Should I give a number or ask for theirs first?

Ask for their range first where you can — many employers are required to share it, and it lets you anchor to the upper part your experience supports. If they won't, give a tight, researched range with a reason attached.

How wide should my salary range be?

Tight enough that it doesn't span two job levels. The bottom should sit a little above your walk-away floor and the top a little above the number you'd be genuinely pleased with.

Do I have to disclose my current salary?

In many US states and cities employers cannot ask, and elsewhere you're not obliged to answer. Redirect to what you're seeking for this role's scope and repeat calmly if pressed.

How to answer 'What's your salary expectation?'

May 28, 2026 · 4 min read

The salary question arrives early and feels like a trap. Name a number that is too low and you have set your own ceiling for the entire process; too high and you risk being screened out before anyone has seen what you can do. The way through is not cleverness. It is doing the research beforehand, preparing a range you can defend, and delivering it calmly as a statement of fact rather than a bid.

Do the homework first

Your target number should come from evidence, not hope. Gather it from several places and look for where they agree:

Salary aggregators and self-reported compensation sites, filtered by title, level, industry and metro area.
Job postings that state a range — increasingly common, and required by law in a growing number of US states and cities.
Recruiters, who see offers every week and will usually tell you the market if asked directly.
Peers in similar roles, approached privately and with the offer to share your own figure in return.

Adjust for location, company size and whether the role is a step up for you. Then set two numbers: the figure you would be genuinely pleased with, and the floor below which you would decline. Your stated range runs from a little above your floor to a little above your target.

Understand why they ask

Recruiters ask early for a practical reason: they do not want to run a full process for someone the budget cannot reach. That is legitimate, and it means you can often flip the question. "I'd like to make sure we're in the same range — what has the role been budgeted at?" is a fair response, and in many places the employer is required to tell you. If they share a range, you can anchor your answer to the upper part of it where your experience supports that.

Give a range, not a point

A single number invites a single answer. A range keeps the conversation open and signals that you have thought about it. Keep the range reasonably tight — a spread so wide it covers two job levels reads as guessing. Then attach the range to reasons: "Based on the scope described and what I've seen for this level in this market, I'm targeting something in the range of X to Y." Say it and stop. Do not apologize for it, and do not fill the silence with a discount.

If you are asked for your current salary

In many US jurisdictions employers are not allowed to ask what you currently earn, and where they can, you are not obliged to volunteer it. Redirect to what you are seeking: "I'd rather focus on what this role is worth — for the scope you've described I'm looking at X to Y." If pressed, a calm repetition of the same sentence works better than a debate. Your past pay is a fact about your past employer's budget, not about your value to this one.

When you truly don't know the market

Sometimes the role is unusual, or you are changing fields. It is acceptable to say so and ask: "This is a slightly different scope from my last role, so I'd value knowing the range you have in mind before I anchor to a number." Most interviewers respect the honesty, and the information you get is worth more than a guess.

Total compensation is the real question

Base salary is one component. Before you name a range, know what else matters to you: bonus structure, equity, retirement matching, health coverage, remote flexibility, and title. A slightly lower base with a strong bonus and matching can be the better offer. Mention early that you evaluate the whole package; it gives both sides room later.

Delivery matters as much as the number

Say your range in the same tone you would use to state your notice period — neutral, factual, brief. Nervous laughter, hedging phrases ("I know that might be a lot") and immediate flexibility ("but I'm open to anything") all signal that the number is soft. Practice the sentence aloud until it sounds ordinary. It is ordinary; you are simply naming what the work is worth.

What happens next

If your range is above their budget, a good recruiter will say so, and you can decide whether the other components make up the gap. If it is within budget, you have set a productive anchor for the offer stage. Either way you have avoided the two real failures: pricing yourself out of a conversation you wanted, and pricing yourself below what they were prepared to pay.