How to Ask for a Pay Rise

There’ll come a time in your career when you will want to ask your employer for a pay rise. It may come as a result of an increase in workload and responsibility, a senior title change, an increase in the length of time you’ve been employed with the same employer, or a noticeable improvement in an area you’re responsible for.

While often regarded as a nerve-wracking experience, if you feel you are deserving of a pay rise (and have evidence to support this), you should feel confident going in to ask for it.

If you’re unsure how to approach your employer to ask for a pay rise, this article will help you formulate a plan to set the wheels in motion.

Preparing to ask for a pay rise

This is an important stage that you must not skip. Plan what you’re going to say and be prepared for a range of different questions or requests from your Hiring Manager, HR Director, or Line Manager.

The meeting for a pay rise is all about proving you are deserving of receiving one. This is made difficult if you are not prepared with evidence of occasions where you have gone above and beyond your job description or performed better than desired in your role.

Prepare a case for a pay rise. Think about the progress you’ve made and how you have brought an added benefit by being in the role, showcasing areas you went above and beyond your responsibilities.

Have a salary figure in mind that you would like or need and a minimum increase that you would be looking for. If this is part of an annual review and not a result of you taking on additional responsibilities, you should consider an increase of between 2% and 3%. Currently, in the UK the average pay increase is 2.5%.   

Who should you ask for a pay rise?

As touched on above, those who feel they deserve a pay rise should put themselves forward for the discussion. This could be those who:

• Have had an increase in workload or responsibility
• Had a promotion without salary adjustment
• Have worked for the same employer for a few years without a pay rise.
• Improved an area of the business significantly.
• You have not received a pay rise in the last 12 months.

When can you ask for a pay rise?

After you have passed your probation, you can consider discussing your current salary if something has not already been drawn up in your employment contract.

For those who have been employed with the same employer for a year or more, it’s not uncommon to ask for a pay rise once a year. Again, you will want to bring with you supporting documents to show why you’re deserving of a pay rise.   

What is the best way to ask for a pay raise?

The best way to ask for a pay rise is to first build a case for the reasons why you are eligible or deserving of a pay rise. Review your past projects and highlight areas where you have gone above and beyond your responsibilities, showing added benefit for your company.

It’s also useful to have an idea of what the average salary for your job role is, especially if you fall below that number. While this is not a guarantee for a pay increase, it’s useful to know what your job role is worth in your area, providing you with an average salary benchmark.

When it comes time to book a meeting with your manager, you can speak with them directly and tell them that you would like to arrange for a salary review, or potentially get the ball rolling with an email, and be sure to include the appropriate person from your HR department. This will set the wheels in motion and you most likely be scheduled for a meeting shortly after.

Should I prepare anything when asking for a pay rise?

In the ‘preparing to ask for a pay rise’ section, we spoke about the steps you should take to prepare for a meeting about a pay rise.

They were:

• Prepare what you’re going to say.
• Prepare answers to questions you may be asked.
• Organise the evidence of why you should be considered for a pay rise.
• Have a salary figure in mind (typically somewhere between 1-3%).
• Be confident. You deserve this!

Summary

• Calculate your market value by comparing your current job role with the national average.
• Build a business case around the success you’ve achieved (beyond what’s expected of you).
• Aim to have your salary review as part of your annual performance review.
• Present your case clearly and unemotionally.
• Consider all reasonable offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you say when asking for a pay rise?

With the above points clear in your mind, you should have a good idea of the points you want to get across and the way you want to say them. When speaking to your manager about your pay rise, be sure to:

Be clear that the reason for your meeting or call is to discuss your salary. Ideally, this won’t be a surprise as you should have emailed them ahead of time.

Be specific with why you deserve a pay rise and have a specific number in mind that you would like to be earning. Remember, typical pay rises sit around the 2-3% mark.

After your negotiation has commenced, be sure to thank your manager for their time and any decisions they’ve made.

Be enthusiastic and excited when speaking about your successes and plans for the future. Show that you are fully invested in the business and the direction they go in.  

How do you politely ask for a pay raise?

While all the information above will help you formulate a polite structure to formulate your conversation from, we have put together a basic framework that you can build your conversation around, outlined below.

“I appreciate the opportunities and responsibilities I’ve been given here so far, such as X and Y. I’ve noticed significant improvements in those areas over the last year and have exceeded the goals we’ve created, I wondered if we could speak about adjusting my salary to reflect the higher level of contribution, please? I was hoping to book some time in to speak about my salary, please. It’s been around a year since my last salary adjustment, and in that time, I have taken on several additional responsibilities. I’m managing X and I was even able to Y, which ended up helping us to Z. I think things are going very well, and I’d like to talk about increasing my salary to reflect this new work.”

What is the best way to ask for a raise?  

Remember if you have not had a salary review in a year or longer, it’s completely normal and acceptable to ask for a conversation about a pay rise.

Think about your timing. It’s never good to have a salary discussion in the middle of a busy sales period for example.

Find out when your company run their annual budget and salary adjustment conversations. Plan to speak to your manager around 1-2 months before this date.

Send an email or speak with your Line Manager to get a meeting in place. At this stage, you do not need to say it’s for a salary discussion. After your initial discussion, you may require further meetings (potentially with HR), to official discuss your salary.

One way to boost your earning potential is to earn industry recognised training qualifications, to help you gain the skills and knowledge required in more senior job roles, or to change departments. We have a wide range of training courses for you to choose from, so get exploring today. You can speak with one of our Course Consultants on +44 (0) 20 3198 7700, or alternatively, fill out our contact form and someone will be in touch shortly.