This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Asking your boss for a pay increase doesn’t have to be an anxiety inducing event. If you’re well-prepared and understand how to ask your boss for a pay raise, it can be just like any other work meeting.
There’s nothing wrong with asking for a raise, in fact, its something that shows how driven and ambitious you are (usually good signals for your upper management).
Unfortunately, people often think their boss should just recognize their accomplishments and give them a raise without having to ask.
This is rarely the case.
Most bosses are very busy and are reactive in nature. If you don’t let them know that you are interested in a raise, they’re not going to know and certainly aren’t going to explore giving you one.
Table of Contents
How to Prepare to Ask for a Pay Raise
Before you even think about approaching your boss about a pay raise, you need to first perform some due diligence to ensure that it’s something you truly want, you have information to justify the request, and are prepared to discuss the pay increase with your boss.
Why do You Deserve a Pay Raise?
The first question you should ask yourself is, “Do I truly deserve a pay raise?”.
Did you take on more responsibility?
Did you close out a large project or land a big client successfully?
Have you brought more value to the company than your last pay increase?
You should be able to objectively answer the question and identify specific reasons why you deserve a pay raise.
If you haven’t done anything to justify a pay raise, asking for one will make you seem out of touch with your performance and borderline greedy to your supervisor.
Are You Still Happy with Your Role at the Company?
Before you ask for a pay raise in your current position and role within the company, think about whether or not you’re still happy in this role.
Should you be asking for a change in position or role, or a promotion to a higher-level role within the company?
Are you unhappy with the company? Maybe you should be looking to apply at other companies instead of asking for a raise?
If you can’t answer yes definitively, then explore why you aren’t happy and identify what you truly want.
Will this Raise Reflect Your Value at the Company?
If you’re happy with your role, does the position or title and a raise associated with the position appropriately reflect your value to the company?
As an example, let’s say your position or title is as a financial analyst 1, but, at the direction of your boss, you often get placed on special projects and committees because you have previous experience as a project manager. Will a raise from in your current role as a financial analyst 1 appropriately reflect your value to the company or would it be better to ask to be reclassified into a position or title that also reflects your role as a project manager? Also, what role do you prefer?
How Does This Affect Your Career?
When asking for any raise or promotion, first look at the big picture.
Will this pay increase make it less likely you’ll be considered for future promotion or other raise opportunities?
Will this pay increase only further cement your status in this role and delay your ability to move up your career ladder?
Most companies have a rule about how often you can receive a pay increase, so be strategic in when you ask for the raise. Also, whether right or wrong, some bosses will be less likely to consider you for a promotion or new position if you just recently received a pay increase.
Does This Set You Up for Future Success?
Does the raise and the responsibilities that come with it set you up for future success?
Are you going to be given the appropriate resources to be successful?
If it requires an extra time commitment, are you going to be able to devote the time necessary to be successful?
As an example, let’s say that your boss left and instead of advertising his position, they’ve asked you to perform his responsibilities on a temporary basis. Before you know it, it’s been a year and temporary is quickly turning into permanent. You are struggling in your new role.
Would it be more appropriate to ask for a raise or promotion, or have a more serious discussion with your supervisor about these new responsibilities? In my experience, it’s better to be open and address any issues honestly than to avoid them and hope everything works out.
Is the Raise You’re Requesting Realistic?
When preparing for a pay increase request, make sure that the raise you’re asking for is realistic. Make sure that the raise you’re asking for is in line with your performance and value to the company. If you’ve simply taken on a handful of new responsibilities that are just clerical in nature, you probably don’t command as much of a raise as landing a new client that provides $1,000,000+ in value each year to the company.
Build a Business Case for Your Pay Increase or Bonus
When preparing for a pay increase request, make sure to prepare written justification for why the raise is warranted. Make sure to include major accomplishments, performance reviews, added responsibilities, and anything else you’ve done or are doing that provides value to the company. Also, include research into your position and pay that helps you determine what to ask for and justifies the request.
Prepare Research that Compares Regional, National, and Competitor Salaries for Your Position
When looking to perform research into your position and pay, there are a few different places to start.
The best place to start is with your professional network. Most people are uncomfortable discussing their specific salaries, but would be willing to answer more generic questions regarding your scenario. A good example might be asking the question, “What would you expect a position like X at a company like Y to pay?”.
