Free tool
Salary band calculator: pay ranges, structures and compa-ratio
Build a pay range from a midpoint, model a full grade structure with overlap, and see where any salary sits in its range. Runs entirely in your browser, in any currency.
The calculator
Base pay ranges are the foundation of any total rewards programme. This page gives you three tools in one: a range builder, a structure builder and an employee position check. Change any number and the results update immediately. Pick a currency for display; no conversion is applied.
Formatting only — no exchange rates are applied. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent or stored.
1. Range builder
Enter a midpoint and a range spread to get the minimum, maximum and quartiles.
| Point | Value | As % of midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | $80,000 | 80.0% |
| First quartile | $90,000 | 90.0% |
| Midpoint | $100,000 | 100.0% |
| Third quartile | $110,000 | 110.0% |
| Maximum | $120,000 | 120.0% |
2. Structure builder
Build a full grade structure from a starting midpoint, a midpoint progression and a spread.
| Grade | Minimum | Midpoint | Maximum | Spread | Overlap with next grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | $33,333 | $40,000 | $46,667 | 40.0% | 72.9% |
| Grade 2 | $36,948 | $44,800 | $52,652 | 42.5% | 74.5% |
| Grade 3 | $40,960 | $50,176 | $59,392 | 45.0% | 75.8% |
| Grade 4 | $45,412 | $56,197 | $66,982 | 47.5% | 77.1% |
| Grade 5 | $50,353 | $62,941 | $75,529 | 50.0% | 78.2% |
| Grade 6 | $55,837 | $70,494 | $85,151 | 52.5% | 79.2% |
| Grade 7 | $61,924 | $78,953 | $95,982 | 55.0% | 80.2% |
| Grade 8 | $68,681 | $88,427 | $108,173 | 57.5% | — |
3. Employee position in range
Compare one salary with its range to get compa-ratio and range penetration.
- Midpoint
- $100,000
- Compa-ratio
- 0.92 (92.0%)
- Range penetration
- 30.0%
In the middle half of the range, around the midpoint. For a fully proficient performer this is usually where the structure intends pay to sit.
Every formula, explained
Range spread and midpoint progression follow the definitions in the glossary published with the WorldatWork and Deloitte 2026 Salary Structures Policies and Practices study. The other formulas are standard arithmetic on the range. Here is each one, so you can check the output or rebuild it in a spreadsheet.
Range spread
Spread = (maximum − minimum) ÷ minimum. A range of 80,000 to 120,000 has a spread of 40,000 ÷ 80,000 = 50%.
Some organisations instead quote a range as "midpoint ± X%". A ±20% range has a spread of 40 ÷ 80 = 50% under the definition above. Know which convention a survey or colleague is using before comparing numbers.
Minimum and maximum from a midpoint
With the midpoint halfway between minimum and maximum, minimum = 2 × midpoint ÷ (2 + spread) and maximum = minimum × (1 + spread), with spread written as a decimal.
Quartiles
The range is split into four equal parts. The first quartile is minimum + 25% of the range width; the third quartile is minimum + 75%. The midpoint is the second quartile.
Midpoint progression
Progression = (higher midpoint − lower midpoint) ÷ lower midpoint. This is the step between adjacent grades, and the glossary above gives the same definition.
Overlap
Overlap = (maximum of lower grade − minimum of higher grade) ÷ (maximum − minimum of lower grade). It is the share of the lower grade's range that is also inside the next grade. A negative result means a gap between grades. Definitions of overlap vary between practitioners, so state yours when you report it.
Compa-ratio and range penetration
Compa-ratio = salary ÷ midpoint. Range penetration = (salary − minimum) ÷ (maximum − minimum). A salary exactly at the midpoint has a compa-ratio of 1.00 and a penetration of 50%.
Typical spreads by level
Ranges are commonly narrower for roles people master quickly and wider for roles where growth in the job takes years. The width should reflect how much a fully experienced person is worth over a capable new entrant.
The figures below are one published guideline, from Salary.com's guide to range widths, which draws on ERI research and uses the same (max − min) ÷ min definition. Treat them as starting points to test, not a standard.
| Level | Example spread | Maximum as multiple of minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Administration and operations | 40% or more | 1.4× |
| Professional and management | 50% or more | 1.5× |
| Executive | 50% to 65% or more | 1.5× to 1.65× |
Broadbands sit at the far end. The WorldatWork and Deloitte glossary describes broadband ranges as typically 100% or more from minimum to maximum, which is why they are hard to administer without clear rules for movement inside the band.
Progression and overlap: shaping the structure
Midpoint progression sets how far apart grades are; spread sets how wide each one is. The ratio between them decides the overlap, and overlap is what makes a structure feel either fluid or rigid.
Small progression, wide spread
Grades overlap heavily. Promotions can happen with small pay moves, and an experienced person in a lower grade can out-earn a new person a grade up. Good for career flexibility; harder to explain.
