Question

An employee’s new salary is $16,275 after getting a 5% raise. What was the salary before the increase in pay?

Answer 1

$15,500

Explanation:

Let s represent the initial salary. That salary, plus a 5% raise, comes out to 1.05s = $16,275.

Solve for s by dividing both sides by 1.05:

s = $16,275 / 1.05 = $15,500.

The original salary was $15,500.