How to Answer "What Are Your Salary Expectations?"

A job seeker on r/jobs did exactly what most advice columns tell you to do. Asked for their salary expectations, they said they were "open to negotiation," and then waited for a negotiation that never came. The recruiter moved on. No counteroffer, no range, no conversation.

That thread is worth reading because it captures the trap so precisely. Name a number too high and you're screened out. Name one too low and you fund the company's savings for the next three years. Say nothing and you look like you didn't do your homework.

Here's what the data says about which of those risks is real. Roughly 3 in 10 US workers asked for higher pay the last time they were hired. Among the ones who did ask, 38% got more than the original offer and another 28% got exactly what they requested (Pew Research Center, N=5,775). Two-thirds of askers came out ahead. Most people never ask.

The fix isn't a clever dodge. It's a researched range, built from three specific numbers, delivered in a sentence you've said out loud before.

Key Takeaways

• "I'm open to negotiation" isn't an answer. To a recruiter it reads as no market research done.
• Ask for their budgeted range first, once, in the recruiter screen. Then answer regardless of what they say.
• Build your range from three numbers: floor (lowest you'd truly accept), target (what you want), anchor (target plus 10-15%). Quote target-to-anchor, never floor-to-target.
• 38% of people who asked for more pay got more than they were offered; 28% got exactly what they asked (Pew Research Center, N=5,775).
• Never anchor to your current salary. Roughly 22 states bar employers from asking. Volunteering it gives that protection back.

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Why Do Employers Ask About Salary Expectations?

It's a budget-alignment screen, and its meaning has shifted. About 57.8% of US job postings on Indeed listed pay information in September 2024, up from 52.2% a year earlier and roughly 18% in 2020 (Indeed Hiring Lab). When the range is already published, the question stops being discovery and starts being calibration.

Four reasons a recruiter asks, roughly in order of how often each is the real one:

• Budget fit. They have an approved range. They need to know whether you're inside it before booking four more people's calendars.
• Time. If you want $140k and the band tops out at $105k, both of you would rather know in week one than week five.
• Market realism. Your number tells them whether you've researched the role. That signal matters more than the number itself.
• The uncharitable one. Some employers do hope you'll name something low. It happens. It's not the majority case, and treating every recruiter as an adversary is how people end up with no answer at all.

That last point is where Reddit threads usually go off the rails. It's worth remembering this is one question among many in a screen, and it gets weighted about as heavily as the rest. Our rundown of the most common job interview questions puts it in context. The cynicism is understandable. 84% of job seekers in one January 2026 survey said they believe companies hide pay to reduce workers' negotiating power (Patriot Software / Pollfish, N=1,000). But suspicion isn't a strategy. You still have to say something.

As of August 2026, 18 US states plus Washington, D.C. have pay transparency laws on the books, and roughly a dozen require a salary range in the posting itself (Jackson Lewis, 2026). If you're interviewing in one of those states, the recruiter usually already published a number. The question they're asking is whether you read it.

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Why "I'm Open to Negotiation" Fails

It fails because it answers a question nobody asked. Two-thirds of US workers who asked for higher pay when last hired ended up ahead of the original offer (Pew Research Center, N=5,775), and "I'm open to negotiation" isn't asking. The recruiter needs a yes or no on range fit. "Flexible" returns neither.

It also burns your one chance to shape the conversation. Negotiation researchers have a name for what you're giving up: the first credible figure introduced into a discussion pulls every subsequent number toward it. That's the anchoring heuristic, first documented by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and reliably reproduced in negotiation settings since (Harvard Program on Negotiation).

Declining to anchor doesn't keep you safe. It just means they anchor instead.

Here's the same candidate, twice:

❌ "I'm open to negotiation."

✅ "I'm flexible depending on the full package, but based on what I'm seeing for similar roles in this market, I'm targeting $88,000 to $102,000."

Both sentences are cooperative. Only one of them tells the recruiter what to do next. The second version keeps the flexibility and adds the thing the first one was missing: a number.

