Asking for a pay rise works when it is a short, evidenced case made at the right moment, and fails when it is a complaint. This guide shows how to find out what your job is advertising for right now, build a one-page case, pick the timing, and handle each of the three answers you can get.
Step 1: Find your market rate
Your strongest evidence is what employers are offering for your job today. Search your job title on CareerAlert and read the pay in the first twenty adverts in your area. On 19 October 2026, typical advertised figures included:
| Role | Typical advertised pay | Middle half of adverts |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator | £29,000 | £27,000 to £30,000 |
| Payroll | £33,500 | £30,000 to £40,000 |
| Team leader | £35,000 | £32,000 to £43,480 |
| Store manager | £35,000 | £31,000 to £42,000 |
| HR | £37,500 | £32,500 to £45,000 |
| Accountant | £40,000 | £32,500 to £50,000 |
| Supervisor | £41,000 | £33,616 to £50,000 |
| Electrician | £43,045 | £40,000 to £49,000 |
| Developer | £45,000 | £35,000 to £57,500 |
| Project manager | £60,000 | £50,000 to £72,500 |
| Care assistant (hourly) | £13.80 | £13.27 to £15.00 |
| HGV driver (hourly) | £18.05 | £16.85 to £20.22 |
Pay figures are the midpoint of each advert's range. Your region matters: London adverts are usually above these, the North East and Wales below. Use local adverts, not the national figure, in your case.
Step 2: Build a one-page case
Four short sections:
- What you were hired to do, and what you now do. Most people's jobs have grown. List the responsibilities you have taken on since your pay was last set.
- Results, with numbers. Targets hit, money saved, errors reduced, people trained, customers kept. Three to five lines.
- The market. "Adverts for this role in Leeds are currently offering £X to £Y." Attach two or three printed adverts.
- The ask. A specific figure or percentage, and the date you would like it from. Ask for a little more than you would accept.
Step 3: Pick the moment
- Best: just before the annual pay review or budget round (ask HR when that is), after a visible success, or when you are being given more responsibility.
- Worst: immediately after redundancies, during a crisis, or on the back of a complaint about a colleague's pay.
- Book a meeting with the title "pay review" so your manager is not ambushed. Ten minutes is enough.
Step 4: What to say
Keep it factual and short. "Since my pay was last set in [month] I have taken on [two things]. In that time I have [two results]. Adverts for this role locally are currently offering [range]. I would like to move to [figure] from [date]. Can we agree that, or what would you need to see?" Then stop talking and let them answer.
Step 5: Handle the answer
- Yes: ask for it in writing with the effective date, and check the next payslip (see our payslip guide).
- Not now: ask what specifically would need to change and by when, and get a review date in the diary. Follow up in writing the same day.
- No: ask whether anything else is available: a regrade, a bonus, extra holiday, training, a title change. If the answer is a flat no with no path, you have learned something, and the adverts you printed are your next move.
Things that do not work
Comparing yourself to a named colleague, threatening to leave without an offer in hand, asking because of personal costs, or asking in anger. None of these is evidence, and all of them make the conversation about something other than your value.
FAQ
How much of a pay rise should I ask for?
Base it on the gap between your pay and the local advertised range for your role, not on a standard percentage. If you are already at the top of the range, ask for a regrade or a title change instead.
How often can I ask for a pay rise?
Once a year is normal, usually at the review. Ask sooner only if your role has changed materially or you have an outside offer.
Should I tell my employer I have another offer?
Only if you have one in writing and would take it. A counter-offer is common, but employers remember the threat, so be sure you want to stay.
Next step
Get your evidence: set up a free alert for your job title and town and collect the pay figures from a week of adverts. If you are going for a new role instead, see how to negotiate a higher salary.
CareerAlert Editorial Team
Guides written by the CareerAlert team from the UK job adverts on the platform. Pay figures and counts come from live adverts and are refreshed when the guide is updated.
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