How to ask for a pay rise: a step-by-step guide for UK employees

Let’s be honest here – most of us work so the money we earn can pay for all the things we love to do when we’re not at work. The more we earn, the more we can enjoy ourselves. The reality is that salary discussions are a normal part of everyday working life. Employers regularly review compensation, market conditions, and workforce costs, and there will come a time when you’ll want to know how to ask for a pay rise.

But when is the right time and how do you go about it?

Have you taken on additional responsibilities, developed new skills, delivered strong results, or watched the market rate for your role climb while your salary has stagnated? Money is still seen as a taboo subject, and asking for more can feel uncomfortable for us Brits. 

It could be that you’re worried about appearing ungrateful, damaging relationships with managers, or being told you just don’t deserve a hike in pay. Ideally, the best time to ask for a pay rise is after you’ve demonstrated measurable business value or there’s a realistic opportunity for salary decisions to be made. The devil is in the detail, and the timing you choose can significantly influence the outcome.

A good time to raise the issue can be:

• After you’ve delivered a successful major project.
• Following a strong performance review.
• When your role has expanded beyond the original job description.
• When you’ve taken on additional responsibilities and are thriving.
• After achieving superb business results that reflect well on the company.
• Once you’ve obtained a significant qualification or certification.
• During annual review periods.

In the UK, many organisations align pay reviews with the April salary cycle. Public sector workers often see annual pay awards announced around this period, while private sector employers finalise budgets during the first quarter of the year.

Poor times to ask for a pay rise are:

• Soon after receiving negative performance feedback.
• In the middle of an organisational restructuring.
• During redundancy consultations.
• Immediately after poor company results.
• During periods of hiring freezes or cost-cutting initiatives.

A useful rule to ask yourself about when to ask for a pay rise is to focus on when your evidence is at its strongest, not when your bills are at their highest.

Your request should be based on market data and the value you hold for the company, whether that’s because of increased responsibilities, a mentoring role towards junior members in the department, or going above and beyond on a daily basis. This is a question you need to have an answer to before knocking on your manager’s door.

It’s best to justify why you deserve a pay rise, and then look at the numbers involved. You can do this by following these 4 steps to determine your worth.

Step 1 – Determine your current market value.

Step 2 – Identify if your responsibilities have expanded.

Step 3 – Consider recent pay movements within your sector.

Step 4–  Establish a realistic target range, that is not so off the wall that your manager will laugh you out of their office.

Check out these 2 examples below for the possibilities.

Scenario 1

Current salary is £40,000.

Market average is £44,000.

Set your request range at between £44,000 and £46,000.

Scenario 2

Current salary is £50,000, with the role having expanded significantly.

Market average is £58,000.

Set your request range at between £58,000 and £62,000.

While it may be tempting to look at the headlines on average wage growth for context, this shouldn’t be the sole source that determines your target salary. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), “median gross annual earnings for full-time employees were £39,039 in April 2025, compared with £37,439 in April 2024, which is an increase of 4.3%,” with median weekly earnings rising by 5.3% in nominal terms and a 1.1% increase in real terms over the same period.

Initially, this suggests that seeking out a 4% to 5% pay rise seems reasonable, but average pay growth reflects what’s happening across the labour market as a whole, not what one particular employee is worth.

Let’s take two Marketing Managers who both earn £55,000 each a year. The first one is performing the same role they’ve held for two years, with the same responsibilities and performance levels. A pay rise in line with average wage growth is realistic here. But the second one has taken on leadership responsibilities, manages a larger budget, has completed a professional qualification, and is delivering stronger commercial results than when they joined. Their market value will have increased significantly more than the national average, which justifies a larger pay increase.

So don’t ask for a 5% pay rise just because the average worker receives one. Aim for the salary that reflects the true value you contribute and the rate the market is willing to pay for your skills. 

This is probably the most important preparation stage on your way to learning how to ask for a pay rise. If you can give your manager market evidence, backed up with your added value, as to why you should receive a pay rise, this is going to be much more persuasive than just, “I think I deserve to be paid more.”

Employers typically make pay decisions based on a combination of factors which include:

• An individual’s performance.
• Additional responsibilities.
• Skills and any added qualifications.
• Labour market conditions.
• Internal pay structures.
• Recruitment and retention strategies and challenges.

You can check out the ONS’s earnings and working hours page as a reliable snapshot of UK earnings across occupations and regions, as well as Glassdoor and the Hays Salary Guide 2026. The ONS site shows the average weekly earnings of people in the UK, as well as information on the gender pay gap and low pay, with data from Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) and the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).

In some industries, market salaries increase much more quickly than the national average. Those working in areas that are currently experiencing shortages of in-demand skills, such as tech, cybersecurity, data analytics, engineering, and specialist finance roles, find that salaries have moved substantially ahead of overall wage growth. On the other hand, sectors that are facing economic pressure have seen pay increases below the national average.

Using national pay growth, along with hiring and salary trends, as a reference point when learning how to ask for a pay rise, can act as further back-up when building your request around evidence of your own value. If you can demonstrate that your responsibilities have expanded, your performance has exceeded expectations, and comparable roles in the market are paying more, you will have a compelling case for a salary increase that exceeds average wage growth. 

Where you can, it’s a good idea to compare location, the industry, the size of the organisation, experience level, specialisms, and responsibilities. Job titles on their own aren’t strong enough indicators, because responsibilities vary substantially depending on the company you work for.

When working out how to ask for a pay rise, the advice is to build a business case for yourself so your manager can see the value in you, along with your skills and your approach. So let’s look at the areas to hone in on to pave the way for a salary increase.

