How to ask for a raise: timing, evidence and what to say

Asking for a raise goes best when you show up with three things: the right timing, a market number you can point to, and a short list of results your manager can repeat to their own boss. This guide walks you through all three, plus scripts for the meeting, what to do after a "no," and your legal right to compare pay with coworkers.

For context on what "normal" pay growth looks like right now, the most recent official measure is the BLS Employment Cost Index: wages and salaries for civilian workers rose 3.2 percent in the 12 months ending June 2026, according to the BLS news release.

Quick reference: the numbers behind your ask

Two notes before you use these. First, the Employment Cost Index (ECI) is not an "average raise." It tracks what employers pay for a fixed mix of jobs over time, so it shows how fast pay is moving across the economy, not what any one person got. Second, BLS scheduled the next ECI release, covering the period through September 2026, for October 30, 2026. Check the ECI home page for the newest number before your meeting.

You will see plenty of "average raise" survey figures from consultancies and payroll firms. We leave those out here because they are not official statistics, and their samples vary a lot. If your manager quotes one, ask what it covers.

When to ask: review cycles and budget timing

The best time to ask is before the money is spoken for, not after.

At many employers, raise budgets are set weeks or months before review conversations happen. By the time you sit down for your annual review, your manager may already have a fixed pool to split across the team. Asking at that point is not useless, but you are competing for leftovers.

Here is how to work backward from your company's calendar:

• Find out when the fiscal year starts. Budgets are usually built in the months before it. Your manager, HR, or a public company's annual report will tell you.
• Ask your manager how raises are decided. A neutral question works: "Can you walk me through how compensation decisions get made here, and when?" You learn the timeline and signal interest without making the ask yet.
• Plant the seed one to two cycles early. Mention in a one-on-one that you want to talk about your pay in the next cycle and ask what your manager would need to see.
• Make the formal ask before budgets lock, then confirm it in the review itself.

Some moments are stronger than others:

• Right after you have finished a big project, closed a deal, or taken on new duties that are now clearly part of your job.
• When your role has grown into the next level's work for several months.
• When you have a documented gap between your pay and the market (more on that below).

Some moments are weaker: the week of a layoff announcement, during a hiring freeze, or when your manager is new and has not seen your work yet. That does not mean never. It means you may be setting up a later decision rather than getting a yes today.

If you work for a government employer or under a union contract, pay usually follows a published schedule or negotiated agreement. Your route to more money is often a step increase, reclassification or promotion, so ask HR or your union rep how those work for your job.

Building your case: market data and results

A strong case has two halves. Market data answers "what is this job worth?" Your results answer "why you, why now?" Most people bring only one.

The market half

Start with the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. It publishes pay for hundreds of occupations nationally, by state, by metro area and by industry. The newest tables on the OEWS data tables page are for May 2025.

You will see a few terms:

• Median: the middle of the pay line. Half of workers earn more, half earn less. It is usually a better "typical" number than the average, which a few very high earners can pull up.
• Percentiles: the 10th percentile is the pay that only 10 percent of workers fall below; the 90th is the level only 10 percent exceed. The gap between them shows how wide the range is.
• Mean: the plain average.

Look up your occupation at the level that best matches your job: your metro area if you are local, your industry if pay in your field varies a lot by sector. Write down the median and the percentiles.

Then layer in what you can find closer to home:

• Job postings for similar roles in your area. A growing number of states and cities require pay ranges in postings, so these are more useful than they used to be.
• Your employer's own pay bands, if it publishes them or will share them.
• Offers you have seen or heard about from peers in the same role.

The results half

Your manager has to justify your raise to someone else. Give them the sentences to do it.

Build a one-page list with:

• Outcomes with numbers: revenue brought in, costs cut, hours saved, tickets closed, error rates reduced. Use the measures your team already tracks.
• Scope growth: new responsibilities, people you now train or supervise, systems you own.
• Recognition: client praise, awards, being asked to cover for someone senior.
• What comes next: one or two things you plan to deliver in the coming year.

Keep a running file all year. Trying to remember twelve months of wins the night before a review is how good work gets left out.

Checking whether you are below market

Here is how to run the check using a real occupation as the example.

Example: You work as an accountant at an insurance company. BLS reports in the Occupational Outlook Handbook that accountants and auditors had a median annual wage of $83,680 in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned under $56,020 and the top 10 percent earned over $144,090. That is a wide range, which is normal for a big occupation that covers entry-level staff and senior specialists.

Industry matters too. The same page shows a May 2025 median of $93,290 for accountants and auditors in finance and insurance, compared with $81,490 in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services. So an accountant at an insurer should benchmark against the finance and insurance number, not the overall one.

Now place yourself:

1. Pick the right comparison. Use the industry or metro figure that fits your job most closely.
2. Adjust for experience. If you have several years in and work at a full professional level, a fair target is often at or above the median. If you are early in your career, below the median may be normal.
3. Account for total pay. If your employer pays a regular bonus or strong benefits, include that before you decide you are underpaid.
4. Check the date. OEWS figures are a snapshot of May 2025. Pay has moved since then. The ECI shows wages for civilian workers rose 3.2 percent in the year to June 2026, so a number from the OEWS table is likely a little behind today's market.

