It makes sense to ask for a raise when you’ve done a good job at work.
Perhaps you just completed a major project, surpassed your quota or acquired valuable skills. All these scenarios may qualify you for a higher salary than what was established at the beginning of your tenure.
How to Ask For a Raise
- Understand why you are asking for a raise.
- Rehearse what you want to say.
- Gather salary data for your position.
- Bring it up to your manager before the company review cycle.
- Share a list of your accomplishments and impact.
- Ask about possible promotions.
Even if company leaders are hesitant to discuss raises, they’ll want to keep you around if you’ve grown professionally. “Companies tend to know when they are underpaying and when it’s time for a raise, but will rarely make the first move outside of any normal promotion cycle,” Nick Drewe, CEO of e-commerce savings platform Wethrift, told Built In. “If a company values you and wants to keep you, they’ll do what’s right and make it happen.”
Here are some concrete steps on how — and when — to ask for a raise, including scripts to follow for the discussion plus how you can use AI tools to practice conversations and conduct research for your raise request.
How to Ask for a Raise
Asking for a raise can be intimidating, but remembering the following expert-recommended tips might make articulating your salary needs a bit easier.
1. Pick the Right Time to Ask
Why: The timing of asking for a raise can influence not only how much your raise should be, but if you should receive one at all.
How:
- Know when performance reviews are: Managers may expect employees to discuss salary changes during quarterly, annual or end-of-year reviews, making it a suitable time to ask about a raise.
- Know when your company’s fiscal year ends: The end of the fiscal year might be a good time to ask for a raise, as this is when companies often make compensation and hiring decisions for the year ahead.
- Know your manager’s schedule: If your manager is in the middle of a stressful project or preparing for a big event, you may not want to bring up your compensation.
- Know your company’s financial health: If the company has undergone budget cuts or layoffs, it’s likely not an appropriate time to ask for a raise.
2. Ask for a Meeting to Review Your Salary
Why: “Your boss should know your agenda upfront so nobody’s time is wasted and they’ll prepare for the meeting too,” Drewe said.
How: When approaching your boss about a raise, it helps to be as direct as possible about what you want, and be as communicative as possible ahead of time.
What to say:
- “Would it be okay if we spent some time during my performance review to discuss my current salary?”
- “Would you be available to schedule a meeting to discuss my current compensation?”
- “I would like to discuss my current compensation, is there a specific time that would work best with you to do so?” or “I would like to discuss my current compensation, please let me know if there is a time that works best for you to do so.”
3. Research Salary Data to Provide at Your Review
Why: “Employees should understand what the market is paying for their job,” Robin Ducot, chief technology officer at SurveyMonkey, told Built In. “What are their peers making in similar roles at other companies? It’s important to come to the conversation equipped with this information.”
In addition to having industry salary information, it is also important to have pay scale information from your own company if you can access it.
How: Gather credible industry salary data for your particular role and geography, Dana McCormick, chief human resources officer at cybersecurity company Simeio, told Built In. Salary data that requires a subscription is often the most credible, she added.
Another way to gather salary information for your particular company is to inquire at your company whether pay scale range data is available and to also have conversations with coworkers to see if they are willing to share such information.
4. Consider the Benefits You Want
Why: Your salary payout is the most vital piece of your compensation, but it’s important to remember that it isn’t the whole picture on how to ask for a raise. Most companies offer a variety of benefits as a part of their full compensation packages, including perks like stocks, parental leave and education stipends. Making sure you’re being appropriately compensated is more than just finding the right dollar amount — it’s also about receiving proper support for your individual lifestyle.
How: Within the benefits your company offers, perhaps you want to ask for additional vacation time, payment of an MBA program, or a larger slug of stock option grants. And, your company may be open to hearing requests for additional benefits they don’t offer.
5. Develop a List of Accomplishments and Company Impact
Why: Ultimately, the strongest information you can bring to your salary review is about your own performance. Ducot suggests employees be prepared to communicate what they think is the unique value they bring to the company.
How: Employees should understand what they’ve accomplished in the past year. They should come to this conversation ready to discuss their contributions to the company, their team, and how those contributions support the employee’s request for a raise, she said. Employees should make sure they’ve reviewed their performance and they are performing above expectations.
6. Rehearse the Points You’ll Raise in Your Salary Review
Why: It’s common for people to feel some anxiety when discussing compensation, but there’s really no need to be, whether in-person or remote, Ducot said. To help reduce the anxiety and ensure you hit all the points you want to make, practice rehearsing what you will say in your salary review.
