To ask for a raise, choose the right time, research your market value, document your measurable contributions, request a dedicated meeting, make a concise evidence-based case, and agree on next steps, whether the answer is yes, maybe, or not yet.

Most professionals avoid the conversation longer than they should. The obstacle is rarely the manager. It is preparation. With the right evidence and process, a salary increase request is a data-backed professional discussion, not an awkward appeal for personal reasons.

How to Ask for a Raise: A Quick Answer

Around two-thirds of employees who negotiate their salary get what they ask for, according to salary negotiation data published in 2025. The gap between who asks and who gets is mostly a preparation gap.

Here is the process in six steps:

1. Choose the right timing. Ask during or after a positive performance review, after a major win, or before the company finalizes its annual compensation budget.
2. Research your market value. Use salary benchmarking tools to find the range for your role, experience level, and location.
3. Build your case with evidence. Document measurable contributions, expanded responsibilities, and specific business results.
4. Request a dedicated meeting. Do not raise the topic in passing. Ask for 20 to 30 minutes specifically to discuss your compensation.
5. Make a specific ask. Name a dollar figure or a percentage range grounded in your research. Vague requests produce vague responses.
6. Agree on next steps. Whether the answer is yes or not yet, leave the conversation with a timeline, a follow-up date, or specific targets to revisit.

Each step is covered in detail below.

When Is the Best Time to Ask for a Raise?

Timing does not guarantee a yes, but poor timing reliably produces a no. The following situations give you the best opening:

• After a major achievement. Your manager’s memory of your impact is freshest right after you deliver results. Use that window.
• Before the annual compensation planning cycle. Most companies finalize salary budgets in Q3 or Q4. A request submitted before that window gives your manager time to advocate for you internally. Once budgets are locked, the room to act narrows significantly.
• During or after a positive performance review. Documented strong performance gives your request an objective foundation.
• When your responsibilities have grown. If your job scope has expanded without a compensation adjustment, you have a concrete case based on role change rather than just time served.

Knowing when your mid-year review falls is useful context. Many companies treat the mid-year check-in as a precursor to year-end compensation decisions. Raising the topic there puts it on your manager’s radar early.

Signs You Should Wait Before Asking

Hold off if any of the following apply:

• You received a raise within the last 6 to 12 months
• The company has announced layoffs, a hiring freeze, or a budget reduction
• Your most recent performance review included concerns about your work
• You have been in the role for fewer than six months

Asking under these conditions puts your manager in a difficult position and weakens your credibility for the next conversation.

How Much Should You Ask For?

Naming the wrong number is one of the most common mistakes in salary negotiation. Too low, and you leave money on the table. Too high without justification, and you lose credibility.

Use these benchmarks as a starting point, then anchor your specific number to data:

• 3 to 5 percent is the standard range for an annual cost-of-living or merit adjustment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 3.5% increase in wages and salaries for civilian workers over the 12 months ending March 2025. Merit-based increases in 2025 averaged around 3.2%, according to the Mercer QuickPulse U.S. Compensation Planning Survey.
• 5 to 10 percent is appropriate when you have taken on significantly expanded responsibilities, or when your performance places you consistently above the middle. The same Mercer data shows that top performers received average merit increases of 5.6% in 2025, compared to 3.3% for mid-range performers.
• 10 percent or more requires a combination of strong market-rate evidence, a role expansion that approaches a promotion, or a documented equity gap between your current pay and the market range.

Always pick a specific number rather than a range. “I’d like to discuss moving to $82,000” starts a more productive conversation than “I was hoping for somewhere in the mid-80s.”

If you are also exploring how to negotiate a job offer at another company, the same percentage logic applies. Market data anchors both conversations equally well.