There's a second cost, and it's the one people underestimate. Vagueness reads as unpreparedness. From the employer's side of the table, a candidate who can't name a range for their own role sounds like a candidate who hasn't checked what their role pays. That's a competence signal, not a negotiation signal, and it follows you into the rest of the interview.

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How Do You Build Your Salary Range Before the Interview?

You need three numbers, not two. Most advice stops at "give a range," which is where the real mistake starts: people put the salary they want at the top of the range they say out loud, which guarantees they land below it.

Build it like this:

• Floor: the lowest number you'd genuinely accept. If you'd turn it down, it doesn't belong in the range you quote. Ever.
• Target: what you actually want. This is the number you're optimizing for.
• Anchor: your target plus 10-15%. This is the top of your stated range, and it's the room you have to concede.

Then quote target-to-anchor, not floor-to-target.

Want $90,000? Say "$88,000 to $102,000." Say "$80,000 to $90,000" and you'll get $82,000, because employers hear the bottom of your range as your real ask. Your floor is information for you. It's not information for them.

The rule in one line: your target belongs in the bottom third of the range you say out loud, not at the top of it.

Now go find the numbers. In rough order of reliability:

1. The posted range, if there is one. It's the only figure that's specific to this employer and this job.
2. Ten to fifteen current postings for the same title, same seniority, same metro, that list ranges. Under transparency laws these are plentiful, and they beat every aggregator because they're live and employer-stated.
3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for median and percentile wages by occupation and metro area. Slower-moving, but it's a census rather than a sample of volunteers.
4. Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, Payscale, Salary.com. Useful for shape and spread. Self-reported, so treat any single figure as noisy.

One thing to get right before you start looking up numbers: know which level you're actually being hired at, because a half-step difference in scope moves the band more than any negotiation will. Our role playbooks for software engineers, product managers, and data analysts break down what employers expect at each level in 2026, and the city guides, San Francisco Bay Area among them, cover how much local market conditions move the number.

Write your three numbers down before the call. Not in your head. On paper, where you can see them while someone is asking you a question you're nervous about.

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What If the Salary Range Is Already Posted?

Reference it directly, then place yourself in the upper-middle with a reason. But read the width first: posted salary ranges average roughly a 17% spread between their low and high ends (HR Dive, citing Indeed data), so anything much wider is telling you something. Here's the part almost nobody explains: the posted band is usually not the hiring band.

So when a posting spans $80,000 to $140,000, a 75% spread, you're almost certainly looking at a full compensation band rather than a new-hire range. The top of that band belongs to someone who's been in the role for four years and had two strong review cycles. It was never on offer to an external candidate.

Practical translation: treat the posted midpoint as your realistic ceiling unless you clearly over-match the requirements.

Wide bands carry a second cost. Across four studies, including an archival analysis of nearly 10 million US job postings, Alice Lee, Tae-Youn Park, and Sungyong Chang found that women disproportionately avoid roles with wide posted ranges, an effect they trace largely to higher average risk aversion (Journal of Applied Psychology, via Cornell, February 2026). Applicants who chose narrower-range roles also negotiated less assertively and settled more readily for a midpoint offer.

The study's fix is the part you can use. When postings included context about typical starting salaries, the gap in negotiation behavior disappeared. You can supply that context yourself: look up what the role actually starts at, and a 75% band stops being intimidating. It becomes a number with a knowable midpoint.

Use when: a range is posted and you're comfortably inside it.

"The posted range of $95,000 to $115,000 lines up with what I'm targeting. Based on my background and what I understand about the scope so far, I'd expect to land in the upper half, somewhere around $107,000 to $115,000, depending on the full package."

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Should You Ask for Their Range First?

Yes, once, early, and framed as alignment rather than deflection. You're not being rude by asking: 60% of employed US workers now say they won't even apply to a job that doesn't list a salary range (Monster, Pollfish, N=1,000+, January 2026). Wanting the number before you commit to one is mainstream. The recruiter screen is the right moment to ask, though. By round three with the hiring manager, basic budget questions signal you weren't paying attention.

