How to ask for a raise

Guides · Updated October 26, 2026

Asking for a raise is a short conversation with a long preparation. Most of the outcome is decided before you walk in: by your evidence, your timing, and the questions you've prepared for the pushback.

Prepare your case

Do this a few weeks before you ask:

Know your market rate. Use salary surveys, job postings that list pay, and conversations with peers and recruiters. Aim for a range, not a single number.
List what has changed since your last raise. A bigger scope, new responsibilities, results you can put numbers on. Raises follow added value, not time served.
Pick your number. Decide the figure you'll ask for and the lowest you'd accept. Ask for the first one.
Find out how pay is decided. When budgets are set, who approves raises, and whether there are salary bands for your role.

Choose the timing

When you ask matters almost as much as what you ask:

Before budgets are set. Ask a month or two before the review cycle, not after the numbers are decided.
After a visible win. Your case is easiest to make while the result is fresh.
In a meeting set up for it. Not at the end of a status update, and not in a message.
Not in the middle of a crisis. If your manager is firefighting, wait a week.

What to say

Keep it short: what you want, why, and a question that invites a conversation. Some lines you can adapt:

The askI'd like to talk about my salary. Over the past year I've taken on the platform project and the team's hiring, and my role has grown. Based on that and the market for similar roles, I'm asking for a raise to [your figure]. How does that look from your side?

If they need to checkI understand this needs approval. When will you know, and what will the decision depend on?

Asking for the pathIf the full amount isn't possible now, what would I need to show, and by when, to get there?

ClosingThanks. So the next step is that you'll talk to HR and come back to me by the end of the month. I'll send a short note so we're both clear.

Then stop talking. The pause after you name your number is the hardest part, and the most important.

When your manager pushes back

Pushback is the start of a negotiation, not the end of it. Each common reply has a question that moves things forward:

Common replies, and what to ask

"The budget is tight this year." Ask: "When is the budget set, and can we agree now on what I'd get when it is?" Tight budgets usually still have room for people the company wants to keep.
"You're already at the top of your band." Ask: "What would it take to move into the next band?" Bands are set by the company and can change, especially when a role has grown.
"Let's revisit this at your review." Ask: "What will we look at then, and can we write the target down now?"
"Everyone is getting the same increase." Ask: "How are exceptions decided?" Then show why your role is one.
"Do you have another offer?" Answer honestly. Only mention an offer you would really take.

Each of these questions asks for something specific: a date, a criterion, a number. That is what turns "not now" into a plan.

If the answer is no

A no today can still leave you with something useful:

Ask what would need to be true. Get specific targets and a timeline, and write them down.
Negotiate other things. Title, scope, a training budget, flexibility, a bonus or an earlier review date.
Agree on a date to revisit. "Later" without a date usually means never.
Decide your own next step. If the gap stays, you've learned something about your growth there. Use it in your next career decision.

Practise before you ask

The ask itself takes a minute. The follow-up questions are where people freeze.

In DuoAsk you can describe your own situation, for example "asking for a raise in my performance review", and rehearse it with an AI version of the person across the table, who pushes back the way managers do. Afterwards you get notes on the key moments and the questions you missed.

Rehearse it before the real one. New accounts get 2 free rounds. One round takes under 10 minutes.

Start free →

Stories to rehearse with

Common questions

How much of a raise should I ask for?

Base it on the market rate for your role and how much your responsibilities have grown. Ask for a specific figure at the upper end of a range you can justify, and know the lowest you would accept.

When is the best time to ask for a raise?

Before budgets are set for the next cycle, after a visible success, and in a meeting set up for the purpose.

Should I ask for a raise by email?

Request the meeting by email and have the conversation in person or on a video call. Follow up afterwards with a short written summary.

What should I do if my manager says no?

Ask what would need to be true to get there and by when, negotiate other benefits, and agree on a date to revisit. If nothing changes, factor that into your next career decision.