How to Research Your Market Value Before the Conversation

Salary research shifts your request from a personal opinion to a business argument grounded in facts. Before your compensation discussion, pull data from multiple sources:

• Glassdoor’s Know Your Worth tool compares your current salary against market benchmarks for your role, experience level, and location.
• PayScale and LinkedIn Salary Insights provide compensation data filtered by industry, company size, and region.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics gives publicly available wage medians by occupation.
• Levels.fyi and ZipRecruiter are useful for tech roles and mid-to-senior positions.
• Internal job postings. If your company posts salary ranges because of pay transparency laws, that data is directly relevant. Around 15 states had pay transparency requirements in effect by late 2025, making it easier than ever to access internal compensation data before the conversation.
• Your professional network. Conversations with peers in comparable roles provide real-world context that aggregated salary data alone cannot capture.

After gathering data, choose a specific number at the upper end of the range the data supports. That number becomes your anchor for the compensation discussion.

Build Your Raise Case With Evidence

Market data tells your manager what the role is worth. Your evidence tells them what you specifically are worth. Before the meeting, document the following:

• Specific projects you led or contributed to, with measurable outcomes: revenue gained, costs reduced, time saved, problems resolved
• Responsibilities you have taken on since your last salary review that exceed your original job description
• Skills, certifications, or expertise you have developed that add direct value to the team or business
• Positive feedback, performance scores, or recognition from managers, clients, or cross-functional partners
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) or performance milestones you have consistently met or exceeded

The strongest raise cases translate contributions directly into business terms. “I managed three enterprise accounts” is weaker than “I managed three enterprise accounts that renewed at a combined value of $480,000.” Learning to advocate for yourself at work means framing your value in the language that managers and HR take to budget conversations.

Your raise conversation and your performance review are closely linked. If you have an upcoming review, take the time to prepare for your performance review alongside your raise preparation. The documentation overlaps, and going into both meetings organized strengthens your position in each.

What to Say When Asking for a Raise

Three scripts follow. Adapt each to your specific situation and practice it out loud before the meeting.

Script 1: Standard Annual Raise Request

Use this when you are in a stable role, have a solid performance record, and have not received a raise in the past year.

“I’d like to schedule time to discuss my compensation. Over the past [timeframe], I’ve [specific achievement or contribution]. Based on my market research and the results I’ve delivered, I’d like to discuss adjusting my base salary to [specific number]. I want to make sure my compensation reflects the value I’m bringing to the team.”

Keep the delivery under two minutes. The goal is to open a conversation, not deliver a performance.

Script 2: Expanded Responsibilities

Use this when your job has grown beyond its original scope without a corresponding pay adjustment.

“Since I started in [year or timeframe], my responsibilities have expanded to include [specific new area or task]. I’m now effectively handling [brief description of added scope] in addition to my original role. I’d like to discuss a salary adjustment that reflects that expanded contribution. Based on market data for this level of responsibility, I’m targeting [specific number].”

This script works because it grounds the request in scope change, which is concrete and harder to dismiss than tenure alone.

Script 3: Underpaid Compared to Market

Use this when your research shows a clear gap between your current pay and the market rate for your role.

“I’ve done research on compensation for roles with my experience and scope in this market. Based on data from [source, such as Glassdoor or PayScale], the range for positions like mine is [range]. My current salary sits below that range, and I’d like to discuss a salary adjustment that brings it in line with the market. I want to continue growing here, and I’d like the compensation to reflect that commitment.”

This script requires a credible source. Name it. Vague references to “what I’ve been seeing online” do not carry the same weight as citing a specific platform or dataset.

How to Ask for a Raise in an Email

Use email to request the meeting. Keep the message brief and do not put your full case in writing. The compensation conversation belongs in a real-time discussion, not an inbox.

Meeting request email:

Subject: Request to Discuss My Compensation

Hi [Manager’s name],

I’d like to schedule 20 to 30 minutes to discuss my compensation when you have availability. I’ve put together some thoughts on my contributions over the past [timeframe] and would like to walk through them with you.

Please let me know when that works.

[Your name]

The email serves one purpose: it gets the meeting on the calendar. Save your evidence, data, and specifically ask for the live conversation.

