How to Negotiate a Raise (Salaried Employees, 2026)

Your review is on the calendar. Your manager runs through the year, says you did great, and asks if there's anything else. You say "no, I'm good," and walk out with the same salary for another twelve months.

That moment is where a raise often slips away, because there was no number ready to say. "I'd like to be paid more" is easy for a manager to agree with and do nothing about. A specific number, tied to what your role pays in the market and to results your manager already knows about, gives them something to take to HR and approve.

This guide is about growing your base salary. If you first want to make sure you're collecting everything your current job already pays you, like the full 401(k) match, start with smart strategies for salaried employees, which covers benefits.

Step 1: Find the market range for your role

Before you pick a number, find out what people in your role, at your level, in your area are paid. Use more than one source, since each one has gaps.

• Salary sites. Glassdoor, PayScale, and Salary.com show ranges by title, location, and experience. They're self-reported or modeled, so treat them as a starting point.
• Job postings. Many postings now list a pay range, and some states and cities require it. Search your exact title in your market and write down the ranges you see. This is what employers are offering right now.
• Government data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook lists typical pay by occupation. It's broad, but it's a useful sanity check.
• People. Former coworkers and people in similar roles can tell you what they earn or what offers they've seen. One honest conversation can be worth more than a salary site.

Write down the low end, the middle, and the high end. Then be honest about where your experience and results put you in that range.

Step 2: Turn the range into one number

Walk in with one number, not a range. A range invites your manager to pick the bottom of it.

Pick a number in the upper part of the market range that your results can support. Here's an illustration with made-up numbers: if postings for your role in your city run from $68,000 to $80,000, you earn $70,000, and you've taken on more than your title suggests, asking for $77,000 is a 10% raise that still sits inside the market range. If your manager counters lower, you still have room to land somewhere you'd be happy with.

Decide your walk-away point before the meeting too. Knowing the lowest number you'd accept keeps you from agreeing to something on the spot that you'll regret later.

Step 3: Write down your results

Your manager may not remember everything you did this year, and whoever approves the raise may not know at all. A short list of results does that work for them. Focus on outcomes, and use numbers when you have them:

• Led [project], which cut [process] time by [X%] or [X hours a week].
• Brought in or kept [$X] in revenue, or [X] accounts or clients.
• Took over [responsibility] when [person or role] left, without a change in title or pay.
• Trained [X] new hires or built the process the team now uses for [task].
• Received [award, client feedback, or review rating].

Fill in the brackets with your real numbers. If you don't have exact figures, use what you can verify, like a project you delivered early or a tool the whole team now uses. Keep the list to the three to five strongest items. Bring a copy, and keep a running version all year so you're not rebuilding it from memory next time.

Step 4: Pick your timing

When you ask can matter as much as what you ask.

• Before budgets are set. If raises are decided during annual reviews, ask a month or two before, while the budget is still being planned. Asking at the review itself can be too late.
• After a win. A finished project, a strong quarter, or praise from leadership is a natural opening.
• When the company is doing well. Asking during layoffs or a hiring freeze is harder. It may still be worth it if your pay is far below market, but expect a slower answer.
• When your manager has time. Book a dedicated meeting instead of tacking it onto a busy check-in.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1VX2eclf00XcF7VEx0kbhb?si=90898518c1104048

Step 5: Say it out loud

Keep the ask short. You want your manager to hear the number and the reason, not a speech. A simple structure:

"Over the past year I [result], [result], and took on [responsibility]. Based on what similar roles pay in [city or market], I'm asking to move my salary to $[number]. What would it take to get there by [date]?"

Then stop talking. The pause after the number feels long, and it's where people start negotiating against themselves. Let your manager answer first.

Practice it out loud a few times before the meeting, with a friend or even to your phone camera. Think through the likely pushback, like "the budget is tight" or "let's revisit at your review," and have a calm answer ready. Keep the tone collaborative: you're asking how to get there together, not issuing an ultimatum.

After the meeting, send a short email that thanks your manager, restates the number and the results you discussed, and confirms any next steps or dates. That gives them something to forward and gives you a written record.

If the answer is no, or not yet

A "no" today often means "not now." Ask two questions before you leave the room:

1. What would need to be true for this raise to happen?
2. When can we revisit it?

Get the answer to both in writing, even in a follow-up email. Then work toward exactly what they named and bring it up again on the date you agreed to. If you haven't heard anything after about two weeks on a pending decision, a brief check-in is reasonable.

If base pay truly can't move right now, other things sometimes can: a title change, a one-time bonus, extra paid time off, more remote days, a training budget, or equity if your company offers it. These are worth asking about, but they don't replace salary, since your future raises and retirement contributions are often calculated from base pay.

When to look elsewhere

If you've made a clear case more than once, hit the goals you were given, and the answer keeps being "not yet" with no date, the market may be the better place to get paid what you're worth. Before you decide, check whether the issue is company-wide or one manager, and whether an internal move could fix it.

If you do start looking, use the same market range and results list from Steps 1 and 3. They work just as well in an offer negotiation, and that's the point where you can also compare the full package, including the benefits covered in the salaried employee benefits guide.

Before the raise hits your paycheck

A raise you don't plan for tends to blend into a nicer lifestyle within a few months. Decide what share of the extra goes to investing before the first bigger paycheck arrives, and set it to move automatically. If your 401(k) contribution is a percentage of pay, it grows with the raise on its own, and so does any match tied to it. The retirement calculator shows what investing part of a raise could add up to by retirement.

FAQ

How much of a raise should I ask for?

Base it on the market range for your role, not on a percentage you heard somewhere. Pick a number in the upper part of that range that your results can support. If your pay is already near the top of the range, a promotion or new title may be the more realistic path to more money.

When is the best time to ask for a raise?

A month or two before budgets or annual reviews are set is often better than the review itself. Right after a big win is also a strong opening. Avoid ambushing your manager in a busy week, and book a dedicated meeting.

Should I mention another job offer?

Only if you have a real offer and you'd actually take it. Using an offer as leverage can work, but if your employer says no, you need to be ready to leave. Market data and your results are a safer case for most people.

Should I ask for a raise in person or by email?

Ask in person or on a video call, then follow up by email. A live conversation lets you read the room and answer questions, and the email gives you a written record of the number and the next steps.

What to do next

This week, pull three salary sources for your role and write down the low, middle, and high numbers. Then pick your one number and draft the three results that support it. Once the raise comes through, the Strategist first fix, Save the Raise, shows how to keep the extra from disappearing into everyday spending.

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Education only. Not career, legal, tax, or investment advice. Salary data and pay-transparency rules vary by employer, role, and location, and the dollar figures above are illustrations, not market data. Reviewed as of October 2026.