How much of a raise should you ask for?

Ask for a raise based on the market range for your role and location, the results you've delivered and how much your job has grown. Set three numbers before the meeting: a minimum you'd accept, a target you really want and an ambitious opening number you can still justify with evidence.

Step 1: find the market range

Look up pay for your job title, level and location on salary sites, recent job postings that list pay, and government data such as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage tables. Use two or three sources and note the range, not a single number.

Step 2: place yourself in that range

Where you belong depends on your experience, your results and how much your role has expanded. If you're doing work that belongs to a more senior role, compare against that role's range too.

Step 3: set three numbers

Minimum: the lowest increase you'd accept without looking for alternatives
Target: the number your evidence supports best
Ambitious: the opening number you can still defend with data

Percentage or dollar amount?

Either works if it's backed by the market range. Stating a specific salary, like "I'd like to move to $78,000", is usually clearer than a percentage, because it points directly at the range you researched.

Questions

Should I ask for more than I want?

Open with your ambitious number only if you can support it with evidence. An unsupported high number can hurt your credibility.

Should I mention what a coworker earns?

It's usually better not to. Base your request on market data and your own results, which your manager can evaluate directly.

What if they offer less than my minimum?

Ask what would need to happen to reach your number and by when, or discuss other options you prepared, like a review date or a title change.

What is a normal raise percentage?

For 2026, employers budgeted around 3.2% for merit increases and about 3.5% in total pay increases, with promotion raises averaging around 8.7%, according to Mercer data reported by Glassdoor. A bigger jump usually needs a bigger change in your role or clear evidence that you're paid below market.

Is a 10% raise reasonable to ask for?

It's above the typical annual merit increase, so it needs a reason: a role that grew, pay clearly below the market range, or results your manager can point to. With that evidence it's a reasonable request.

Is it bad to ask for a 20% raise?

Not if you can explain it. A large increase is easier to approve when your role has expanded, you're clearly below the market range, or you're taking on work from a more senior position.