Ask for the pay range before you name a number

A recruiter rings, or an application form has a box, and the question comes: what pay are you looking for? You do not have a number you trust. Too low, and you could be paid less for years. Too high, and you could be out of the running before you start. That worry is why the question feels like a trap.

When you are asked what pay you want, ask what range the job has been given first, and keep a researched number ready for the moment they will not say.

Many people suggest the same first move: turn the question around and ask the employer for their budget. Some people say a plain, researched number is simpler and no trap at all. This page gives both and says where each fits. If you need this job right now, or the pay is a fixed rate that has already been set, read the last section first.

Know a number before anyone asks

Some people say the same first step: find out what the job pays, for your kind of role and your area, before the conversation. In the United States the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the median pay for each occupation it covers, and its occupation pages point to wage figures for individual states and metro areas. The median is the wage at which half the workers in the job earned more and half earned less.

Treat that as a range to start from. Some people warn that self-reported pay websites can mislead, because job titles vary and a company may have few entries, and one suggests reading their figures as a wide band and setting the extremes aside. One person warns that national figures can mix job levels, such as managers and non-managers, and another that pay varies by region. Some people say the same job can pay very differently from one company to the next, and that the level the job sits at matters as much as the base figure, so it is worth asking which level the job is.

Then settle two numbers for yourself: the lowest pay you would say yes to, and the figure you would name. One person suggests adding a margin of about 10 percent to your target, so there is room to come down. Another suggests asking for at least 10 percent more than the lowest you would take, because changing jobs carries risk.

When they ask what you want

Many people suggest answering the question with a question: say you have looked at what this kind of job pays, and ask what range the company has set. One person describes a polite version that cites your research and says you want to line up with their expectations. A plain version of that: “I have looked at what this kind of job pays, and I want us to be in the same range. What range has been set for it?” Some people say internal recruiters often prefer this, because it saves time and lines up expectations.

If the question is about what you earn now, some people suggest answering what you want instead. Some people say your current pay anchors the talk low, and that you can offer your target range instead. One person says you can decline to share your pay history, say it is confidential, and repeat that if pressed. Another says interviewers often care less about your current pay than about what you expect for this job. The risk on the other side: one person says hiding your current pay is dated advice, that recruiters now prefer a straight answer, and that dodging can make you seem difficult. One person warns that refusing to give anything can lead some companies to withdraw the offer, and the person who suggested declining reads an unreasonable reaction at that stage as useful information about the employer.

Some people say that in many US states employers are barred from asking about pay history. This page could not check that state by state, so look at your state labor department’s website before you rely on it. It did check Washington: that state bars employers from seeking an applicant’s pay history unless the applicant volunteers it or an offer has been made, and requires employers with 15 or more employees to put the pay range in each job posting (RCW 49.58.100 and 49.58.110, read October 2026).

Some people suggest stating a higher figure than your real pay. This page does not give that advice. Some people warn that employers can check pay through background checks and data services, and one says a company may pull an offer if the gap is serious.

If they will not give a range

Some people read a refusal as a signal that the company is starting low, and some people report being told they “only care about money” and read that as a warning sign about the employer. One person reads a manager turning argumentative or dismissive over this question the same way.

One person pointed out the other side: positions are often signed off by level with a soft cap rather than an exact range, so “we don’t have a range” can be true. One person says a small-business owner may truly not know what a role pays on the market. So a refusal is something to weigh, and it does not prove anything.

Some people say the next move is to name your own figure. One person suggests a high figure, one you would genuinely accept, and another says to stop talking once you have said it and let them answer. One person adds that a high number accepted straight away leaves no room to negotiate upward.

A range you are given may also be where their offer starts. One person warns that in some industries, asking gets you the bottom of the pay band, and that it is easier to come down from a high figure than to climb from a low one.

Ask first, or say a number first?

People split on this and say different things work in different places. Some people say that for an employer who will give a range, asking first reveals the budget and stops you underselling. Some people say being plain about a researched figure is better: that it is no trick, that a decent employer is checking you are in range, and that dodging can look like you have not done your homework. One person warns that turning the question back can look like dodging.

On timing, one person says to put pay off until you are close to an offer, to keep your bargaining position. Another says recruiters are held to an internal range whether or not you name a figure, so a gap too wide to close can cost you months of interviews before it appears.

One person describes scripted refusals from HR staff as more common with recruiting agencies than with direct employers. With an agency, some people suggest naming a figure well above what you hope for, since the agent is paid on the final salary and then negotiates it down to the best they can get.

After the number: the offer

Some people say employers expect you to negotiate, that a first offer is often below what they could pay, and that you are the only person looking out for your pay. Some people say there is often more room in what is not cash, such as benefits, holiday and a retirement-plan match.

One person says that starting near the bottom of a range means smaller and fewer raises later, so the starting number matters. One person warns that if your number is accepted, you should be happy with that pay for at least two years, because many places do not give raises in the first twelve months. One person says they took a job paying about a third less than their old one, and that the outsourced HR staff eventually hinted they should have asked for more.

This page does not cover what to say if an interviewer still insists on your figure after you have asked for theirs, how to bargain when the range they give is below the going rate, or how to negotiate benefits when the base pay is fixed.

Who this page is not for

If you cannot afford to lose this offer, much of this page may not fit you. One person warns that the advice to wait or push assumes you can live without the job or the better offer while you do. One person says that if you badly need the job you have little to bargain with, and another that taking lower pay for experience or steady income can be a fair trade when you are desperate or entering a hard field. If rent or food depends on this job, the tactics here carry a risk you may not be able to afford, and a plain figure you can live on may be the better answer. That is your call to make.

If the pay is a fixed rate, there may be nothing to ask. One person says negotiating is nearly pointless on minimum-wage or entry-level jobs, where many people apply, and another that for entry-level roles, naming a figure may do little or lead to a lower offer if the range is fixed.

If the job is outside the United States, the legal points above may not apply, and this page did not check them. In the UK, Citizens Advice is a place to start with questions about pay and work.