Thelander PC Digest: December 2025

Diving into Salary Increases

Welcome back to the Thelander Compensation Digest. As we wrap up 2025, here is a sneak peak at the results from our Year-End Merit Increase, Option Pool & Bonus Survey. the data reveals some shifts in who’s getting raises – and exactly how much – as well as what companies are planning for hiring in 2026. Most notable, the percentage of companies giving raises increased with companies who have raised more capital, especially among C-Suite and VP-Level roles. Find out more below!

If you participated in the survey, you can download your complimentary participant report on the Thelander platform here. 

Who Got Raises for 2026? 

The percentage of those who received a salary increase for 2026 climbed significantly across leadership roles compared to “for 2025,” but not uniformly. Here’s where the action is:

COOs: 50% → 71% (+21 percentage points)

CFOs: 50% → 68% (+18 percentage points)

CTOs: 59% → 72% (+16 percentage points)

Meanwhile, staff-level employees saw a slight decline: 87% to 84% – down 3 percentage points. 

How Much is the Raise?

The percentage of who is getting a raise tells us half the story. The actual salary increase completes the picture. 

The median salary increase percentage has remained relatively flat at ~4% since December 2023. Most roles are anchored around the same benchmark. 

What About the 75th Percentile? 

Directors and Staff-Level Employees saw a salary increase at the 75th percentile. 

Directors went from 4.6% in December 2024 to 5.00% in December 2025

Staff-Level Employees increased by 0.8% to 4.2% to 5.00%

Financing Changes Everything

Thelander recommends customizing private company compensation data by the total amount of financing to get a precise mix of cash and equity. So, we looked at the percent of who received a salary increase by:

Less than $15 Million 

$15 Million – $89.9 Million

$90 Million+

Did it make a difference? YES! The percentage of companies giving raises increases as a company raises more financing, especially among C-Suite and VP-Level roles. Better funded companies have more capital to put towards compensating employees. 

What’s Coming For 2026? 

We asked survey participants if they plan to hire in 2026. The answer? The same financing-stage pattern holds. Companies with more capital are planning to hire more key employees. Well funded companies are more likely to give raises and hire more aggressively. Early stage companies are moving a little more slowly with new hires and are more strategic about compensation – ensuring they get the mix of cash and equity right in the beginning to avoid issues later on.

What’s the bottom line?

Whether your company is focused on retaining existing employees or hiring new talent in 2026, the salary increase percentages need to be looked at holistically starting with the base salary. Taking into consideration the total amount of financing raised to date and/or revenue – directly impacts the budget for compensating your team.

You can’t get data like this from a payroll plugin. That’s what sets Thelander apart. The full report includes data on option pool by total financing and revenue, salary increase factors, retention rates, attrition rates, key hires for 2026 and more. Schedule a complimentary demo to learn more. 

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