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Negotiating pay when a range is posted

A posted range tells you what the employer expects to pay. Compare it with official pay for the same job and country, then ask for a figure you can justify.

Check a posted range

Nothing you enter is stored. Official figures come from our pay sources by country.

How to negotiate within a range

  1. 1. Read the range as the employer's budget

    The bottom is usually for someone who meets the basic requirements; the top is for someone who brings more than the advert asks for. Decide honestly where your experience and skills put you.

  2. 2. Check it against official pay

    Use the checker above. If the whole range sits below the median for the job, there may be room to ask for the upper end, or a reason to ask what else comes with the job.

  3. 3. Ask once, with a reason

    Name one figure inside the range and back it with evidence: a qualification, results from past work, or a skill the advert lists. Asking for more than the top of a posted range rarely works unless you bring much more than the job needs.

  4. 4. Look at the whole offer

    Allowances, transport, housing, medical cover, training, leave and a review date can matter as much as the basic pay, and are sometimes easier to change.

  5. 5. Get it in writing

    Before you accept, make sure the pay, its period (month or year) and anything you agreed are in your offer letter or contract.

These steps are CareerProof guidance, not legal or financial advice.

Pay-transparency laws

European Union

  • Applicants have the right to information on the starting pay, or its range, for the job, for example in the job advert or before the interview, so that pay can be negotiated in an informed way. (Source: European Union (EUR-Lex))
  • Employers may not ask applicants about their pay history in current or previous jobs. (Source: European Union (EUR-Lex))
  • EU countries had to bring these rules into national law by 7 June 2026; check how your country has done so. (Source: European Union (EUR-Lex))

California, United States

New York State, United States

  • Employers with four or more employees must list a compensation range for advertised jobs, promotions and transfers: a minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly rate. (Source: New York State Department of Labor)

CareerProof guidance

Where no law requires a range, you can still ask the employer for the pay range before or at the first interview. In Uganda, Kenya and many other countries, public-sector jobs are paid on published salary scales: see the pay figures on each career page.