A $20,000 Raise Should Have Been Life-Changing. Instead, His Paycheck Only Grew By $100, And He's Sharing A Warning

Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 9:46 AM 3 min read

When a Reddit user landed a new job with a $20,000 salary bump, he thought he had made a great decision. The role came with more responsibilities, but also what seemed like a healthy pay raise.

What he didn't expect was for that big raise to result in just a $100 increase per paycheck.

“This is more of a warning than anything else,” the original poster wrote recently. He had looked over the benefits summary before accepting the offer, but didn't realize his new employer charged a significant spousal fee—and they applied it to each benefit plan: medical, dental and vision. “Turns out, they charge a spousal fee for each program, which is significant. My previous employer did not charge this.”

Don't Miss:

• Your Last Chance to Invest in Pacaso Before Their Global Expansion — Offer Ends Sept 18

• Kevin O'Leary Loves ‘Wonderful Recurring Cash Flows' — These Small Industrial Assets Deliver Just That

He also accepted a verbal confirmation that the company contributed to a health savings account. They didn't. “So this will probably be a net loss in the long run when healthcare costs come up,” he added.

Others jumped in to share similar stories and advice. One noted, “Yep, that’s a good reminder, always compare total compensation not salary.”

One person broke it down further: “Spousal fee usually only applies if you answer yes to the ‘spouse is eligible for benefits with their own employer’ question during enrollment.” In this case, the fee was charged by default and added up to over $100 per check. Premiums alone were higher than expected, totaling about $269 more per check.

Trending: ‘Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.30/share.

Others explained that spousal surcharges are increasingly common, with some employers only covering the employee and making dependents fully out-of-pocket. “My company charges medical premiums based on salary bands,” said one commenter, “I got a small pay raise which bumped me into a higher band, causing my premiums to go up more than my raise and I ended up with a smaller check.”

Many were quick to point out that the tax burden wasn't likely the culprit. “There is no additional tax burden,” wrote one person. “We have a progressive/marginal tax bracket system.”

The key takeaway? Don't look at salary in isolation. As one person put it: “Total comp includes non-cash benefits as well. Do they offer [dependent care flexible spending accounts], commuter plans, more [paid time off], etc.? Get all the information.”