Practical percentage guides

Choose the question that matches your numbers. Each guide includes a formula, a worked example, and a direct path back to the calculator.

How to Calculate a Salary Increase Percentage

Turn an old and new salary into a raise percentage, or calculate new pay from a promised raise.

Measure a price change using the old price as the baseline and avoid a common denominator mistake.

Find the starting number when you know the final value and the percentage increase.

Use a simple Excel formula to compare old and new values across one row or an entire column.

Compare old and new values in Sheets with a clear formula and sensible handling for zero baselines.

Learn why a rate moving from 4% to 6% rises by 2 percentage points but increases by 50%.

Separate the positive case called an increase from the broader measure that can also report a decrease.

A 10% rise followed by a 10% fall does not break even because the second percentage uses a new baseline.

A move from zero has a real absolute increase, but no finite percentage increase because the formula divides by zero.

Calculate consecutive increases when each new percentage applies to the value produced by the previous step.