How much of a pay rise should I ask for in the UK?
There isn’t one percentage that is right for everyone. A better starting point is the salary your job and responsibilities can support — then work backwards to the percentage increase from your current pay.
Don’t start by choosing 5%, 10% or 15%
If you are wondering what percentage salary increase to ask for, start with the salary you can support rather than a percentage that simply sounds reasonable.
A company-wide pay award and an individual salary adjustment solve different problems. CIPD’s Summer 2026 Labour Market Outlook reports a 3% median expected basic pay award over the next 12 months among surveyed employers. That is useful context for general pay awards, but it does not mean 3% is the right personal request for someone whose role has expanded or whose salary is materially out of line with their job market. CIPD: Labour Market Outlook.
If your evidence supports £44,000 and you earn £40,000, the 10% increase is the result of the salary gap — not the starting assumption.
What is a reasonable pay rise to ask for in the UK?
“Reasonable” depends on what kind of pay conversation you are having. A routine annual award, a market correction, progression through a salary band and a promotion are not interchangeable.
Keeping pay moving
Often shaped by employer affordability, inflation, general pay-award trends and organisation policy.
Moving within a role
Can reflect performance, competency, skills and where you sit within an internal pay range.
Correcting a mismatch
Relevant when current salary no longer reflects external market rates for genuinely similar work.
CIPD’s reward guidance says pay decisions can be influenced by ability to pay, inflation, the going rate of pay awards and market-rate changes. Its pay-progression guidance also highlights performance, competency and skills, often considered alongside the wider labour market. CIPD: Reward factsheet.
| What is changing? | Evidence that matters most | The conversation is really about |
|---|---|---|
| Routine annual review | Employer policy, pay award, performance | Keeping pay moving |
| Responsibilities grew inside the same role | New scope, outcomes, internal range | Progression within the role |
| Current salary looks weak for the job | Same-occupation pay + internal range | A possible market-position correction |
| You are operating at a higher level | Level criteria, decision scope, role design | Promotion or re-grading |
PayPrecise editorial framework: the same percentage can mean very different things depending on which of these problems you are actually trying to solve.
When a smaller rise may make sense
If your pay already sits competitively for the role, your responsibilities are broadly unchanged and the conversation is a normal annual review, a modest movement may be the realistic issue on the table.
When a larger adjustment may be worth discussing
A larger gap deserves investigation when your work has materially expanded, your employer’s own range places you low, or reliable occupation evidence consistently sits above your salary. That is not a guarantee of a larger award; it is a reason to build a more specific case.
When this is actually a promotion conversation
If the work you now own belongs to a more senior level, the useful question may be less “What percentage should I ask for?” and more “What level am I operating at, and what salary range belongs to that level?”
Work out your pay-rise target in four steps
Check what your job pays
Start with evidence for the occupation you actually do. For a quick manual check, view ONS ASHE Table 14. If you want the job match, your pay position and the next supported salary marker brought together for your own salary, see how the Pay Rise Blueprint helps.
Look at what changed
Write down responsibilities you now own that were not part of the job before: people, budgets, clients, technical authority, risk, delivery scope or senior stakeholders.
Choose the salary level
Use the strongest evidence available: internal salary range, credible job-market data and the level of work you can demonstrate.
Calculate the percentage
Once you have a target salary, calculate the increase from today’s salary. Keep both numbers ready for the conversation.
Worked example: £40,000 to £44,000
The stronger argument is not “10% sounds fair”. It is “£44,000 is the salary level I can support with evidence, which happens to be 10% above my current salary.”
Once you know the gross number, use the Pay Rise Calculator to see what it could add after tax.
What evidence should you use before asking?
The closer the evidence is to your actual job and employer, the more useful it becomes.
ONS reports median gross annual earnings of £39,039 for full-time employees in April 2025, but the same release also provides occupation-level data because broad averages cannot tell you what every job should pay. ONS: Employee earnings in the UK 2025.
The difficult part is not picking a percentage. It is knowing which salary you can actually defend.
This guide can show you how to think about a pay-rise target. It cannot see your exact occupation, where your current salary sits in the published pay range, whether the next pay point is realistic, or what that move would add after tax.