Use when: they ask you first, and no range is posted.

"I'm happy to discuss compensation. Could you share the approved range for this role, so I can make sure we're aligned before we go further?"

Then one of three things happens.

They share it. Answer inside it, aim upper-half, and give a reason tied to scope rather than to your needs. If you're unsure what the scope actually is, that's a signal to ask. Our list of questions to ask an employer covers the ones that surface real responsibilities.

"That's helpful, thank you. Based on the responsibilities we've discussed and my experience with [specific relevant thing], I'd be targeting the upper half of that range."

They decline. Give your researched range immediately, without trading silence for silence, and hand the alignment question back.

"Understood. Based on my research for similar roles in this market, I'm targeting $88,000 to $102,000, depending on responsibilities and total compensation. Is that in line with what you have budgeted?"

They push back. Give the number. Do not ask a second time.

That last rule matters more than it sounds. Asking once reads as prepared. Asking twice reads as difficult, and difficult candidates get quietly deprioritized. The Reddit advice to refuse outright, "that's inappropriate to ask before an offer," may be defensible in principle, but recruiters have twelve other people in the pipeline and no obligation to win an argument with you. Firm and combative aren't the same thing.

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What Do You Put for Desired Salary on an Application Form?

Enter your target, not your floor and not your anchor. An application form has no negotiation step and no recovery. Whatever you type becomes the number attached to your record, and roughly 44% of job seekers already say they're unlikely to apply at all when a posting shows no range (Patriot Software / Pollfish, N=1,000, January 2026).

A few field-specific rules:

• Single number field: your target. The floor is for conversations, not forms.
• Numeric-only field: don't type "negotiable" or "N/A." Some applicant tracking systems reject the submission outright, and you'll never hear why.
• The $0 and $999,999 tricks: skip them. A human reads that field eventually, and knockout rules may filter you before they do.
• A range is posted: pick a number inside it. Going outside a published band on a form, with no context and no conversation, is the cleanest way to get filtered.
• Hourly vs. annual: check which one the field wants. A $52 typed into an annual field is a bad day.

If your applications keep disappearing at this stage, the form may not be the problem. It's worth checking whether the posting was real in the first place. Our guide to ghost jobs covers how to spot listings that were never going to hire anyone.

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Should You Ever Mention Your Current Salary?

No. Salary history bans now cover roughly 22 states plus Washington, D.C., barring employers from asking the question at all (SHRM, 2026), and the reasoning behind those laws holds even where they don't apply. Your current pay is a fact about your last employer's budget, not about this role's value, and it damages you in both directions. Underpaid now? They'll use it to justify underpaying you next. Well paid now? They may write you off as expensive before anyone discusses scope.

Those bans extend to about 23 local jurisdictions on top of the state laws, and Virginia's took effect on July 1, 2026 (HR Dive). They generally bar employers from asking about past pay while still permitting questions about expectations, which is precisely why the expectations question became the standard one.

Rules vary by state and change often, so check your state's current requirements rather than relying on a summary. This is general information, not legal advice.

The practical point is simpler than the legal one. In a lot of places the law removed that number from the conversation on your behalf. Volunteering it anyway hands the protection straight back.

❌ "I make $85,000 now, so I'd need at least $90,000."

✅ "Given the scope of this role and the skills it calls for, my baseline is $95,000."

Same candidate. One answer is priced off last year's employer. The other is priced off this year's job.

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How Does Your Leverage Change the Answer?

Leverage changes your tone and your floor. It doesn't change whether you name a number, because everyone names a number. Only about 3 in 10 US workers asked for higher pay the last time they were hired, yet 38% of those who asked got more than the original offer and another 28% got exactly what they requested (Pew Research Center, N=5,775). What leverage shifts is how much room you leave and how firmly you hold it.

If you have leverage (currently employed, running multiple processes, specialized skills, senior scope), be direct and let the number filter for you.

