Real tabs and pages from the toolkit files. Example people and figures are illustrative.
Compensation Toolkit
Build a defensible pay structure and run a merit cycle against a budget, with the two tools large companies use to do both: set one market anchor and the Salary Band Builder builds your grades and places your people, then the Merit Increase Matrix turns performance and range position into a recommended raise and holds the plan to the budget you have.
One-time purchase, no subscription. Instant download.
Built by expert HR practitioners and leaders
- The Salary Band Builder (Excel, 6 tabs): set your Grade 1 midpoint from a market source, pick a progression and a spread, and the grades build with a minimum, midpoint, and maximum, with placement, summary, and benchmark tabs behind the structure
- The Merit Increase Matrix (Excel, 7 tabs): set increase percentages by performance and range position with your cut points, enter your people, and each raise computes with the blended increase footed for you
- A Budget Scenario that holds the line: the plan priced against the merit budget you have, with the headroom and the scale factor that brings an over-budget plan back inside it
- A PDF guide with each tool: what it is, how to use it, the color key, and the limits, the piece the standalone calculators do not include
- A single Start Here: the order to work in, so the structure you build feeds the raises you plan
The toolkit structures the bands and the plan. It does not include market salary data, and it does not decide whether your pay is equitable or lawful; bring the survey data, run a pay-equity review, and confirm against applicable law before you finalize.
Two Excel workbooks with PDF guides and general business information, not legal or tax advice. The tools do not include market salary data, pay decisions carry legal and equity weight, and pay rules vary by location and change over time, so bring your own survey data, run a pay-equity review, and confirm figures against current data and applicable law before you finalize anything.
Last reviewed June 2026
Two tools, each with a guide, that cover the bands and the merit budget
A Start Here sets the order, and each tool pairs an Excel workbook with a PDF guide and opens on a worked example. Build the structure first, then spend the budget against it.
Start Here
A one-page map for the toolkit: confirm your market anchor, build the bands, place your people, then size the raises against the budget, with the order stated so the structure you build feeds the plan you price.
Salary Band Builder Guide
What the tool is, how to use it in three steps, the amber-and-white color key, and the limits, with the scope box and the review date on page one, so anyone you hand the workbook to can run it.
Salary Band Builder (6 tabs)
Set the Grade 1 midpoint, the progression, and the spread, and the grades build with a minimum, midpoint, and maximum; the Employee Placement tab returns each compa-ratio, range penetration, and status, a Summary rolls it up, and a Benchmark shows the settings other employers use. Works in Excel or Google Sheets and opens on a worked example.
Merit Increase Matrix Guide
The same treatment for the merit tool: what it is, the three steps to a priced plan, the color key, and the limits, dated and ready to hand to whoever runs the cycle.
Merit Increase Matrix (7 tabs)
Set your increase percentages and cut points on the matrix, enter your people on the planning tab, and each raise computes with the blended increase; the Budget Scenario holds the plan to your target with the headroom and the scale factor. Works in Excel or Google Sheets and opens on a worked example.
The order to work in
Build the structure first, place your people, then size the raises against the budget. Three steps, two workbooks, one system.
Build the bands
In the Salary Band Builder, set your Grade 1 midpoint from a salary survey, then choose a midpoint progression and a range spread, and the grades and ranges build for you, with the overlap computed between each grade.
Place your people
Enter each person's grade and salary on the Employee Placement tab to see their compa-ratio, range penetration, and whether they sit below, within, or above their range, then read the Summary for the one-page view.
Size the raises
Open the Merit Increase Matrix, set your increase percentages and cut points, enter your people, and use the Budget Scenario tab to hold the plan to the merit budget you have.
Built on standard formulas and honest about its limits
Compa-ratio, range penetration, midpoint progression, and a merit matrix are the formulas large employers run; the toolkit builds them in open workbooks you can read. It gives you a grounded structure and a budgeted plan. It does not supply the market data, and it does not decide whether your pay is equitable or lawful.
Who it is built for
Who the toolkit fits, and where to go if your need is something else.
Built for
- An HR or total-rewards owner setting up a first real pay structure, who wants grades and ranges grounded in a market anchor rather than guesswork.
- A manager or finance partner running the annual merit cycle, who needs each raise and the budget roll-up in one place.
- A founder formalizing pay as the company grows beyond ad-hoc offers.
If you’re looking for
- Only one of the two tools. The Salary Band Builder and the Merit Increase Matrix are each sold on their own; buy the toolkit when you want both, with the guides.
- A read on pay equity and internal fairness across the company. The Pay Structure and Internal Equity Review is built for that, and it pairs with the structure this toolkit builds.
Before you buy
What format is it and can I edit it?
Is this legal advice?
Does it include salary market data?
How is this different from buying the two tools separately?
What is the refund policy?
What happens after I buy?
Can I expense this purchase to my business?
Most customers buy TrueStep HR tools for business use, and a tool you use for work often qualifies as a deductible business expense. Whether it does for you depends on your situation, so confirm with your accountant or tax professional. Your receipt arrives by email at checkout and works as documentation.
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Build the structure once, then run every cycle against it
Set one market anchor, let the grades build, place your people, and size every raise from the matrix with the budget held, in two workbooks you keep, each with its guide.
Compensation workbooks and guides, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed June 2026.