeline, title change, or expanded scope. The walkaway tells you when to start looking elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
Because a "typical" 3% raise is the floor for someone whose situation has not changed since last year. If you have gone 18+ months without an increase, taken on more scope, or sit below the market median, the math says the gap to fair pay is larger than a single year of merit. The three-card output is built to surface that gap, not predict what your employer will say yes to. The walkaway figure is your inflation-only floor — everything above it reflects the additional levers the calculator found.
The most reliable free sources are Levels.fyi (especially strong for tech), Glassdoor, Payscale, and the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics dataset. Filter by your specific title, years of experience, and metro area — national medians can be misleading by 20%+ in either direction. If your role is rare, check what similar roles pay and triangulate. Even a rough number is far better than leaving the field blank.
Pivot the conversation to total compensation. A one-time bonus, accelerated review timeline (six months instead of twelve), title change, expanded equity grant, or additional PTO can all close part of the gap without touching base pay budget. Title and scope changes are particularly valuable because they reset the baseline for the next conversation. If none of that moves either, the walkaway number tells you when staying is costing you real money in inflation-adjusted terms.
Because the benchmarks overlap. The "typical progression" rate already contains some inflation, and the market median already prices in tenure and scope to some extent. Summing them would double-count the same dollars and produce a number you couldn't defend in a meeting. Taking the maximum stays conservative: the strongest single argument becomes the baseline, and your performance multiplier is the only thing that scales on top of it.
Use what your last formal review actually said, not what you wish it said. Walking into a raise conversation claiming "exceeds" when your file shows "meets" undermines every other argument you make. If you genuinely believe your performance has improved since your last review, the right move is to document it and get it formally recognized first — then come back for the raise conversation with the new rating in hand.
It does not model your employer's budget cycle, internal pay bands, your manager's discretion, or the broader hiring market for replacements. It does not weigh non-monetary factors like remote flexibility, project ownership, or career trajectory. And it cannot account for company-specific factors like a recent layoff, a hiring freeze, or a pending acquisition — all of which can override the math entirely. Use the output as your defensible opening, not as a prediction of what you will get.
This calculator is for educational and informational purposes only. Results are estimates based on the inputs you provide and should not be taken as professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional for decisions involving compensation, career strategy, or financial planning.
Marty Math by MartinGoetzinger.com
Free calculators and tools to help you run the numbers on the decisions that matter, from mortgages and investments to home projects and career moves.
Free calculators and tools to help you run the numbers on the decisions that matter, from mortgages and investments to home projects and career moves.