A word of honesty: national medians are blunt. If your job title spans very different kinds of work, treat the data as a starting point and back it up with local postings.

Scripts for the meeting

Use these as templates. Swap in your own facts, numbers and voice. Fill the brackets before the meeting and practice saying them out loud once.

Opening the conversation

"Thanks for making time. I'd like to talk about my compensation. Over the past [period] I've [two biggest results], and I've taken on [new responsibility]. I've also looked at market data for my role, and I'd like to discuss bringing my pay to [target]."

Presenting the market number

"BLS data for [occupation] in [industry or metro] shows a median of [figure] as of [period]. Recent job postings for similar roles in [area] are listing [range]. My current salary is [your pay]. Given the scope of what I'm doing now, I think [target] is fair."

When you are clearly doing the next-level job

"For the last [months], I've been doing [specific tasks] that are part of the [next title] role. I'd like to talk about moving into that level and the pay that goes with it. What would you need to see to make that case?"

Naming a number

Give a specific number, not "a bit more." A precise figure tied to data sounds researched. If you want room, name a short range where the low end is a number you would be happy with.

Keeping it calm if you get pushback

"I understand. Can you help me see what's driving that? I want to make sure we're looking at the same information."

Then stop talking and listen. Silence feels long, but it often gets you more information than another argument would.

A few things to avoid: comparing yourself to a named coworker's work quality, leading with personal costs like rent, and bluffing about outside offers you do not have. Personal finances are real, but they do not help your manager justify the raise.

Responding to "not now" or "no budget"

A "no" in the meeting is often a "not yet." Your goal is to turn it into a plan with a date.

If the answer is "no budget this cycle"

"I understand the budget is set. Can we agree on what I need to show and put a date on revisiting this, say in [month]? And could you put my name forward for the next cycle now?"

If the answer is "you're not ready"

"That's helpful to know. What specifically would make the difference? I'd like to write down two or three goals and check in on them in [timeframe]."

If money is truly fixed

Ask about things that cost the company less right now but still have value:

• A title change or promotion timeline in writing.
• A one-time bonus or spot award.
• Training, certification costs, or conference funding.
• More flexible schedule or remote days.
• An off-cycle review in a set number of months.

If the answer stays no

If you get the same answer after you have hit the goals you agreed on, that is information too. It may mean the role or employer has a pay ceiling. Looking at outside offers is a normal response. If you get one, only use it in a raise conversation if you would actually take it.

Your right to discuss pay with coworkers

Knowing what colleagues make is one of the fastest ways to learn whether you are underpaid. For most private-sector workers, federal law protects those conversations.

According to the NLRB, employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) can discuss wages with coworkers in person, by phone and in writing, whether or not they have a union. The NLRB says:

• Rules that ban pay discussions, or that require you to get permission first, are unlawful.
• Your employer cannot punish you, threaten you, question you about the conversation, or watch you to catch such conversations.
• You can talk about pay on breaks, outside work, and during work if other non-work chat is allowed.
• Presenting a joint request about pay to your employer is a protected form of discussion.
• You also have the right not to talk about your pay.

One caution from the same page: your employer may have rules about using company equipment, such as work email or chat, for non-work purposes, though the NLRB notes some of those rules could themselves be unlawful.

Who is not covered

The NLRA does not cover everyone. The NLRB's employee rights page lists people the Act excludes, including:

• Supervisors (with a narrow exception for supervisors punished for refusing to break the law)
• Federal, state and local government employees
• Agricultural laborers
• Domestic workers employed in a home
• Independent contractors
• People employed by a parent or spouse
• Workers at railroads, airlines and other employers covered by the Railway Labor Act

If you are in one of these groups, you may still have protection under state law, a union contract or civil service rules. Check with your state labor department or union.

State laws can add more

Some states go further. In California, for example, the Labor Commissioner's Equal Pay Act FAQ says employees can ask their employer for the pay scale for their own position, and employers must provide it. The same FAQ says employees can ask how much others are paid, but no law forces the employer to answer. It also bars employers from stopping workers from discussing their own or others' wages. Other states have their own rules, so check your state labor department's site.

If you think your employer is interfering with your right to discuss wages, the NLRB says you can contact your regional office or file an unfair labor practice charge online. For anything involving retaliation or pay discrimination, talking to the agency, your union or an employment lawyer is a sensible step.

Follow-up in writing

Send a short email the same day or the next. It turns a conversation into a record, and it gives your manager something to forward to HR.

"Thanks for the conversation today about my compensation. To recap: I asked for [target], based on [one-line summary of results and market data]. You mentioned [their response]. We agreed to [next step] by [date]. I'll check in on [date]. Please let me know if I've missed anything."

If the answer was a "not yet" with goals attached, list the goals in the email. If you got a yes, ask when it takes effect and whether you will get it in writing.

Then put the check-in date on your calendar. Follow-through is where most raise requests quietly die.

What to do next

• Look up your occupation in the latest OEWS tables for your metro and industry, and note the median and percentiles.
• Ask your manager this week how and when pay decisions are made.
• Start a running file of results with numbers.
• Pick the script that fits, fill the brackets, and say it out loud once before the meeting.
• After the meeting, send the recap email and set your follow-up date.

For more ways to prepare for pay conversations, browse our negotiation guides, and track official wage data over time on our pay trends page.