How do I know what salary to ask for?

Start with official data, not self-reported salary sites. In the UK, ONS ASHE data covers millions of jobs by occupation and region. Rung's Salary Checker uses official sources so you can see where you actually sit in the distribution for your role — that's a much stronger foundation than forum posts or LinkedIn guesses.

Is it better to ask for a pay rise in writing or in person?

In person (or video call) first, always. It gives you room to read the room and respond. But follow up in writing afterwards — a short email summarising what was agreed, or what conditions were set for a future rise. That paper trail protects you and keeps things honest on both sides.

What if my manager says the budget isn't there?

Ask when it will be, and what specifically would need to happen for a pay rise to be approved at that point. Then ask for that in writing. If the answer is vague every time, that's information too — it tells you whether this employer is ever going to pay you what you're worth.

Should I mention a competing job offer?

Only if it's real and you're genuinely prepared to take it. Using a fictional offer as a bluff is a bad idea — it can backfire badly if they call it, and it damages trust even if it works. A real offer is legitimate leverage. Use it honestly: 'I've been approached about another role. I'd rather stay, but I need the pay to make sense.'

How often should I ask for a pay rise?

Once a year is reasonable in most roles, timed around your review cycle or a significant achievement. If your responsibilities have grown substantially mid-year, that's worth raising sooner — frame it as a role conversation, not just a money one. Asking every few months without a clear reason tends to create friction rather than results.

salary · career advice · pay rise · negotiation

How to Ask for a Pay Rise (And Actually Get One)

Rung·17 June 2026·4 min read

Four professionals in a business meeting around a table. — Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

The single biggest mistake people make when asking for a pay rise is treating it like a feelings conversation. It isn't. It's a business case — and the person across the table is going to say yes or no based on what's defensible to their boss, not on how much they like you.

So stop rehearsing how to seem confident and start building something worth saying.

Know what the market is actually paying

This is where most people fall down. They cite what a friend earns, or quote a figure they half-remember from a Reddit thread, and the moment a manager pushes back, the whole thing collapses. Anecdotes aren't evidence.

In the UK, the Office for National Statistics publishes the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) — one of the most comprehensive salary datasets in the world, covering millions of jobs by occupation, region, and sector. That's the kind of number that holds up in a room. Not "someone on LinkedIn said" or "Glassdoor reckons."

Rung's Salary Analytics pull from official sources like ASHE so you can walk in knowing exactly where you sit — whether you're at the 25th percentile for your role or quietly hovering near the top. That context matters enormously. If you're already at the 80th percentile for your job title in your region, you need a different conversation than someone sitting at the median.

Timing is a tactic, not an afterthought

Asking for a pay rise right after a rough quarter, or two weeks before the budget cycle closes, is like asking someone to lend you money as they're rushing out the door. Technically possible. Rarely goes well.

The best moments tend to cluster around a few things: just after a visible win, during or just before an annual review cycle, or when your responsibilities have quietly expanded beyond your job description. That last one is underused. If you've been doing a more senior job for six months without the title or the pay, that's not a favour you're doing your employer — it's a gap they should be embarrassed about.

And if you've just been headhunted, or have an offer in hand? That's leverage, used honestly. You don't need to bluff. You do need to decide whether you actually want to leave, because calling that bluff has consequences either way.

What to actually say in the room

Keep it direct. Something like: "I'd like to talk about my salary. Based on what I know about the market and what I've delivered over the past year, I think there's a case for moving it to X."

Name a number. Vague requests get vague responses. Managers who want to say yes need something concrete to take upstairs; managers who want to say no will happily let you drift into a non-answer if you let them.

Then stop talking. Seriously. Most people undermine themselves by filling the silence with caveats — "I mean, I know budgets are tight, I totally understand if..." — and they've basically talked themselves out of it before the other person has said a word.

If the answer is no, ask two things: what would need to change for this to be a yes, and when can we revisit it. Get both answers in writing, or at least in an email you send summarising the conversation. "Just to confirm what we discussed" is one of the most useful phrases in professional life.

The number you ask for

A common question is how much to ask for. There's no universal right answer, but a few things are true: asking for less than 5% in a high-inflation environment can feel like a gesture rather than a request. Asking for more than 20% without a serious promotion conversation attached to it tends to land badly.

What you're actually doing is anchoring. If you ask for 12% and land on 8%, that's often a better outcome than asking for 8% and getting 5%. Know your walk-away number — the point below which you'd genuinely start looking — and anchor above it.

Check where you sit relative to the market first. If official data shows you're below the median for your role in your region, you have a legitimate structural argument, not just an "I want more money" one. Those are very different conversations, and one of them is much easier to win.

One thing people forget

Your manager's incentives aren't necessarily against you here. Replacing you costs a lot — recruiting, onboarding, the six months before someone's actually useful. In many sectors, keeping a good person and giving them a 7% rise is cheaper than replacing them. If you're good at your job, you can say that plainly: "I want to stay and keep doing good work here. I'd like the pay to reflect that."

That's not arrogant. That's just honest. And honest is usually more persuasive than either aggressive or apologetic.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know what salary to ask for?: Start with official data, not self-reported salary sites. In the UK, ONS ASHE data covers millions of jobs by occupation and region. Rung's Salary Checker uses official sources so you can see where you actually sit in the distribution for your role — that's a much stronger foundation than forum posts or LinkedIn guesses.
Is it better to ask for a pay rise in writing or in person?: In person (or video call) first, always. It gives you room to read the room and respond. But follow up in writing afterwards — a short email summarising what was agreed, or what conditions were set for a future rise. That paper trail protects you and keeps things honest on both sides.
What if my manager says the budget isn't there?: Ask when it will be, and what specifically would need to happen for a pay rise to be approved at that point. Then ask for that in writing. If the answer is vague every time, that's information too — it tells you whether this employer is ever going to pay you what you're worth.
Should I mention a competing job offer?: Only if it's real and you're genuinely prepared to take it. Using a fictional offer as a bluff is a bad idea — it can backfire badly if they call it, and it damages trust even if it works. A real offer is legitimate leverage. Use it honestly: 'I've been approached about another role. I'd rather stay, but I need the pay to make sense.'
How often should I ask for a pay rise?: Once a year is reasonable in most roles, timed around your review cycle or a significant achievement. If your responsibilities have grown substantially mid-year, that's worth raising sooner — frame it as a role conversation, not just a money one. Asking every few months without a clear reason tends to create friction rather than results.