How: You will likely be sitting across the desk from your manager for an in-person salary review meeting or talking to them via video conferencing. How to ask for a raise in either situation requires rehearsing your salary request, accomplishments and impact on the company while sitting in front of the bathroom mirror or recording yourself on video. You want to come across as clear and direct, without being defensive, Ducot advised.
What to say:
- “Thank you for taking the time to me meet with me. In my current position, I've been excited to take on more responsibilities in my role and keep contributing toward company goals. As a result, I wanted to discuss my salary with you.”
- “I appreciate you meeting with me today. I'm excited to share some of my recent accomplishments here at [company], and would like to discuss my salary in relation to those accomplishments. Would that be okay to talk about with you?”
7. Use Accomplishments as a Basis for a Raise
Why: “Don’t expect a raise just because time has passed,” Ducot said. “Don’t expect a raise without having contributed anything worthwhile.”
Oftentimes people get pigeonholed into staying at a company for too long because their pay goes stagnant, getting arbitrary raises only after a certain amount of time,” Drewe said. “I think by keeping abreast of your role, the role above you, what the going rate is, throughout the course of your career, you can best assess the time to ask for the raise because you’ll have the data to back it up — provided your performance has also been stellar to warrant the raise.”
How: While you can mention how long you have worked for the company, note that in the past year you have helped the company’s goals, mission, products, services, financial performance or its relationship with customers and employees by taking X steps. If you have data on the impact of these steps, that should also be cited.
What to say:
- “Over this quarter, I have led an optimization initiative that has increased month-over-month web traffic by 30 percent.”
- “Since the beginning of this year, I have exceeded my sales quota, and in the last month specifically have achieved 110 percent to my quota goal.”
8. State the Specific Figure or Percentage Increase That You Want for Your Raise
Why: I think an employee should come to the table with a percentage or dollar amount because that will help further the conversation between the manager or HR professional so they can discuss how they arrived at that particular number, McCormick said, adding HR professionals have tools to research that figure or percentage to see if that amount is appropriate or not.
How: A number of websites exist with free salary tools, such as Built In and Robert Half Technology.
What to say:
- “Considering my accomplishments in XYZ, I wanted to inquire about a 4 percent raise in my salary for this yearly cycle.”
- “With my XYZ accomplishments in mind and considering the market rate for roles with similar responsibilities, I wanted to propose a $2,000 pay increase to my current annual salary.”
9. Inquire About Possible Promotions
Why: An employee’s next career boost or promotion usually comes with a salary increase. The goal of a good manager is to pre-emptively walk with the employee on what their next career phase or development will be, which in turn will have an impact on their salary scale, according to Philippe Clavel, Roblox senior director of engineering.
How: “What’s interesting is that most employees who do take the initiative to ask about compensation are more interested in promotions,” Ducot said. “They want to know how to get promoted to the next level, not necessarily how to get a raise.”
What to say:
- “With a potential salary increase, would this include taking on additional responsibilities or taking on a potential job title change?”
- “With a change in my job title and advancement in my career at [company], would this coincide with an increase in my annual salary?”
10. Negotiate if They Say ‘No’
Why: “To get a ‘yes,’ expect a ‘no,’” Michael Wheeler, a senior fellow at Harvard Law School and former professor at Harvard Business School, told Built In. “Anticipate why they may be reluctant to give you a raise now and, therefore, generate good reasons why a raise would be appropriate.”
For example, your manager may cite concerns they would have to give a raise above the pay scale to other employees if they gave you that type of raise. Wheeler offers this advice if you face this situation and are doing more work than your colleagues:
How: “If everybody is doing X and Y and you are doing X, Y and Z, you can legitimately explain to your manager that you’re not the same as other employees,” Wheeler said. “You can say if they also learn to do Z, that would be good for them and good for the company because there would be more people who are multifaceted.”
Managers may acknowledge you are doing a great job but say your request falls outside of the normal period for issuing raises when you go about your efforts on how to ask for a raise. Don’t be deterred. Instead, set an agreement for when your raise will be considered.
“Employees should assume that a ‘no’ is really a ‘not right now,’ “ Ducot said. “With that in mind, the real question is: What do I need to do to make sure that I am eligible for a fair raise during the next review cycle?”
For example, ask if there are particular ways you might expand your scope to set yourself up for a future raise, or how you might continue to improve your impact.