During the Meeting: What to Do

The structure of the conversation matters as much as the content. Follow this sequence:

1. Open with context. State your purpose clearly. “I’d like to discuss adjusting my compensation to reflect my contributions and the current market.”
2. Present your evidence. Walk through two or three specific achievements and tie each to a measurable business outcome.
3. Name your number. State the salary or percentage increase you are requesting. Do not ask your manager to name a figure first. Whoever anchors the number first controls the conversation.
4. Stop talking. After you make the ask, stay quiet. Let your manager respond. Filling the silence often leads to backtracking or softening your own request.
5. Handle objections calmly. If your manager raises budget constraints or timing, ask what would need to change for the conversation to be possible. Agree on a date to revisit.

Strong effective communication skills carry significant weight here. A calm, direct delivery is more persuasive than an emotional one, even when the situation feels charged. Your professional presence in that meeting shapes how your manager hears your request.

Many compensation conversations begin naturally in 1:1 meetings with your manager. If you use your regular 1:1s effectively, raising salary is a much less awkward transition.

What Not to Say When Asking for a Raise

These phrases consistently undermine compensation conversations:

• Personal financial pressure. Saying you need more money because of rent, a car payment, or personal debt shifts the frame to your problems rather than your value. Keep the conversation focused on what you deliver, not what you need.
• Ultimatums. “I’ll need to explore other options if this doesn’t change” only works if you are genuinely ready to leave and your manager knows it. Empty ultimatums damage trust and are hard to walk back.
• Comparisons to named colleagues. Citing a specific coworker’s salary creates interpersonal tension without strengthening your case. Market data is objective. Coworker comparisons are personal.
• Vague language. “I was hoping for something more” gives your manager nothing concrete to take to HR or a budget conversation. A specific number is actionable. A vague impression is not.
• Apologies for asking. Opening with “I’m sorry to bring this up” or “I hope this isn’t awkward” frames your request as an imposition. You are conducting a professional compensation discussion, not confessing something.

What to Do If Your Raise Request Is Denied

A no is not a permanent answer. It is the beginning of the next conversation.

When your manager declines your request, ask two questions before the meeting ends:

Question 1: “What would need to be true for a salary review to become a priority in the next three to six months?”

Question 2: “Can we put a specific date on the calendar now to revisit this?”

These two questions convert a rejection into a conditional roadmap. They move the conversation from closed to conditional, and they put your manager on record with what you need to accomplish. Write down whatever they say and confirm it in a follow-up email.

If budget is the stated reason, ask whether other forms of compensation are worth discussing: a performance bonus tied to specific targets, an accelerated promotion track, a professional development budget, or additional paid time off.

A denial is also a useful signal. If your manager cannot give you clear criteria for a future raise, that tells you something about your trajectory at the company. Use that information to revisit your goal-setting and make sure the targets you are working toward are actually the ones the company is measuring and rewarding.

How to Follow Up After Asking for a Raise

Send a short email after the meeting regardless of the outcome. This creates a written record and keeps the follow-up visible.

Follow-up email template:

Subject: Follow-Up on Our Compensation Conversation

Hi [Manager’s name],

Thank you for taking the time to meet today. To confirm what we discussed: [brief summary of the outcome, agreed timeline, or any specific targets that were set].

I’m looking forward to [next step or revisit date]. Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.

[Your name]

This email does three things: it documents the conversation, signals that you take the discussion seriously, and keeps the agreed timeline on your manager’s radar. Strong written communication in your follow-through often leaves a more lasting impression than the meeting itself.

Make the Ask

Most professionals leave significant money on the table simply by not having the conversation. The data is consistent: employees who prepare a specific, evidence-based case and ask at the right time win compensation reviews far more often than those who wait to be noticed.

Preparation is the lever. Research your market value, build a documented case, use the scripts in this article as a starting point, and follow up in writing no matter how the conversation goes. That process will serve you across every salary review in your career.

Owning your career means making deliberate, informed moves at the right time. A well-prepared raise request is one of the highest-leverage actions available to any professional at any level.

If you want support preparing for your next compensation conversation or building a longer-term career growth strategy, explore PathWise coaching or the full career services available to members.