Use when: you're employed and not desperate to move.

"I'm happy where I am, so for me to make a move I'd be looking at $130,000 to $145,000, depending on the full package and the growth path."

If you have less leverage (unemployed, entry-level, changing industries, needing sponsorship, hunting in a crowded market), widen the range slightly and keep your floor honest. What you don't do is abandon the number.

Use when: you're unemployed and need to stay in the running.

"I'm flexible for the right opportunity. Based on the role and the market, I'm targeting $72,000 to $85,000. I'd like to understand the full package and see where we line up."

Notice what's missing from that second script: any mention of rent, savings, or how long you've been looking. Never negotiate from need. Need is a fact about you; value is a fact about the role, and only one of those belongs in the conversation.

While we're on the full package: salary is one line of it. Base, bonus, equity, 401(k) match, health premiums, PTO, remote flexibility, on-call load, and learning budget all move the real number. Around 40% of workers say they'd take a pay cut of 5% or more to protect their flexibility (The Hill, 2025). That's a trade you're allowed to name out loud, and it's a good reason to ask what the package includes before you commit to a figure.

The best version of this conversation starts long before the interview. If you're applying to roles at the wrong level or in the wrong market, no script rescues the compensation talk. You're negotiating against a band that was never going to fit. Jobstrack.io watches company career pages and tells you when matching roles go up, so more of your applications are for jobs actually worth negotiating over. Our guide to monitoring company career pages covers the approach whether or not you use a tool for it.

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Salary Expectation Scripts for Every Situation

Eleven answers, each labeled with when to use it. Adapt the numbers; keep the structure.

1. The general answer.

"Based on my research for similar roles in this market, I'm targeting $88,000 to $102,000, depending on the full responsibilities and total compensation package."

2. They asked first, and no range is posted.

"I'm happy to discuss compensation. Could you share the approved range for this role, so I can make sure we're aligned?"

3. A range is posted.

"The posted range works for me. Based on my background and the scope we've discussed, I'd expect to be in the upper-middle of it."

4. They refused to share their range.

"No problem. Based on my research, I'm targeting $88,000 to $102,000, depending on scope and benefits. Does that fit the budget you have for this role?"

5. They insist on one number.

"If I had to give a single figure, $95,000, with some flexibility depending on the full package and the final scope of the role."

6. You need to buy time early in the process.

"I'd like to understand the scope, team expectations, and benefits a bit better before committing to a figure. Based on market data, I'm currently thinking in the $88,000 to $102,000 range."

7. You're currently employed.

"I'm happy in my current role, so for me to move I'd be looking at $130,000 to $145,000, depending on the package and the growth opportunity."

8. You're unemployed.

"I'm flexible for the right opportunity. Based on the role and market, I'm targeting $72,000 to $85,000, and I'd like to see the full package before we settle on a number."

9. Your range is probably above their budget.

"That may sit above your current range, and I understand if so. If there's flexibility based on experience, or other compensation components worth discussing, I'm open to looking at the whole package."

10. Their range is too low for you.

"Thanks for being straightforward. Based on where I need to be, we may be a bit far apart. I appreciate the transparency and don't want to take up your time if the budget is fixed."

11. An application form with one field.

Enter your target as a clean number. No text, no ranges, no placeholders.

What Not to Say

• "I'm open to negotiation" with no range attached. The whole problem, in five words.
• "Whatever you think is fair." This invites the lowest number they can defend.
• "I currently make $X, so I need more than that." Prices you off your old job.
• "That question is inappropriate." Sometimes true. Usually ends the conversation.
• A range whose bottom you'd refuse. You just agreed to it. That's what a range is.
• A number far outside a posted band, unless you're genuinely prepared to walk.
• Rent, mortgage, childcare, or debt. Real, and not their pricing input.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Salary Expectations

Should I give a number when asked about salary expectations?

Yes. Give a researched range unless you can get their budgeted range first. Vague answers read as unpreparedness. Among US workers who did ask for higher pay when last hired, 38% got more than the original offer and 28% got exactly what they asked (Pew Research Center, N=5,775).

