Increase Your Income and Keep More of It
Salary and income tools for US workers: paycheck breakdowns, offer comparisons across states, and what a raise is actually worth after tax.
Your step-by-step path
- 1
Know what your paycheck actually contains
The gap between salary and take-home is commonly 25–35%. Understanding the components is what lets you evaluate whether a pre-tax benefit is worth more than the cash.
Open the Paycheck Calculator - 2
Compare offers on net, not gross
A $120,000 offer in Texas and a $135,000 offer in California can leave you with nearly identical take-home pay — before the cost-of-living difference is even considered.
Open the Paycheck Calculator - 3
Route raises to savings before lifestyle absorbs them
Lifestyle inflation is the reason high earners with no savings exist. Directing at least half of every raise to savings before it reaches your checking account keeps the gain permanent.
Open the Savings Goal Calculator - 4
Model what the raise is worth after tax
A $10,000 raise at a 24% marginal federal rate plus FICA and state tax may deliver closer to $6,500. Still worth having — just worth planning around the real number.
Open the Paycheck Calculator
Tools for increase income
Paycheck Calculator
Federal tax, FICA, state tax and deductions — see exactly what lands in your account.
Federal Income Tax Calculator
Bracket-by-bracket breakdown, your effective rate, and what the next dollar costs.
Go deeper
The topic hubs behind this goal, with every related tool and guide.
Salary & Income
Translate an offer into the number that lands in your account.
2 tools
Taxes
Know your real marginal rate before you make a tax decision.
2 tools
Financial Planning
One number that tells you whether the whole plan is working.
2 tools
Want a plan tailored to you?
Tell the AI coach about your situation and get a personalized version of this path.
Increase Income questions
How much is a raise actually worth after taxes?
Multiply the raise by one minus your combined marginal rate — federal plus 7.65% FICA plus state. At a 22% federal marginal rate in a 5% state, roughly 65% survives. The paycheck calculator shows the exact figure for your situation.
Does a side income change my taxes?
Yes, in two ways. Self-employment income is taxed at your marginal rate, and you also owe self-employment tax of 15.3% covering both halves of FICA. Quarterly estimated payments are generally required. Business expenses are deductible against that income, which softens the effect considerably.
Is it better to negotiate salary or a signing bonus?
Salary, almost always. It compounds through future percentage raises, sets the anchor for your next role, and feeds benefits calculated as a percentage of pay. A signing bonus is a one-time payment often subject to clawback if you leave early. Negotiate the bonus only after salary has genuinely hit its ceiling.