How Much of a Raise Should You Ask For?
A defensible raise request in 2026 usually starts at the inflation rate — about 3.7% — and adds a merit case on top, which puts most reasonable asks in the 5% to 10% range. If you are underpaid for your market, changing roles, or taking on a promotion, a larger request of 10% to 20% can be justified with evidence. The right number is not a rule of thumb; it is inflation, plus your performance, plus how far your pay sits below the market rate for your work.
The short answer
There is no single correct figure, but there is a sound way to build one. Anchor to what it costs to stand still, then add what you can defend. On the most recent figures, US consumer prices rose 3.7% over the year to September 2026, while average wages rose only 3.1% (BLS). In other words, the typical raise did not keep pace with prices — so simply matching inflation already puts you ahead of the average outcome, and anything above it is real progress.
Start from three numbers
Before you name a figure, know these three. Together they turn a nervous guess into a case.
1. Inflation (your floor). This is the minimum needed to hold your purchasing power flat. Currently about 3.7%. Asking for less than this is asking for a real-terms pay cut.
2. Average wage growth (your context). Around 3.1% over the past year. This tells you what “normal” looks like right now, so you can position your request as ordinary or exceptional on purpose.
3. Your market rate (your ceiling). What employers currently pay someone doing your job, with your experience, in your area. If your pay sits well below it, the gap — not inflation — becomes the real basis for your number.
A simple framework for the number
Build your ask in three layers:
Cost-of-living floor. Start at inflation (~3.7%). This part is not about performance; it is arithmetic, and it is the hardest for a manager to argue with.
Merit on top. Add 2 to 5 points for a strong year — measurable results, extra scope, work beyond your job description. A solid performer asking for 5% to 8% is on firm ground.
Market correction. If comparable roles pay 15% more than you earn, closing that gap is a separate, larger conversation — and often the strongest case of all, because it is about retention, not reward.
Work out exactly what any percentage is worth on your salary — per year and per paycheck — before you walk in:
Fine-tune estimate
For the closest estimate, use the effective deduction percentage from your own pay stub. Inflation default based on: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U (all items, 12-month change) (September 2026).
| Current annual pay | $60,000 |
|---|---|
| Raise amount | $3,000 |
| New annual pay | $63,000 |
| Monthly increase | $250.00 |
| Biweekly increase | $115.38 |
| Five-year gross total | $15,000 |
Uses the effective deduction rate you enter. This is not a payroll or tax calculation.
Using 3.70% inflation, purchasing power increases by about $752 per year.
Show the math
Gross figures are mathematical results based only on the values you enter. This is not a payroll, tax, legal, or financial-advice calculation.
How much is too much?
An ask becomes counterproductive when you cannot support it. A 20% request with no market evidence and an average performance review invites a quick no and weakens your footing. The same 20%, backed by two job listings paying more and a list of results, is a serious opening position. The number is rarely the problem; the missing justification is. As a general guide, most people asking within a 3% to 10% band do not need heavy evidence, while anything above that should come with data.
When you can reasonably ask for more
You are changing jobs. External offers are priced against the current market, not your old salary, which is why moving employers usually pays more than staying put. The median switcher’s pay rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026, against 3.4% for stayers (Atlanta Fed); people leaving below-market pay or stepping into a bigger role often land 10% to 20%. Our guide to how much of a raise to expect when switching jobs sets targets by situation.
You are being promoted. A promotion usually carries a bigger increase than an annual review, because it is budgeted separately and reflects a genuine change in responsibility.
You are clearly underpaid. If you can show that comparable roles pay meaningfully more, you are asking for a correction, not a favor — and that is easier for a manager to take upstairs.
You have a competing offer. A real offer changes the conversation, but use it carefully: only raise it if you are genuinely prepared to leave.
How to back up the number
The figure matters less than the case behind it. Bring three things: evidence of results (what you delivered, ideally quantified), market data (a couple of current listings or a salary source for your role and area), and the inflation figure with its period (“prices rose 3.7% in the year to September 2026” is harder to wave away than “things cost more”). Time the conversation well — after a visible win, or during a review cycle when budgets are actually being set — and put the request in writing so it survives the meeting.
None of this guarantees a yes. Budgets, timing, and company performance are outside your control, and this page is general information, not tailored career or financial advice. What a solid number and a documented case do is make it far harder to be dismissed with a default figure.
How much to ask, by situation
| Situation | Reasonable ask |
|---|---|
| Solid performance, role unchanged | 3–5% |
| Strong results, exceeding expectations | 5–10% |
| Your role has grown in scope | 7–15% |
| Paid clearly below market for your role | 10–20% |
| Promotion to a new level | 10–20% |
The band only works if the reason matches. A 15% ask with a merit story will fail; the same 15% framed as a market correction, with listings to prove it, is a serious opening position.
