How to Negotiate Salary

CareerOneStop, the Department of Labor's career site, makes the point plainly: future raises are usually based on your starting pay, so negotiating a higher rate at the start can have a large long-term effect on your earnings.

A simple illustration: if you negotiate $2,000 more on a starting salary, that's $10,000 more over five years before counting any raises. Raises calculated as a percentage then grow from a higher base.

Before you talk numbers, know what the job typically pays where you live.

• CareerOneStop Salary Finder shows the typical pay range for a job in your location.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook gives median pay and job outlook by occupation.
• Job postings in your area for similar roles. In several states, these must include a pay range (see below).
• People in the field. Former coworkers, professional groups and union contacts can tell you what employers in your area actually pay.

Write down a range for the role. Then decide three figures for yourself:

1. Your target: what you'll ask for, near the upper end of the market range.
2. Your goal: what you'd be happy with.
3. Your walk-away point: the lowest offer you'd accept, based on your bills and other options.

CareerOneStop advises basing your request on the value you bring, your skills and your experience, rather than on your personal expenses. Your budget sets your walk-away point. Your value sets your ask.

CareerOneStop recommends waiting until you have a job offer before negotiating salary. At that point the employer has decided they want you, and you have the most leverage.

If you're asked for your salary expectations earlier in the process, you can:

• Ask for the range: "Could you share the budgeted range for this role?"
• Give a researched range: "Based on what I've seen for similar roles in Phoenix, I'm looking for $52,000 to $58,000, depending on the full package."

In some states, the employer must give you the range if you ask (see the state rules below).

Questions about your current or past pay

Several states ban employers from asking about your pay history. California, Colorado and Washington are examples. Even where it's legal to ask, you don't have to answer. You can say: "I'd rather focus on what this role is worth. Based on my research, I'm targeting..."

When the offer comes, thank them, show you're interested, and ask for time if you need it. CareerOneStop suggests asking for at least 24 hours to consider an offer. Then respond with a specific number and a reason.

Worked example: a negotiation script

Here's a phone call after receiving a written offer for a logistics coordinator role at $50,000.

You: Thank you again for the offer. I'm excited about the role and the team, and I'd like to make this work.

Based on my research for logistics coordinators in the Dallas area, and the fact that I'd be coming in with three years of carrier scheduling experience and my forklift and OSHA 10 certifications, I was hoping for $56,000. Is there flexibility to get closer to that?

Employer: Our budget is tight. The most I can do on base is $53,000.

You: I appreciate you moving on that. Would you be able to add a review at six months with the option of a raise, or an extra week of paid time off? If we can do one of those, I'm ready to accept at $53,000.

Employer: I can do the six-month review.

You: Great. Could you send me the updated offer in writing? Once I have it, I'll sign.

What makes this work:

• It opens with enthusiasm. The employer knows you want the job.
• It gives one number with reasons. Research and specific qualifications.
• It stops talking after the ask. Silence is fine. Let them respond.
• It has a fallback. When base pay hit a ceiling, the candidate asked for something else.
• It ends with the offer in writing. CareerOneStop recommends getting the offer in writing before you accept.

If base pay is fixed, other parts of the package may not be. Options include:

• Sign-on bonus
• Start date
• Paid time off
• Schedule, shifts or remote days
• A pay review at 6 months instead of 12
• Job title
• Training, certifications or tuition support
• Relocation help

For hourly jobs, ask about shift differentials for nights or weekends, guaranteed hours, and how often pay rates are reviewed. CareerOneStop notes that in some sectors pay is set firmly, such as union scales or government pay grades. In those cases, the room to negotiate is usually in step placement, start date or schedule.

As of October 2026, 14 states and Washington DC require employers to put pay in job postings: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Delaware's law takes effect in September 2027. Nevada and Rhode Island require employers to give applicants a range, but not in the posting itself. Each Joboru state page shows the current rule for that state.

The details vary, so check your state labor department. Here are five examples, as described by each state's official guidance:

• Colorado: Employers with at least one employee in Colorado must include pay information in job postings, along with a description of benefits. The law also bans asking about pay history.
• California: Employers with 15 or more employees must include a pay scale in postings for jobs that may be filled in California, including remote jobs. Applicants can request the pay scale for a role they're applying to.
• Washington: Employers with 15 or more employees must include a wage scale or salary range, plus a general description of benefits and other compensation, in job postings.
• New York: Employers with four or more employees must list compensation ranges for advertised jobs, promotions and transfers.
• Illinois: Since January 1, 2025, employers with 15 or more employees must include the pay scale and benefits in job postings.

How to use posted ranges

• Treat the range as real information. California, for example, defines the pay scale as a good-faith estimate of what the employer reasonably expects to pay.
• Place yourself in it. If you meet every requirement and bring extra experience, aim for the upper half. If you're new to the field, the middle is a realistic target.
• Ask about range position. "Where does this offer fall in the posted range, and what would it take to reach the top?"
• Report problems. If a posting leaves out a range your state requires, contact your state labor department. Colorado and Illinois, for example, accept complaints about pay-transparency violations.

Joboru lists jobs posted directly by employers and shows pay whenever the employer states it, so you can compare ranges before you apply.

Your right to talk about pay

Under the National Labor Relations Act, employees have the right to talk with coworkers about their wages, whether or not they're in a union. Coverage has some limits, so check the National Labor Relations Board's guidance if you're unsure whether it applies to you. California, Colorado and Washington state law also protect employees who discuss pay.

• Accepting on the spot without reviewing the full offer
• Giving a number before you've done research
• Apologizing for asking
• Making ultimatums you're not prepared to follow through on
• Forgetting to get the final terms in writing