Should I give a number or a range?

Give a range when pushed, not a single number. Set the bottom of the range as the lowest figure you would genuinely accept, because employers tend to anchor on the low end. A good range spans roughly 10 to 20 percent, for example a band where the floor is your real walk-away number and the ceiling is ambitious but defensible from your research.

What if they ask my salary expectations first?

Try to deflect politely and learn their budget first: say you want to understand the full scope and the range allocated for the role, and ask what they have budgeted. If they insist, give your researched range, anchored toward the top, and add that you are flexible for the right overall package. Never give a number lower than your real market rate just to seem agreeable.

How do I find my market rate?

Triangulate from at least three sources: published salary data for your role and country, the pay bands stated in current job postings for the same title, and direct conversations with people in similar roles. Adjust for your specific experience, in-demand skills, location, and company size. The combination of all three is far more accurate than any single survey.

Is it rude to negotiate salary?

No. Employers expect candidates to negotiate, and most leave headroom in their first offer specifically for it. Negotiating professionally and with evidence signals that you understand your value. The far more common and costly mistake is accepting the first number, which can compound into tens of thousands in lost earnings over a career because future raises build on your starting base.

How Much Salary Should I Ask For? A 2026 Framework

Quick answer

Ask for the top of your researched market range for the role, location, and your experience level. Find that range by triangulating salary data, live job postings, and people in similar roles. When pushed for a number, give a band whose floor is the lowest you would actually accept and whose ceiling is ambitious but defensible. Anchor toward the top, and let the employer name a figure first whenever you can.

The number you ask for at offer stage is one of the highest-leverage decisions of your career, because almost every future raise, bonus, and counter-offer is calculated as a percentage of your starting base. Undersell yourself by a few thousand now and it compounds for years. This guide gives you a repeatable method for landing on the right number and defending it without friction.

Step 1: Find your real market rate

Never negotiate from a feeling about what you “deserve”. Negotiate from evidence. Triangulate from three independent sources:

Salary data for your role and country. Published bands give you the broad distribution. Our salary directory shows median and percentile pay drawn from real job listings.
Live job postings. The pay bands written into current adverts for your exact title are the most honest signal of what employers are paying right now. Collect ten and note the range.
People in similar roles. A quiet conversation with two or three peers at a similar level is worth more than any survey, because it is specific to your market and seniority.

Then adjust for the factors that move your number within that range: years of experience, scarce or in-demand skills, the cost of living in your location, the size and funding stage of the company, and whether the role is remote, hybrid, or on-site.

Step 2: Turn the data into a range

Build a range, not a single number. Two figures matter:

Your floor — the lowest figure you would genuinely accept and still feel fairly paid. This is your walk-away line. Crucially, this should be the bottom of any range you state out loud, because employers anchor on the low end.
Your ceiling — an ambitious but defensible top, justified by your research and your strongest selling points. This is the number you actually want, and what you anchor toward.

A healthy band is roughly 10–20% wide. If your floor is the minimum you would say yes to, set the ceiling about 15–20% above it. You will tend to land somewhere between the two.

Step 3: Let them name a number first

Whoever names a figure first gives away information and sets the anchor. Your goal is to learn the employer’s budget before committing to your own number. When a recruiter asks early in the process, deflect politely:

“I’m really focused on finding the right fit, so I’d love to understand the full scope of the role first. Could you share the range you’ve budgeted for this position?”

Many will tell you, and now you know whether you are even in the same ballpark. In many regions employers are increasingly required or expected to publish pay ranges, which makes this easier than it used to be.

Step 4: Answer the expectations question without underselling

If they insist you go first, give your range anchored toward the top, and keep a door open:

“Based on my research for this role and my experience, I’m targeting a base in the upper part of the market range — and I’m flexible for the right overall package, including bonus, equity, and benefits.”

Two things make this work. First, you have grounded the number in research, not ego. Second, you have signalled that the total package matters, which gives both sides room to be creative if the base is capped.

Step 5: Negotiate the whole offer, not just base

When the offer arrives, remember base salary is only one lever. If the base is fixed, you can often move signing bonus, annual bonus target, equity, extra holiday, a remote or flexible-working agreement, a guaranteed early salary review, or a professional development budget. Ask for the full written offer with every component itemised before you respond.

And almost always, counter once. A polite, evidence-backed counter is normal and expected — most first offers leave deliberate headroom. For the full step-by-step, read our guide on how to negotiate a job offer.

A worked example

Suppose your research shows the market band for your role and location runs from a modest figure at the junior end to a strong figure at the senior end, and you sit comfortably mid-to-senior with a scarce skill. You set your floor at the middle of that band — the least you would accept — and your ceiling near the top. When the recruiter asks, you first try to get their budget; when they push back, you state your range with the floor as the bottom, anchored toward the ceiling, and add that you are flexible on the total package. You end up close to your ceiling, which is exactly where you wanted to be — and several thousand above where you would have landed had you simply named your floor.