Focus on:

• The revenue you’ve generated, which can be things like new clients you’ve secured, any upselling achievements, and an increase in your sales performance.
• Cost savings you’ve made, such as process improvements, reducing the costs of suppliers, and any automation initiatives that have saved the business money.
• Productivity gains, which can be related to increased output, reduced turnaround times, and the introduction of team efficiencies.
• Risk reduction, with examples such as compliance improvements, reduction in errors, and improved governance.
• Leadership contributions, such as mentoring colleagues, coaching staff, and overseeing projects.

A simple framework to base this around and present to your manager when putting together a case on how to ask for a pay rise is: Achievement → evidence → business impact → financial value.

Preparation is key for most things, but especially when deciding how to ask for a pay rise. If you’ve prepared a script, it will increase your confidence as you won’t be stumbling over your reasons. It will help you to spell out clearly why you deserve an increase in salary, without emotions muddying the waters.

Create a one-page document containing:

• Your current salary.
• The target salary or proposed salary range.
• Market benchmarks.
• Your rationale.
• Relevant key metrics.
• Potential objections and responses.

It’s a good idea to rehearse this aloud rather than memorising; it’s not a speech you’re giving but a professional discussion with your manager, with the objective that this can lead to positive action.

Let’s look at a simple script that can be tailored to your particular needs when learning how to ask for a pay rise: 

• Open: Use something along the lines of, “I’d like to discuss my current salary and how it aligns with my contribution and market rates.”
• Evidence: “Over the past six months, I have delivered / improved / created A, B, and C.”
• Benchmark: “I’ve researched similar roles, using ONS data and salary guides from Hays and Robert Half, with the result that my current salary falls short of current market value.
• Request: “Based on my recent achievements, increased responsibilities, and market position, I’d like to discuss upping my salary to £X.”
• Pause: Allow your manager to respond, while emphasising active listening and taking on board whatever they come back to you with. 

If you receive a negative response, don’t despair. This is a negotiation process, so needs to be handled carefully. Many eventually successful pay rises don’t happen in a single meeting.

Consider these possible replies from your manager and how to respond to them:

“It’s above our salary band.”

Response: “Can we discuss progression pathways within the band structure?”

“We’ll review this at a later date.”

Response: “Could we agree on specific goals and a review date at this point?”

“We simply don’t have the budget for this at the moment.”

Response: “What would need to happen for this to be reconsidered?”

If it’s still a “no,” consider introducing some alternatives instead, such as a bonus, additional annual leave, flexible working, enhanced pension contributions, or involvement in share schemes.

A rejection to your request doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the end of the conversation. Ask:

• What factors influenced your decision?
• What salary range exists for my role?
• Are there any improvements that would justify a review?
• What’s the timeline for revisiting this discussion?
• What measurable objectives can I achieve in order to change your mind?

If possible, leave the meeting with agreed actions and timelines, so you can focus on moving forward with the pay rise discussion at a later date. 

Many employees focus on inflation as a reason for wanting to receive a pay rise, but employers rarely increase salaries just because living costs have gone up.

A weak argument for a pay rise would be a simple, “My costs have gone up.” It’s better to support your case with a strong argument, such as, “My contribution to the company has increased, my market value has risen, and inflation has reduced the real value of my earnings.”

These include:

• If you feel you’re being unfairly paid, under the Equality Act 2010, you can question pay differences between men and women who perform work of the same value.
• Some employment contracts contain salary review clauses, so make sure you get to grips with what your contract says before starting any pay rise negotiations.
• If you work in the public sector, be aware that individual salary negotiations are different from those in the private sector, often operating within nationally negotiated pay frameworks to grant public sector pay awards.
• If you’re a trade union member, you should have access to support with regards to pay bargaining and salary negotiations.

It’s not always about the salary. During these conversations, a deeper issue can be uncovered, so it’s worth being prepared for this scenario as well.

Warning signs emanating from the organisation can include:

• Consistent underpayment versus market rates.
• A lack of progression opportunities.
• Little or no transparency when it comes to money.
• Scant recognition of your worth.

If the pay rise conversation reveals any red flags, it might be time to try for a more involved conversation with your manager, or seek employment elsewhere.

Below is a copyable pay rise letter template you can customise, showing how to ask for a pay rise in writing.

Subject: Request for a salary review

Dear [name of manager],

I would like to request a meeting to discuss my current salary and overall contribution to the business.

Over the past [X amount of weeks / months], I have successfully:

·       Add achievement 1 here.

·       Add achievement 2 here.

·       Add achievement 3 here.

In addition, my responsibilities have expanded to include:

·       Add responsibility 1 here.

·       Add responsibility 2 here.

·       Add responsibility 3 here.

Having reviewed current market salary data from sources such as the ONS, Hays, and Robert Half salary guides, I believe now is an appropriate time to review my current salary.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further.

Kind regards,

[Your name]

[Your job title]

A. There is no legal requirement in the UK for annual pay rises, but most UK employers conduct yearly salary reviews, often in early April, at the start of the financial year.

A. Present a clear business case supported by evidence, market benchmarking, and measurable achievements.

A. Use the template above, while keeping it professional, evidence-based, and focused on your contributions to the business, avoiding your personal financial situation.

A. Use the latest available ONS earnings growth data and CIPD reward management surveys

to provide the most accurate and up-to-date figure.

The key to how to ask for a pay rise is all in the preparation. Gather your evidence and present it in a professional manner. Before scheduling the conversation with your manager, ask yourself this: if your manager asked why you deserve a pay rise, could you prove it?

One of our services at Careerminds is career enablement, which could help you to secure that much needed pay rise. Talk with your HR team about how Careerminds can help.