There are multiple job board websites like Glassdoor and Indeed that can give you access to salary data from all over the world. Glassdoor’s “Know Your Worth™” salary estimator will give you an objective figure to compare your salary against. Also, both Glassdoor and Indeed have ways to research salaries locally, regionally, nationally, and even by company.
Another resource you might consider is a head hunter or recruiting agency. If you have contacts or have used their services in the past, many of them have access to data that they can share to help justify your pay increase request.
Don’t Bring Up Office Politics to Justify a Pay Increase
Under no circumstances should you use office politics to justify a pay increase. Just because so-in-so makes this much, doesn’t mean you necessarily should. For all you know, a former boss gave him that raise and your current boss is stuck with the ding to his budget.
In one of the offices I worked in previously, we had an older gentleman that made more than any other techs in the office, but did barely enough to get by. This was a job working for a state agency, so it was very difficult to fire people.
Unfortunately, my former boss inherited this gentleman and the problems that came with him. He would do just enough to get by and was smart enough not to break any hard line rules like showing up late, abusing leave, or outright subordination.
His salary was public knowledge (FOIA requests) and many of the techs in the office would be disgruntled and use this gentleman as justification for a pay raise. As their boss, this did not help their case, but hurt them as it often meant they would spend their time complaining and barely discuss their merits and relevant justification for a raise.
Don’t Bring Up Your Personal Situation to Justify a Pay Increase
Did your car just break down?
Just found out you’re having a little one?
These are personal reasons you may need to make more money. They, however, do not justify why you have earned a pay increase. Don’t ever use your personal needs for money act as justification for a raise or promotion. It’s unprofessional and makes it seem like you can’t manage your life.
If you can’t manage your personal life, how are you to be expected to handle more responsibility at work?
Include Any Training, Certifications, or Other Similar Training that Provides Value to the Company
When preparing your business case, make sure to include any training, certifications, and licenses that provide value to the company.
Did you have to obtain a new certification or license to perform your additional duties?
Do you have a certification or license that no one else in your department or company has that the company takes advantage of?
If so, you should be compensated accordingly.
Don’t Short-Change Any of Your Responsibilities
When preparing your business case, don’t short-change any of your responsibilities. Make sure it’s crystal clear everything you do as part of your position, so that your boss understands how much your are doing.
It’s great to show your accomplishments and good performance in your primary responsibilities, but if you’re also doing this while performing a plethora of other duties, it looks that much more impressive. Remember, you are your own best advocate. If you don’t stand up for yourself, it’s unlikely someone else will, especially in a competitive business environment.
Prepare an Agenda and Rehearse Like You Would for a Job Interview
As part of your preparation, prepare an informal agenda that lays out what you want to talk about and how long you’re prepared to talk about it. You should plan to take as little of your boss’s time as possible, but you also need to schedule enough time to be able to cover all of the topics you have planned. Typically, 30 minutes is enough time to accomplish your goals, especially if your boss has a good idea of what you plan to discuss.
When you have your preparation complete (including agenda), rehearse like you would for a job interview. Don’t follow a script, but do know the key points without having to read it from a sheet of paper.
Also, make sure to include examples and stories to accompany your business case that show specific times that you went above and beyond in your role to achieve success. In general, people connect emotionally with storytelling and both remember and relate better to stories than to facts and figures.
When to Ask for a Pay Raise
Many companies (especially larger companies) have a policy regarding when to ask for pay raises. It typically corresponds to when they are performing their fiscal budget planning, so that the raise is budgeted for the coming year. Policies and budget timing should be public information and readily accessible to employees. If you can’t locate them, reach out to a colleague or your human resources representative.
For ease, most companies’ fiscal year is in line with either the calendar year (Jan – Dec) or have calendar that start mid-year and ends mid-year the following year (Jul – Jun). The budget is usually performed 2-4 months prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year.
How Often Should You Get a Raise?
Many companies offer an across-the-board cost of living raise to keep their salaries competitive. In addition to this, the timing of raises depends.
I’ve worked at a company where you were only eligible for a raise every two years (from the date of your last raise), but I’ve also worked at companies that had mid-year and annual opportunities for raises.
As a general rule of thumb, many companies provide eligibility for a raise at least annually.
Can You Ask for a Raise After 6 Months?
The short answer is, it depends. Learn what your company’s policy is on pay increase. If they do allow it and you have justification for a raise, you certainly can ask for a raise.