What to say:
- “Are there any potential steps I can take or goals I can meet to be considered for a raise in the future?”
- “If I accomplish ABC, would it be alright to revisit this conversation in a future cycle?”
Example Scripts of How to Ask for a Raise
Here are a few scripts to follow for how to ask a manager for a raise, including a formal approach and a casual approach to the discussion.
Example Script 1
Hi [manager name],
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. I wanted to discuss my current compensation based on the responsibilities I have taken on and the results I have delivered over the past year.
Since my last performance review, I have consistently met or exceeded my goals, including leading the Q2 product launch that increased user engagement by 50 percent, and streamlining the new client onboarding process, which reduced average product setup time by 20 percent.
Given these contributions and market benchmarks for my role, I wanted to inquire about a salary adjustment. I would appreciate your consideration for a raise to reflect my accomplishments and the value I bring to the team.
I would be happy to provide more details or discuss how I can continue contributing at a higher level moving forward.
Example Script 2
Hey [manager name],
I wanted to talk about something that’s been on my mind. I’ve really enjoyed taking on more responsibility lately, like onboarding and managing new employees on the product team, and I feel like I’ve been making a strong impact.
I’ve also looked into what others in similar roles are earning, and I think it might be time to revisit my salary. I’d love to talk about the possibility of a raise and how we can align my compensation with the work I’m doing at [company].
Does that sound okay and like something we could discuss more in-depth soon?
How to Use AI to Ask for a Raise
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just transforming the workplace — it can also help you advocate for yourself more effectively within it. When it comes to asking for a raise, AI tools can act as low-pressure practice partners, strategic sounding boards and personalized career coaches. Here’s how:
Role-Play the Raise Conversation With AI
Use generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or others to simulate the raise discussion. This can involve the following:
- Practice scripts and phrasing: Prompt AI with your conversation draft and ask for feedback. Depending on the tool you’re using, you can even use voice mode to rehearse the conversation out loud.
- Ask AI to role-play as your manager: Ask AI to play the part of your manager and to push back with common objections so you can rehearse responses.
- Gauge tone and clarity: Ensure your message is confident and professional without being confrontational.
As an example for practicing asking for a raise with AI, try a prompt like:
“Play the role of my manager. I’m going to ask for a raise based on my recent performance and added responsibilities. Push back if needed.”
Refine Your Raise Case With AI
AI tools can also be used to help fine-tune your raise conversation in mind and conduct salary research to ensure you have a solid discussion. Here’s what to ask AI to do to refine your raise case:
- Summarize your achievements: Feed AI your accomplishments, and ask it to synthesize them into a persuasive pitch with quantifiable results.
- Benchmark salaries: While the AI tool itself may not have access to live salary data, it can guide you on where and how to gather that info — like referencing Built In’s salary tool or industry reports.
- Create follow-up emails: Ask AI to help you draft a professional email recap after the conversation, including next steps or documentation.
Rehearse and Revise Your Raise Conversation With AI
Since AI doesn’t get tired or judge you, you can rehearse as many times as you want until your delivery feels natural. You can even experiment with different conversation approaches — data-driven, narrative or empathetic — and see what feels most authentic to you.
When to Ask for a Raise
Employees should understand one thing about how to ask for a raise: timing is everything. Following these tips can help you determine the right moment to ask for a raise.
1. After You’ve Justified Your Reasoning
You should have a solid reason for why now is the time for a bump in compensation.
Ask yourself if you want a raise because you feel your pay is below the going market rate, or it’s because your role has expanded and changed.
Successfully completing a project or doing something extremely well also marks another key time to ask for a raise, according to Clavel.
2. Early in the Year or Performance Cycle
If you wait to ask for a raise until the end of the year, your manager may not have the funding for your request. Bringing up the idea earlier keeps it top of mind for your manager going into the next review cycle.
Asking for a raise earlier in the year is also a good way to receive feedback on your performance, so you can address it before the next review cycle.
3. Before You Feel Stuck in Your Current Role
Waiting too long to ask for a raise can make you feel trapped in your position. If you receive no bumps in compensation or additional benefits, you may think that your current role has given you a certain value that won’t change until you get out of that role.
That’s why it’s important to ask for a raise before you reach this point. Receiving timely raises guarantees you are compensated for any experiences or skills you gain on the job and accounts for your growth as a professional.
What Not to Say When Asking for a Raise
Asking for a raise can be a sensitive subject, and one careless statement could derail the conversation. By avoiding these phrases, you can remain on good standing with your manager and ensure your request comes across the way you intended it to.