Large progression, narrow spread
Little overlap, or even gaps. Each promotion carries a visible jump, which can be motivating. The cost is that people get stuck at a range maximum, and any grading mistake becomes expensive.
Progression by level
Progressions are commonly smaller between junior grades and larger between senior grades, because the value gap between successive senior roles is usually larger. The structure builder uses a single progression for every grade, so to test a rising pattern, build the junior and senior grades as separate runs. Its "spread increase per grade" setting models the related pattern of ranges that widen with seniority.
A structure only holds if it reflects how the organisation wants to pay against the market. If that has not been written down, start with a compensation philosophy and make sure it fits your wider total rewards strategy.
Reading compa-ratio and range penetration
Compa-ratio tells you where pay sits against the market reference point; range penetration tells you how much of the range has been used. Use both, because they answer different questions.
With a 50% spread, the range runs from a compa-ratio of 0.80 at the minimum to 1.20 at the maximum. With a 30% spread, the same limits are about 0.87 and 1.13. So a compa-ratio of 0.85 is inside one range and below the other. Penetration removes that ambiguity.
Questions to ask of every outlier
- Is the person new to the role, or fully proficient and underpaid?
- Is the person above maximum because of performance, legacy pay or a grading error?
- Do patterns differ by gender, location or hiring cohort?
The last question moves you from structure maintenance into pay equity analysis, where position-in-range data is one of the first things to test. Our glossary covers the related terms.
Pay range rules by region
In a growing number of places, pay ranges are no longer internal documents. EU rules and laws in several US states require employers to tell applicants the pay or pay range, so a structure has to be defensible in public.
European Union
Directive (EU) 2023/970 gives job applicants the right to receive information about the initial pay or its range for the position, based on objective, gender-neutral criteria, for example in a vacancy notice or before the job interview (Article 5). Member states had to transpose it by 7 June 2026. National implementing laws vary, so check the rules in each country where you hire.
United States
There is no single federal rule; requirements are set state by state and city by city. California is a widely cited example: under Labor Code section 432.3, employers with 15 or more employees must include the pay scale for a position in any job posting, meaning a good-faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range they reasonably expect to pay on hire.
UK, India, APAC and the Middle East
Requirements differ widely, and many countries have no general duty to publish ranges. Equal pay laws still apply in many of them, so documented ranges and clear progression rules remain useful evidence. Take local legal advice before publishing ranges in a new market.
For the wider picture, see our guide to pay transparency.
What this tool does not do
This is a salary range calculator, not a salary benchmarking tool. It contains no market data, and the numbers it produces are only as good as the midpoint you enter.
- It does not tell you what any job pays in any market.
- It does not convert currencies or adjust for location.
- It does not grade jobs. Which jobs belong in which grade comes from job evaluation.
- It does not check legal compliance in any country.
Setting midpoints well means matching jobs carefully to survey data, choosing a market position, ageing the data to a common date and deciding how to handle hot skills. That is where most structures go wrong, and it is the work our compensation consulting team does with clients.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a salary range from a midpoint?
Decide the range spread, defined as (maximum − minimum) ÷ minimum. The minimum is then 2 × midpoint ÷ (2 + spread), and the maximum is the minimum × (1 + spread). With a 100,000 midpoint and a 50% spread, the minimum is 80,000 and the maximum 120,000. The midpoint stays exactly halfway between them.
What is a good compa-ratio?
There is no universal target. A compa-ratio of 1.00 means pay equals the range midpoint, which most structures treat as the rate for a fully proficient performer. Below 1.00 is normal for people still growing into a role; well above it is usually reserved for sustained high performance. Read it alongside time in role and performance, not on its own.
What is the difference between compa-ratio and range penetration?
Compa-ratio compares salary with the midpoint only: salary ÷ midpoint. Range penetration shows where salary sits between the minimum and maximum: (salary − minimum) ÷ (maximum − minimum). Two people with the same compa-ratio can have different penetration if their ranges have different widths, which is why reward teams often report both.
How wide should a salary range be?
It depends on the level of the role and how long people take to become fully proficient. Narrower ranges are common for operational and administrative roles, wider ranges for professional, managerial and executive roles. Broadband structures, which collapse many grades into a few, typically run at 100% or more between minimum and maximum.
Does this salary range calculator include market data?
No. It contains no salary data of any kind. It applies standard formulas to numbers you enter. To set a midpoint you need reliable market data for the role, location and industry, usually from salary surveys. The calculator helps you build and test ranges around that midpoint; it cannot tell you what the midpoint should be.
Is my data stored or shared when I use the calculator?
No. Every calculation runs in your browser using JavaScript on this page. Nothing you enter is sent to our servers, saved or tracked by the tool, and the values are cleared when you leave or reload the page. You can safely test real salary figures, although we still suggest rounding them.