How to Figure Out a Salary Increase Percentage

Not all jobs are created equal and, while the average for federal workers is determined by Congress and ranges from one to three percent, other types of work may not meet those same percentages. If you want to ask for a raise, it's important to be informed about the salary percentage increase to ask for.

Why Are Salary Percentage Increases Different?

There are a number of factors that impact the amount of a . Before you decide on how much you should ask for, you'll need to research things like:

Inflation
Your location (or the location of the job)
Job sector

Civilian
Private sector
Government

Your job performance

All of these things affect how much your salary increase should be.

Reasons You Might Not Get the Salary Increase Percentage You Want

Asking for a salary increase is not the most pleasant experience. You risk being vulnerable to ask for the pay rate you feel you deserve. Before asking for a salary increase, ask yourself if any of these things might apply to your work performance.

1. You Don't Apply Yourself

Even if you clock in every day, are you really doing your best job? Putting in time is not the same as putting in effort. Take time to honestly evaluate if you've improved yourself in your area of expertise, to provide more to your employer than you did last year (or during your last evaluation).

2. You Are Frequently Absent

Absenteeism is difficult for employers so if you find yourself taking too many days or hours off work, you might not be seen as an important part of the organization, because you're not reliable.

3. You're Not a Team Player

Not everyone does well on teams, but organizations that have a great work culture, have great teams. Do you accentuate your teams? Do you work with them to help improve your organization overall?

4. You Don't Improve Your Skill Sets

Have you taken time to invest in your own professional growth and experience? Salary increases are more likely to happen if your employer sees you trying to improve the skills you came with, or learning new skills that enhance your performance. These are just some of the most common reasons employees may not receive the salary increases they seek.

However, if you've applied yourself fully, work well with your teams, and show up with your best foot forward and a great attitude, you have a much better foundation to stand on when asking for a raise.

How Often Should You Get a Raise?

Generally speaking, once you have worked for a company for one year, you would ideally receive a raise. Frequently this is after a performance evaluation, but not always. While not all companies do this, it's a relatively standard practice.

However, there may be instances when you should expect a raise outside of these events:

You take on new roles
You gain more credentials such as certifications, education, etc.
Your responsibilities increase
You're promoted
You're moved to a new/different department

These are reasons you might need to ask for a salary increase, but your employer may not realize it. In such cases, it falls to you to ask for what you feel you should receive for compensation.

How to Negotiate Your Salary on Your Own

Before negotiating your salary, make sure that you:

Stay positive
Watch your timing
Determine how much you want
Collect supporting evidence of your value
Put in extra effort

Your supervisor and colleagues will notice these things, once you begin showcasing them. If you want to get a higher salary increase percentage, you'll need to show that you deserve it.

Once you've exhibited your value as an employee, then you should have more success in negotiating your salary increase. You can choose to ask for a salary increase in person, by snail mail, by email, or over the phone, but whichever way you choose to do it, you should be prepared with the right information to make a compelling case:

The position you hold
The duties you perform
Specialized skills, certifications, or knowledge that fortifies your value
The average salary increase percentage for your position

To calculate the right salary increase percentage in your field, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the averages are:

Work Field	Increase in percentage
Civilian Workers	4.2%
Private Industry Workers	4.6%
State and Local Government Workers	2.4%

Based on your employment sector, use these numbers as a general guide to calculate how much your salary increase percentage should be.

Establish Your Salary Increase Percentage With DoNotPay

It can be time-consuming and frustrating to figure out how to negotiate your salary but DoNotPay can help in four easy steps. All you have to do is:

Search "negotiate my salary" on DoNotPay.
Enter the name of your company and the industry you work in, so we can find the right wage statistics for your role.
Answer a series of questions regarding your qualifications and achievements, relocation expenses, and other job offers if applicable.
Enter the new base salary you would like to request.

And that's it! Once the information is finalized, DoNotPay will generate an official salary negotiation letter that you can then email or present to your employer!