Should I ask for the salary range first?

Yes, once, during the recruiter screen: "Could you share the approved range for this role?" If they decline, give your researched range immediately rather than trading silence. Don't ask twice, because prepared becomes difficult fast, and by the hiring-manager round you should already know the number.

What if the salary range is already posted?

Reference it and place yourself in the upper-middle with a scope-based reason. Watch the width: posted ranges average roughly a 17% spread (HR Dive, citing Indeed), so a much wider band is likely a full compensation band. Treat its midpoint as your realistic ceiling.

Should I tell them my current salary?

No. Salary history bans in roughly 22 states plus D.C. already bar employers from asking (SHRM, 2026), and volunteering the number gives that protection back. Anchor on the value of the new role instead: "Given the scope and skills required, my baseline is $X."

What if my salary expectation is too high?

Ask whether there's flexibility or other compensation components worth discussing. If the budget is fixed and sits below your floor, finding out in week one beats finding out in week five. About 57.8% of US postings now list pay (Indeed Hiring Lab), so most mismatches are catchable before you apply.

What if I'm unemployed and need the job?

Widen your range slightly, keep your floor honest, and still name a number. "I'll take anything" invites the lowest offer they can justify. Around 40% of workers would accept a 5%+ pay cut for flexibility (The Hill, 2025). Trading deliberately is fine; trading blindly isn't.

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The Short Version

The salary expectations question isn't a trick question, and it isn't a test you can pass by being clever. It's a checkpoint. Both sides are confirming they're in the same ballpark before anyone spends four more rounds finding out they aren't.

So do the small amount of preparation that makes it easy:

• Name a number. Silence isn't safety. It just lets them anchor instead of you.
• Build the range from three numbers. Floor, target, anchor. Quote target-to-anchor.
• Ask for their range once, in the recruiter screen, then answer regardless of what they say.
• Read a wide posted band as ambiguity, not opportunity. Aim at the midpoint.
• Never anchor to your current salary, and never negotiate from need.
• Judge the whole package, then pick your number.

The strongest answer in this entire article fits in one sentence, and it's worth saying out loud a few times before your next call:

"Based on my research for similar roles in this market, I'm targeting $X to $Y, depending on the full responsibilities and total compensation package. Is that in line with what you have budgeted?"

Then stop talking. The next move is theirs.

Once you get through this question, the thank you email is the next thing on your list. And if the budget genuinely can't stretch, replying well to the rejection keeps the door open for the role they post next quarter.

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References

1. Pew Research Center: When negotiating starting salaries, most U.S. women and men don't ask for higher pay (2023, N=5,775)
2. Indeed Hiring Lab: Salary Transparency: Growth Slows, but Momentum Continues (October 2024)
3. Jackson Lewis: Navigating 2026 Pay Transparency Laws and Employer Obligations (2026)
4. SHRM: State by State: Salary History Bans and Pay Transparency Laws (2026)
5. HR Dive: Salary history bans: a running list of states and localities (2026)
6. HR Dive: To make job postings pop, tighten salary ranges, Indeed recommends (2023)
7. Harvard Business Review: Posting a Wide Salary Range Can Deter Women from Applying (Lee, Park & Chang, February 2026)
8. Harvard Program on Negotiation: What is Anchoring in Negotiation? (2025)
9. Patriot Software: 44% Won't Apply Without Pay Transparency (Hiring Survey) (Pollfish, N=1,000, January 2026)
10. The Hill: Workers want flexibility, even if it lowers their pay (2025)
11. US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2025)
12. r/jobs: "What is your salary expectations," is this a gate? (discussion source)
13. Sora Shimazaki: Professional man interviewing an applicant, on Pexels (photo)
14. Tima Miroshnichenko: Man in blue dress shirt talking, on Pexels (photo)
15. Mikhail Nilov: Person calculating on a notebook, on Pexels (photo)