What employers actually budgeted for 2026
Employer surveys show what is in the pool before you ask. businesswire.com“>Mercer’s October 2025 QuickPulse survey of more than 1,000 U.S. organizations found employers planned average merit increases of 3.2% and total increases of 3.5% for 2026 — the total covering merit, promotions, cost-of-living and other adjustments. Promotions sit in a separate budget: employers expected to promote about 9% of their workforce in 2026, at an average promotion increase of 8.7%. That is why a promotion ask near 8–10% is not bold — it matches the average promotion budget — while a merit ask far above 3.5% needs the market or scope evidence described above. Our average raise percentage page tracks the full set of 2026 survey figures.
What to say: three short scripts
You do not need a speech. You need a meeting request, one specific ask, and a plan for ‘not right now.’ Adapt these word-for-word scripts to your situation:
Request the meeting (email)
Subject: Quick chat about my compensation — Hi [Name], I’d like to schedule 30 minutes to discuss my compensation. I’ve put together data on my contributions over the past year and current market rates, and I’d appreciate your perspective. Would sometime next week work? Thanks, [Your name]
Make the ask
Based on my contributions this year — [win 1], [win 2] — and market data showing [role] at my level pays [range] in [location], I’d like to discuss moving my salary to [specific number], about a [X]% increase.
Then stop talking. The silence feels awkward; let your manager respond first. Name one specific figure, not a range — when you give a range, the other side hears the bottom of it.
If the answer is no
I understand. Is that budget timing, or a performance bar I haven’t hit? What would need to be true for us to revisit this in three to six months, and can we agree on specific criteria?
Follow up by email the same day, summarizing what was discussed, the criteria, and the revisit date. A ‘no’ with a written roadmap is worth more than a vague maybe. And model the dollars before the meeting: on a $65,000 salary, an 8% ask is $5,200 a year — $70,200 in total, about $433 more per month or $200 per biweekly paycheck. Run your own figures in the calculator above so you walk in knowing your ideal ask, your realistic landing zone, and your walk-away number in dollars, not just percentages.
If the raise is capped, negotiate the rest of the package
Sometimes the percentage is genuinely capped. Employers planned total increases averaging 3.5% for 2026, and if your manager cannot go past that pool for base pay, the negotiation is not over — only the salary line is. Ask instead about a one-off bonus, extra paid time off, a title change, training or flexible hours, and a written review date three to six months out, with the criteria for your next increase agreed in writing.
Before you accept a bonus instead of a raise, compare what each is worth over several years — a raise compounds into every future paycheck and into the base for the next increase, while a bonus is paid once. Check any capped offer against your floor, too: if it does not at least match inflation — about 3.7% over the year to September 2026 — it is still a real-terms cut, however it is packaged. And model the offer in dollars before you answer, so you know what the capped deal is worth per paycheck. Three pages on this site go deeper on each part of that decision:
- Raise vs bonus — what each option is worth over several years
- Cost-of-living raise — how the inflation floor behind your ask is built
- Pay raise calculator — model any offer in dollars before you answer
Common questions
If you have met expectations, start at inflation (~3.7%) and add a point or two for the year’s results — so roughly 5% to 6% is a reasonable opening for a solid first year, more if you were hired below market.
Not inherently. Ten percent is above the current average, so it needs support — strong performance, added responsibility, or evidence that your pay trails the market. With that backing it is a defensible ask; without it, it may land as optimistic.
Base the number on the gap, not on inflation. If similar roles pay 15% to 20% more, that gap is your case. You may not close it in one step, but naming it sets the direction and justifies a larger-than-average increase.
Once a year is the normal rhythm, usually tied to a review or the anniversary of your start date. Ask sooner only if your role has changed materially or you have taken on clearly expanded responsibilities. For the full breakdown of the normal timeline — and what waiting costs you — see how often you should get a raise.
Budget for roughly 8–10%. Mercer’s October 2025 QuickPulse survey put the average promotion increase at 8.7% for 2026, and only about 9% of employees were expected to be promoted at all — so a promotion ask in that range matches what employers actually planned to spend.
Name one specific figure. A range anchors the conversation at its bottom end, because that is the number your manager hears as acceptable. Pick the figure your evidence supports, decide your walk-away minimum in advance, and keep the minimum to yourself.
Only with evidence. A 20% request with no market data and an average performance review invites a quick no, but the same 20% backed by listings paying more, expanded scope, or a promotion is a serious opening position. The 10% to 20% band on this page is for a clear below-market correction or a move to a new level — not a standard merit ask.
No. For a solid performer, 6% sits inside the normal range on this page: start at the inflation floor of about 3.7% and add for results, which puts a solid ask at 5% to 8%. It is above the 3.2% average merit increase employers budgeted for 2026, so bring evidence of what you delivered — but the number itself is not excessive.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Cost Index — June 2026 (USDL-26-1270), released 31 July 2026. bls.gov/news.release/eci.nr0.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index — September 2026, released 14 October 2026. bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
- Mercer, QuickPulse U.S. Compensation Planning Survey, October 2025 (2026 salary increase budgets). businesswire.com
Figures last checked 14 October 2026. Wage and inflation data are updated as new BLS releases land.