What does it say about me that I was EXCITED by the idea of free PB&J’s? The term “PEANUT BUTTER RAISE” is trending. (???)
A new report from Payscale.com says that if you get a pay bump in 2026, there’s a good chance it’ll be of the “peanut butter” variety. It’s a term that’s been around a long time, but most people don’t know it.
A peanut butter raise is when a company spreads money out EVENLY across the staff, like spreading peanut butter on bread.
Merit-based raises are where top performers get more. The go-to excuse for not doing those as much is, companies don’t want to look like they’re biased, or playing favorites. (Thanks for all the hard work though! Keep it up!)
It doesn’t mean everyone gets the EXACT same raise. The report found performance is still the top reason for getting more money. So if you did a great job last year, you might get more of a CHUNKY peanut butter raise.
Of the companies polled, the average pay bump planned for 2026 was 3.5%. So, basically cost-of-living.
(Payscale)
