How to Ask for a Pay Rise in the UK (With Example Wording)

A practical UK guide to asking for a pay rise: your legal position, when to ask, how to build your case and research pay, what to say in the meeting and in writing, and what to do if the answer is no.

By Tony Musso on Sun Oct 18 2026

Asking for a pay rise feels awkward for most people, and in the UK it is often left until frustration has built up. It goes better when you treat it as a normal business conversation: you bring evidence, a figure and a clear request, and your manager has something concrete to take to whoever approves pay.

This guide covers the rules, the timing, how to build your case, what to say in the meeting, how to put it in writing, and what to do if the answer is no.

Do you have a right to a pay rise in the UK?

In short, no. There is no general legal right to a pay rise in the UK. Your employer has to pay you what your contract says, and that is all the law requires, with a few important exceptions:

• National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage. The legal minimum rates usually go up every April. If you are paid at or near the minimum, your employer must raise your pay to at least the new rate.
• Your contract or pay structure. Some contracts include annual increments or pay progression. NHS staff on Agenda for Change, for example, move up pay steps within their band, and many public sector roles have national pay awards. If your contract promises a rise, your employer has to honour it.
• Equal pay. Under the Equality Act 2010, men and women doing equal work for the same employer are entitled to equal pay. You are also protected if you discuss your pay with colleagues to find out whether there is pay discrimination, even if your contract has a confidentiality clause.

Outside those situations, a pay rise is something you negotiate. That is why the preparation matters more than the conversation itself.

When to ask

Timing can make the difference between "yes" and "not this year".

• Before budgets are set, not after. Many employers fix next year's salary budget months ahead. Find out when your organisation's pay review or financial year happens and raise it before that point.
• At your appraisal, or just before it. If your employer links pay to annual reviews, flag in advance that you want to discuss pay so your manager can prepare.
• After a clear win. Finishing a big project, landing a client, covering a vacancy or taking on new responsibilities gives you a natural reason to talk.
• When your role has grown. If you are doing noticeably more than the job you were hired for, that is one of the strongest cases you can make.

Times to avoid: in the middle of redundancies, straight after poor results, or in a corridor five minutes before your manager's next meeting.

Build your evidence

Your manager may agree with you but still need to justify the decision to someone else. Give them the material to do that. For the six to twelve months before you ask, keep a simple record of:

• Results. Targets hit, money saved or brought in, problems fixed, complaints resolved. Use numbers where you genuinely have them.
• Extra responsibility. People you train or supervise, systems you own, work you have absorbed from a colleague who left.
• Feedback. Emails from clients or colleagues, comments in your appraisal.
• New skills and qualifications. Anything that makes you more valuable than when your pay was last set.

A personal development plan is a useful place to keep this, because it links what you have done to where you want to go next.

Research what the role pays

A pay request lands better with a realistic figure behind it. Look at:

• Job adverts for similar roles in your area and sector, noting the salary ranges.
• TonyKnows career data. Our UK salaries by career page brings together starting, mid-career and senior pay ranges for a wide range of roles, so you can see roughly where your experience sits.
• Internal pay bands, if your employer publishes them. In the public sector and many larger companies, these tell you the range for your grade.
• Recruiters, who can usually tell you what similar roles are paying now.

Decide on a specific figure, or a narrow range, and be ready to explain where it comes from. "I'd like more" is easy to turn down. "Similar roles locally advertise at this level, and here's what I've taken on this year" is much harder.

How to ask in the meeting

Ask for a dedicated meeting rather than raising it in passing. Something like: "Could we find 30 minutes in the next couple of weeks? I'd like to talk about my pay and development."

In the meeting:

1. Open plainly. Say why you are there at the start, not at the end.
2. Lead with your contribution. Two or three of your strongest examples, briefly.
3. Name your figure. Then stop talking and let your manager respond.
4. Listen. Your manager may not be able to decide on the spot. That is normal.
5. Agree next steps. Who will do what, and when you will hear back.

Keep it about value and the market, not about personal costs. Rising bills are real, but the case your manager can take upwards is about the job you do.

What to say: example wording

You can adapt this to your own situation:

"Thanks for making the time. I wanted to talk about my salary. Over the past year I've taken on the supplier contracts that used to sit with James, I've trained the two new starters, and I led the switch to the new booking system, which has cut the time we spend on rebookings. I've looked at what similar roles pay locally, and I'd like to ask for my salary to move to £32,000. I'd really value your view on that, and on what the process would be."

If your manager asks you to justify the figure, refer back to your research. If they ask whether you are looking elsewhere, answer honestly but calmly. It is fine to say you would rather progress where you are.

For more scripts, including how to respond to a counter-offer, see our guide to salary negotiation in the UK.

Put it in writing

After the meeting, send a short email so there is a clear record. It helps your manager when they make the case to HR or finance, and it protects you if your manager moves on.

Subject: Follow-up on our conversation about my salary Hi Sarah, Thank you for meeting with me today. As discussed, I'd like to ask for my salary to be reviewed, with a proposed increase to £32,000. In summary, over the past year I have: - taken over the supplier contracts previously managed by James - trained and supported our two new starters - led the move to the new booking system You mentioned you would speak to finance and come back to me by the end of next month. Please let me know if it would help to provide anything else. Best wishes, Priya

If a rise is agreed, ask for it to be confirmed in writing, with the new salary and the date it starts. By law, your employer must tell you in writing about changes to your main terms, including pay, within one month of the change.

If the answer is no

A "no" is often "not now". Use it to get something useful:

• Ask what would need to change. "What would I need to show for this to be a yes at the next review?" Get specific goals, and agree a date to revisit.
• Ask about the pay band. If you are at the top of your grade, the route to more pay may be promotion rather than a rise.
• Consider non-pay benefits. Extra annual leave, training funded by your employer, a better job title, more pension contributions or a clearer path to promotion all have value.
• Ask for flexible working. You have the right to request flexible working from your first day with an employer. More flexibility can be worth a lot, and our flexible working request guide includes a template.

Stay professional, even if you are disappointed. How you handle a "no" is noticed, and it shapes the next conversation.

When to look elsewhere

Sometimes the honest answer is that your employer cannot or will not pay more. Signs it may be time to move on:

• You have been told "next year" more than once, with no clear criteria.
• Advertised roles like yours consistently pay noticeably more.
• There is no realistic route to promotion where you are.
• Pay is the symptom, and you have stopped enjoying or growing in the work.

Changing employer is often the quickest way to a meaningful increase, but it is worth being clear about what you want from your next role before you start applying. Pay matters, but so do the people, the hours, the work itself and the chance to grow.

Work out what matters to you beyond the payslip Work Fit shows which working conditions, values and environments suit you, so your next move, or your next conversation with your manager, is about more than money.

Take Work Fit

If you are thinking about a bigger change, Career Compass suggests careers that match your interests and strengths, with UK pay for each.

Not sure which direction fits? A career test can narrow the field, if you pick one that shows its reasoning.