1. “I Deserve a Raise”
Saying you deserve a raise suggests that the company owes you something and can be seen as a way to make your manager feel guilty. Noting how long you’ve been with the company also isn’t effective since this doesn’t guarantee a raise. You’re better off explaining the kind of impact you’ve made through certain projects, listing quantifiable results for your manager to consider.
2. “I’m Overdue for a Raise”
Claiming you’re overdue for a raise is your opinion and may come across as entitlement. Even if you’ve been on your team for a while and have done solid work, you may want to back up your ask with data from performance reviews and past projects. You can also ask what you can do to improve at your job and set yourself up for a raise in the future.
3. “My Coworkers Make More Than Me”
Bringing your coworkers into the conversation won’t help your point. In fact, coworkers in similar roles may have qualifications that call for higher salaries. Referencing salary data in your position or industry makes for a stronger case. Another route you can take is asking your manager what certifications or skills you can learn to boost your chances of getting a raise.
4. “I Need a Raise to Match My Cost of Living”
Sometimes companies adjust salaries based on where employees live, but cost of living is generally not the main factor that determines a salary. Moving to a different apartment or some other life change isn’t an excuse to ask for a raise. Instead, provide ways you’ve gone above and beyond in your current role. You may also ask your manager to describe what an excellent performance looks like in your position and how you can achieve that moving forward.
5. “Why Didn’t I Get a Raise?”
This approach also sounds like entitlement and suggests you feel like you’re owed something from the company. Besides, making your salary personal may put your manager on the defensive and shut down future conversations about your salary. Ask for a one-on-one with your manager where you can discuss your salary and concrete steps you can take to better position yourself for a raise during the next performance cycle.
6. “If I Don’t Get a Raise, I’m Leaving”
Setting an ultimatum can antagonize your manager and make it sound like you’re trying to tell them what to do. This method may make it impossible to begin any conversation and convince your company it’s time to replace you.
7. “I’m Going to Join the Competitor Company”
Threatening to leave for another company still leaves a dark cloud over any conversation, especially if you signed a non-compete agreement. It’s OK to say you’ve received other offers, but explain you’d rather remain with your employer under the right conditions. This way, you can show you have career ambitions and want to keep contributing to your company without pitting your manager against you during salary discussions.
What to Do If Your Raise Request Is Denied
Even if you prepare thoroughly and make a strong case, your raise request may still be denied. That’s not necessarily the end of the conversation — and it doesn’t have to derail your momentum. Here’s how you respond and what to do next:
Ask for Specific Feedback
Thank your manager for their time, then ask:
- “Can you help me understand what factors influenced the decision?”
- “What specific goals or metrics should I meet to be considered for a raise in the future?”
This not only shows professionalism but also gives you a clear roadmap to follow to get a potential raise in the future.
Set a Follow-Up Timeline
If the raise isn’t possible now, ask when it would make sense to revisit the conversation. You might say:
“Would it be reasonable to revisit this discussion in three to six months after I hit the targets we discussed?”
Establishing a follow-up timeframe keeps the dialogue active and goal-oriented.
Consider Alternative Compensation
If a salary bump is off the table, explore other forms of compensation, such as:
- A one-time performance bonus
- Additional paid time off (PTO)
- Professional development budget
- A title change or expanded responsibilities
These alternatives can still support your career progression and job satisfaction.
Evaluate Your Long-Term Fit With the Job
A denied raise — especially if vague or dismissive — may signal deeper issues with growth potential at your company. Consider:
- Are there clear, achievable paths for advancement here?
- Is leadership transparent and supportive of your goals?
If not, it might be time to assess other opportunities where your contributions are better recognized and rewarded.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of a raise should I ask for?
As of 2025, the average pay raise is 3.2 percent, and the median raise is 4.5 percent for job stayers. However, you could ask for as much as a 10- to 20-percent raise, depending on your performance and impact on the company.
What do you say when asking for a raise?
When asking for a raise, say you’d like a raise and:
- List specific accomplishments and quantifiable results
- Explain what skills and experiences you’ve gained
- How you’ve expanded the ways in which you contribute to your team
What not to say when asking for a raise?
When asking for a raise, be sure not to say phrases like:
- “I deserve a raise.”
- “I’m overdue for a raise.”
- “I’ll leave if you don’t give me a raise.”
These phrases may shut down future conversations you would like to have about your compensation.