Best Time to Ask for a Raise
In general, the best time to ask for a pay raise is just prior to budget season (see above) to give your boss time to think about the request, add it to the budget, and receive any necessary approvals for the personnel budget increase.
Also, from a time of day standpoint, try to schedule your meeting with your boss for first thing in the morning. It’s been proven that people typically make their best decisions in the morning. This obviously changes if you both work nights (try to schedule it shortly after the start of your shift).
Ask for a Pay Raise After a Big Accomplishment
A great time to ask for a pay raise is right after a big accomplishment.
This could be closing out a big project, landing a large client, or reaching a major milestone within a large-scale project or towards accomplishing corporate goals.
This is especially true if it’s a project that you performed while under your current supervisor or boss’s supervision.
Ask for a Pay Increase After Accepting More Responsibility
Another great time to ask for a pay increase is after accepting more responsibility. You’ll most likely need to work in the role for a period of time to show that you can handle the new responsibilities.
As an example, I’ve accepted responsibilities in the past when I’ve had supervisor’s leave. I waited a few months before approaching my new supervisor about a raise to have some experience and work history to point back to. We discussed the situation briefly and agreed to revisit the request closer to budget season. I plan to revisit the discussion with my boss in the coming months (right before budget updates).
Ask for a Raise Just Prior to Budget Season
When asking for a raise, make sure you are asking when your boss is able to do something about it. If you ask shortly after the new year’s budget has been approved, you may have to wait a year for the raise. Companies and bosses vary in their flexibility in asking for budget increases, but in general, no boss wants to ask for more money if they can help it (especially after the budget has been set).
Avoid Asking When Your Boss is Overworked, Under a Lot of Stress, or in a Bad Mood
When asking for a raise, try to catch your boss when he’s in a good mood or is having a good day. He’ll be more likely to listen to your request and seriously entertain it.
How to Ask Your Boss for a Pay Raise
So, you’ve prepared for the big ask and have found a good time to ask. When you’re ready, try to catch your boss one on one and ask something like, “I’m interested in discussing my salary, is now a good time?” or “I’m interested in meeting to discuss my salary, are you available X, Y, or Z to meet?”.
Bring copies of your agenda and business case with you for reference. Bring any other reference material with you that supports your business case.
How to Dress for Your Meeting with Your Boss
You should be intentional in what you wear to you meeting. In general, try to wear an outfit that fits the normal work attire, but be on the nicer side of the spectrum.
For example, if the office attire is business casual and you typically wear a polo, khakis, and loafers, you may want to consider trading the polo for a button up dress shirt, and substitute the khakis and loafers for a nicer pair of dress pants and dress shoes.
Do you have a favorite work outfit that is nicer than the rest and gives you confidence wear it?
It may sound silly, but most people have a professional outfit that they wear on occasion to work that makes them feel confident. If you do, make sure to wear it to your meeting.
How to Talk to Your Boss About a Raise
If you prepared accordingly, you should have prepared a rough agenda and practiced what you were going to say ahead of time. Again, you shouldn’t read from a script, but you should have key points you want to discuss that justify your request and be prepared to answer questions.
Be Confident
Part of the reason you did all of that preparation is so that you can be confident in your justification for the raise. You shouldn’t be unsure about any of the details.
When speaking to your boss, be confident. If he asks a question you didn’t consider initially, stop, think about it, and respond openly and honestly considering all of the information available to you.
If you forget some facts or figures, don’t be afraid to look back at your notes (after all, that’s why you brought them).
Be Gracious
You don’t want to sound disgruntled or unhappy with your current situation when asking for a raise. Make sure your boss knows that you are gracious for the opportunities you’ve been given and you appreciate your current position with the company.
Be Enthusiastic
If you think about it, you have a lot to be enthusiastic about. You’ve been given the opportunities that have led to this raise request.
If you’re asking for a raise, you’ve thought about it and realized that this request was part of an overall plan for achieving your future goals and that those future goals align with the company’s goals. Make sure to tell your boss how enthusiastic you are about the opportunity to advance your goals and the company’s goals.
What to Say When Asking for a Pay Raise
This has been covered briefly, but I’ll go over a brief outline of a high-level agenda. To start, greet your boss and thank him for the opportunity to discuss your request. Thank him for the opportunities you’ve been given and the position you’re currently in.
You may want to explain the process you went through to prepare for the meeting. You might mention the self-reflection, the commitment to this position and the company, and how it all fits into your long-term goals.
