Core rule
Do not judge the raise by gross salary alone
A £5,000 or £10,000 raise does not fully turn into extra money in your bank account. Income Tax, NI, pension and student loans reduce the amount you keep.
The cleanest decision number is the extra monthly net pay after deductions. Then compare that against commute, workload, childcare, rent, travel and risk.
Decision frame
Compare money, time and risk together
A raise can look good on paper but feel weak if it adds long travel, more hours or unstable conditions. A smaller raise can be worth it if it improves remote work, benefits or career path.
Start with monthly net gain after deductions.
Subtract extra travel, childcare or relocation costs.
Consider pension, bonus reliability and work-life impact.
Practical threshold
A useful raise should be visible monthly
There is no universal threshold, but the increase should be meaningful enough to notice after tax and costs. If the monthly gain is small, the non-money benefits need to be strong.