How to ask for a raise

The preparation matters more than the conversation. Here is what to gather, when to start, and what to actually say.

Updated September 2, 2026

Most raise conversations are lost before they happen — not because the argument was weak, but because it arrived after the budget was already allocated. Timing and evidence do most of the work. The meeting itself is short.

Start with the calendar, not the argument

Companies decide increase budgets weeks or months before employees hear about them. By the time you sit down for a review, your manager is usually distributing a number they were given, not deciding one. That makes the useful moment six to eight weeks earlier, when your manager is building recommendations and still has room to argue for you.

If you do not know when that happens, ask. "When are compensation decisions for next year made?" is an ordinary question with a useful answer, and asking it signals that you intend to be part of the conversation.

Gather three numbers

The market rate for your role. Job postings with salary ranges in your city, industry salary surveys, and recruiters are the practical sources. You want a range, not a single figure, and you want it for your actual scope rather than your title.
The budget. US employers set 2026 increase budgets at around 3.5%, with merit components nearer 3.3%. Knowing this stops you asking for something that is impossible, and stops you accepting something that is below standard.
Your own delta. What you do now that you did not do a year ago — new responsibilities, larger scope, work someone else used to own, outcomes with numbers attached.

The third is the one people skip, and it is the one that actually decides the outcome. A manager advocating for you has to say something specific to a compensation partner. Give them the sentence.

Pick a number and be able to justify it

Vague asks get vague answers. Decide on a figure before the meeting and be ready to explain how you arrived at it. For a strong performer staying in the same role, 5–10% is a reasonable range to anchor on; for a market correction where you have evidence of a real gap, more. If you are moving into a bigger job, benchmark against the market rate for the new role rather than as a percentage of your old salary — that is the single most common way people end up underpaid after a promotion.

Work out what the number means in your paycheck before you ask, so you are not doing arithmetic in the room. The pay raise calculator gives the per-paycheck and after-tax figures, and the raise after taxes calculator shows what actually reaches your account.

What to say

Keep it to three sentences and then stop talking:

What has changed: "Over the past year I have taken on the migration project and the vendor relationship, which were previously split across two roles."
What the market says: "Comparable roles in this market are advertising between $X and $Y."
What you are asking for: "I would like to move my base to $N."

Then let the silence sit. The instinct to fill it by softening the ask — "but I understand if that's not possible" — undoes the preceding three sentences. Your manager needs a moment to think, and a moment of quiet is not a rejection.

Handling the answer

If it is yes, get the effective date and the mechanism in writing, and check whether anything calculated as a percentage of salary — bonus target, retirement contribution — moves with it.

If it is not now, convert it into something concrete before the meeting ends. Ask what specifically would justify the increase and when it will be revisited. A defined target and a date is a real outcome; "let's keep talking" is not. Put whatever you agree in a short follow-up email the same day, in neutral terms — it protects both of you from remembering the conversation differently in six months.

If it is a flat no with nothing behind it, that is worth taking seriously. Combined with a market rate well above your salary, it usually means the gap will only close by moving. See average raise percentage in 2026 for the benchmark data, and salary increase over time for what a few years at below-market increases actually costs.

Asking for a raise FAQ

How much of a raise should I ask for?

Five to ten percent if you are staying in the same role, and more if you are asking for a market correction or taking on a bigger job. Anchor the number to evidence: the market rate for your role, the 3.5% budget most employers set for 2026, or the specific scope you have added.

When is the best time to ask for a raise?

Six to eight weeks before your company sets its increase budget, not during the review conversation itself. By review time the numbers are usually fixed. If you do not know the cycle, ask your manager when compensation decisions are made — that question alone is useful.

What should I say when asking for a raise?

Three things, briefly: what has changed about your contribution, what the market pays for that, and a specific number. "My scope has grown to include X and Y, comparable roles pay $Z, and I would like to move to $N" is a complete case in three sentences.

Should I mention inflation when asking for a raise?

As supporting context, not as the argument. Inflation explains why your pay should not fall in real terms — currently 3.4% — but it applies to everyone equally and gives your manager nothing to advocate with. Lead with value and market rate; use inflation to set the floor.

What if they say no?

Ask two questions before the meeting ends: what specifically would justify the increase, and when will it be reviewed again. A "no" with a defined path is workable. A "no" with no answer to either question is information about whether the money exists at all.

Should I mention a competing offer?

Only if you would genuinely accept it. Counter-offers work, but they change how you are seen, and a bluff that gets called leaves you with nothing. If you do have an offer, present it as a decision you are trying to make rather than a threat you are making.

Calculators

Estimates are for planning only. This is not tax, legal or financial advice.