A broad UK average can be useful context, but it cannot tell you where your salary sits for the occupation you actually do.
A round 5% or 10% is easy to choose. A stronger target starts with published job-pay evidence and the level you can support.
The sensible next move may be a staged ask, progression conversation or external market check rather than one immediate jump.
It joins the pieces together: your occupation pay position, a Next Pay Marker where the published evidence supports one, estimated take-home impact, and a practical BUILD / ASK / EXPLORE route for the conversation.
See where your salary sits, the next supported pay marker and what moving towards it could add after tax.
Want to review the full report first? See everything included
What should you actually ask your employer for?
A strong request names a salary or progression point and explains where it comes from. You do not need to present a 20-slide case. You need enough evidence that your manager can understand the gap and what you want them to consider.
If the target is a large jump, make room for a staged answer. The immediate outcome could be a partial increase, a defined review date, documented criteria for the next level, or clarity that the issue is actually promotion rather than an ordinary rise.
Should you ask for more than you really want?
Do not manufacture a number simply to create negotiating room. If you choose a higher figure, be able to explain why it is still credible. A request becomes easier to dismiss when the number feels detached from the evidence.
What if your employer says the increase is too high?
Ask which part of the case they disagree with: the role level, the evidence, the timing or the budget.
Try: “Which salary level would you see as realistic for this scope, and what would I need to demonstrate to reach it?”Budget can be real without ending the conversation about progression.
Try: “When could this be reviewed again, and can we agree what would need to be true for the salary to move?”That may mean the next issue is level, title or scope rather than a larger rise inside the same band.
Try: “What does the next level look like and what timeline would be realistic?”A general award may be separate from an individual progression question.
Try: “Can we separate the general pay award from where my salary sits for my role and level?”Acas confirms that an employee can raise a pay-rise discussion and give reasons why they think they should receive one where there is no existing contractual or collective right to an increase. Acas: asking for a pay rise.
Pay-rise amount questions
What percentage pay rise should I ask for in the UK?
There is no single percentage that fits everyone. Start with the salary level your job, responsibilities and evidence can support, then calculate the percentage difference from your current salary. A company-wide pay award is not the same thing as an individual market or progression adjustment.
Is 10% too much to ask for?
Not necessarily, but the number needs a reason. A 10% increase can be a weak request if it is arbitrary and a well-supported request if it moves salary towards a credible level for the work being done. The employer’s internal range, budget and progression rules still matter.
What is a typical UK pay rise in 2026?
CIPD’s Summer 2026 Labour Market Outlook reports a 3% median expected basic pay award over the next 12 months among surveyed employers. That is useful context for general pay awards, not a rule for an individual salary adjustment.
Should I ask for a percentage or a salary figure?
A salary figure is usually easier to connect to evidence. Work out the salary level first, then know the equivalent percentage so you can discuss the request in whichever language your employer uses.
Should inflation decide my pay-rise request?
Inflation can be part of the background, but it is not the only factor. CIPD lists factors such as ability to pay, market rate changes and pay-award trends, while pay progression can also reflect performance, competency and skills.
What if the salary I can evidence is a long way above my current pay?
Treat a large gap carefully. It may point to staged progression, a promotion or level change, or a need to compare external roles rather than expecting one immediate adjustment. Ask what progression route and review criteria would support the next level.
When is the best time to ask for a pay rise?
Use a moment when the conversation can be properly considered: before or during a formal review, after a meaningful increase in responsibility, or when you have clear evidence to discuss. Avoid relying on timing alone; the case still needs substance.
Where the evidence in this guide comes from
This page uses CIPD for current employer pay-award and reward context, ONS ASHE for occupation earnings evidence, and Acas for the process of asking for a pay rise. Broad pay-award statistics are kept separate from the salary target you may be able to support personally.
PayPrecise does not treat the CIPD 3% employer expectation as a recommended individual ask. It is market context. Your own request still depends on job evidence, role scope, internal pay structures and employer circumstances.
Last reviewed 30 August 2026. ONS 2025 earnings estimates are provisional. Salary evidence is context, not a promise that an employer will award a particular salary.