Next, delve into the key reasons why you think you should be considered for a raise. Address any questions as they arise. Make sure to ask your boss if he has any questions or feedback once you’re done.
Be prepared for criticism. If there are criticisms, don’t respond in a knee-jerk way. Listen to what they are, thank about them thoughtfully, and respond openly, honestly, and respectfully.
If your boss asks you how much pay increase you are requesting, respond with the number you prepare previously. Make sure he understands the research you performed and how you came to that precise number.
Again, be prepared for criticism and possible rejection. If a raise is available, but not at the proposed number, be willing to negotiate. Instead of the full raise, could you negotiate a partial raise and more benefits (i.e. leave, retirement contributions, stock, a bonus, etc.)?
If the raise is rejected, make sure to keep your composure. Ask when a raise will be possible and what you need to do to achieve it. If at all possible, get this in writing, so you’ll have a clear goal to achieve.
Practice Professionalism and Good Body Language
Treat your discussion with your boss just like a job interview. Speak and act with professionalism (no curse words, no slang, no inappropriate comments or jokes, etc.). Be confident, enthusiastic, and gracious. Don’t be cocky. Don’t speak out of turn. When receiving criticism, don’t be defensive or shut down.
Remember, unlike an interview, you already work for this boss in your current role. Don’t say or do anything that will adversely affect your relationship and standing.
How Much of a Raise to Ask For
Part of your preparation was seeing how much individuals in your role, with your experience and skills makes. Let your research inform your pay increase amount. If you ask for the high range, make sure you have the research to back up the high range of your research.
How to Ask for a Bonus
You would ask for a bonus just like you would a raise. A raise is typically more advantageous over the long run. However, if your boss won’t give you a raise, be prepared to negotiate with a bonus as one of your negotiating tools. Your boss may want to reward you for your hard work, but be limited on how to do that (especially if the company is struggling financially or is over leveraged)
Don’t Ask for a Raise in a Letter or Email
This may change in the future, but I have not and don’t recommend anyone ask for a raise in a letter or email. If you are not willing to speak to your boss about a raise directly, he probably won’t take your request seriously.
How to Ask for a Bigger Raise than Offered
If you’ve done your preparation and have the numbers to back up your request, don’t be afraid to ask for the raise you feel is justified. You still may not get it, but it doesn’t hurt to ask if you have research to back it up.
Be Flexible in Your Raise Negotiations
Also, be flexible with how the raise is structured. Instead of asking for a bigger raise, could you ask for a bonus and/or more benefits instead to supplement the raise?
Don’t Give Ultimatums Unless You’re Prepared to Lose Your Job or Already Have a Job Offer
Unless you’re prepared to leave your current position, don’t give out an ultimatum. If you give out an ultimatum and don’t follow through, your boss will not trust and respect you moving forward.
He’ll know that you never had any intention of following through and keep that in mind with any future salary discussions.
Questions to Ask Your Manager If the Raise is Approved
In order to better understand your boss’s decision, you should ask a few questions:
Are their new responsibilities that will come with this raise?
(if new responsibilities) What are the expectations, new guidelines, and key goals for the new responsibilities?
Will this raise involve reporting or managing new colleagues?
When will the raise take affect?
Following this raise, what are the next steps for advancement within the company?
Questions to Ask Your Manager If the Raise is Denied
What can I do differently or improve upon to obtain a raise?
When would be an appropriate time to discuss this raise again?
(if your boss can’t offer a monetary raise) Would you be willing to discuss additional workplace perks like additional vacation time, title change, flex schedule, telecommuting, working from home, etc.?
Conclusion
Armed with the knowledge above, you should know how to ask your boss for a pay raise and have a higher success rate in salary negotiations moving forward.
You need to prepare a portfolio and agenda ahead of time that explains why you deserve a raise and how much you think you deserve.
You should preferably ask for a raise during budget season, after an accomplishment or receiving new responsibilities, and when your boss is in a good mood. You should try and schedule the meeting earlier in the day to catch your boss when they’re fresh and not suffering from decision fatigue.
During the meeting, you should be confident, gracious, enthusiastic, clear about your desires, and specific about what you are asking for.
If a pay raise isn’t available be prepared to ask for other perks and discuss next steps for achieving a pay raise.
Do you have any tips or tricks for how to ask your boss for a pay raise?