Bonus vs salary rise calculator

One-off cash against permanent pay.

Built and reviewed by Dovanic, Founder and editor, FreeByteLast reviewed: 2026-08-18

One-off bonus

Yearly pay rise

Marginal rate

30%

Years to compare

The rise wins

$5,600

Bonus after tax

$8,400

Show in today's money

With these inputs, the rise wins comes to $5,600 over 5 years. Bonus after tax works out to $8,400. The result assumes marginal rate stays at 30%.

Over time · by years to compare

Input	−10%	Now	+10%
One-off bonus	$6,440	$5,600	$4,760
Yearly pay rise	$4,200	$5,600	$7,000
Marginal rate	$5,840	$5,600	$5,360
Years to compare	$4,200	$5,600	$7,000

Whatmakesequal

Save this set of inputs, change something, then save again to compare the outcomes side by side.

One-off cash against permanent pay.

With the defaults above, the rise wins works out at $5,600.