How to Answer 'What Are Your Salary Expectations?' (2026)

When a recruiter asks “What are your salary expectations?”, the strongest play is: deflect once to learn their range, and if pressed, anchor with a researched range whose bottom is a number you’d genuinely accept. Whoever names a number first sets the frame — so make sure your number, when you give one, is armed with data.

Do the Research Before Anyone Asks

You cannot anchor without data, and in 2026 the data is unusually good. Triangulate three sources:

levels.fyi — the standard for tech compensation. It breaks pay into base, equity, and bonus by company, level, and location, which matters because a “$180K” offer at a big tech company might really be $280K total compensation. Even outside tech, its company-specific data beats generic averages. Cross-check with Glassdoor and Payscale for non-tech roles; each has different reporting biases, so where two of three agree, you’re close to truth.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program publishes median and percentile wages by occupation and metro area. It runs 12–18 months behind the market and excludes equity, so treat BLS numbers as a floor, not a target — but it’s the most defensible source you can cite out loud, and it covers every occupation, not just tech.

Live postings in your market. Because of pay transparency laws (below), a large share of US postings now carry salary ranges. Pull ten postings for your target role and seniority in your location and you have a real-time distribution no survey can match. This is the fastest research method available and most candidates still skip it.

From this, write down three numbers before your first call: your walk-away (below this you decline), your target (satisfied), and your reach (top of market for your profile). Every script below runs off these three numbers.

The Deflect-Then-Anchor Playbook

The sequence has two moves, and the order matters.

Move 1 — Deflect once, to extract their range. Most companies have a budgeted band before they post the role. Asking for it isn’t cheeky; it’s efficient, and post-transparency-law, recruiters increasingly expect the question. Deflecting also protects you from anchoring low when you’re missing information about scope or total comp.

Move 2 — If pressed, anchor with a range, top-weighted. Refusing twice turns a negotiation into a standoff and can end a screen. So when the deflection doesn’t work, give a researched range where the bottom is your target number — because companies gravitate to the bottom of any range you give. Never state a range whose floor you’d resent.

Exact Scripts for the Recruiter Screen

The screen is where this question almost always appears first, often in the first ten minutes. Keep it collaborative — the recruiter is not your adversary; they’re checking you’re in band.

The deflection:

“Compensation matters to me, but I’m more focused right now on whether the role’s the right fit. Can you share the range budgeted for this position? Happy to tell you right away whether we’re in the same ballpark.”

If they share a range that works: “That’s within the range I’m targeting — let’s keep going, and I’d want to look at the full package at offer stage.” You’ve confirmed fit without accepting the bottom of their band.

If they share a range that’s low: “I appreciate you sharing that. Based on my research and current market data for this role, I’m targeting [your range]. Is there flexibility, or is that band firm?” You find out in five minutes instead of five interviews.

If they push back and insist on your number:

“Sure. Based on levels.fyi and current postings for comparable roles in [location], I’m targeting a base between $145K and $165K, depending on the total package — equity, bonus, and benefits all factor in. Does that align with the band for this role?”

Note the mechanics: a source is named (it stops the number sounding like a wish), the range is top-weighted, and “depending on the total package” keeps every other lever open.

If the application form requires a number: put your target-to-reach range in a text field; if it forces a single number, use your reach. Written numbers become the ceiling, never the floor.

Scripts for Final Rounds and Hiring Managers

If the question resurfaces late in the process — from a hiring manager or in a final round — the dynamics have shifted in your favor: they’ve now invested hours in you. Be more direct and more anchored:

“At this stage I have a clear picture of the role, and I’m excited about it. For total compensation I’m targeting [reach number] — I’m basing that on current market data for this level and the scope we’ve discussed, which is broader than the original posting. I’m confident we can find a structure that works.”

Two upgrades from the screen version: a single number rather than a range (you have leverage now; use it), and a scope justification, because final rounds often reveal the job is bigger than advertised — that’s negotiating material.

If asked your current salary rather than expectations: over 20 US states and multiple cities ban that question, including California, New York, Colorado, Washington, and Illinois. Wherever you are, the right response is the same: “I keep past compensation confidential, but I’m happy to share what I’m targeting: [range].” Calm, forward-looking, done.

Negotiating After the Offer

The offer is where real negotiation starts — everything before was positioning. Rules for the moment the number lands:

Never accept on the call. However good it sounds: “Thank you — I’m really excited about this. I’d like a couple of days to review the full package. Can you send the details in writing?” Nobody rescinds an offer over 48 hours, and enthusiasm-plus-pause is the correct emotional register.

Counter once, precisely, with reasoning:

“I’ve reviewed the offer and I want to make this work. The base is below the data I’m seeing on levels.fyi and recent postings for this level in [metro] — comparable roles are landing around [number]. If you can bring the base to $X, I’m ready to sign.”

The closing commitment (“I’m ready to sign”) is what separates a negotiation from a fishing expedition, and it’s why single, specific counters outperform multiple rounds of nibbling.

Negotiate the whole package. If base is capped — common at companies with rigid bands — move to the other levers in rough order of long-term value: equity or RSUs, signing bonus (the easiest yes in most companies, since it’s one-time), annual bonus target, start date, extra PTO, remote flexibility, a written six-month review with defined raise criteria.

Get every change in writing before you resign from anything.

Candidates who negotiate typically gain thousands of dollars for a single slightly uncomfortable conversation — and that delta compounds, because your next raise and possibly your next job’s offer are computed off it. The main reason people leave it on the table isn’t strategy, it’s nerves: the words feel confrontational the first time they leave your mouth. That’s fixable with reps. Rehearse the deflection, the anchor, and the counter out loud until they’re boring — with a friend playing hardball recruiter, or with Alex, an AI interview coach, which can role-play the salary conversation and push back the way a real recruiter would.

US Pay Transparency Laws in 2026

The legal landscape has transformed this negotiation, and knowing it is leverage.

Where ranges must be posted. A growing bloc of states requires employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings, including California, Colorado, Washington, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, plus cities like NYC (which led the wave in 2022). Coverage thresholds and details vary by statute, but the practical effect is national: large employers hiring remotely tend to post ranges everywhere rather than maintain state-specific postings.

What it means tactically:

• The posted range is your starting map, not your ceiling. Some employers post wide, technically compliant bands (“$90K–$210K”); use your research to locate your level within it, and treat the midpoint-to-top as your working zone if your experience matches the role.
• You can ask for the range even where it isn’t legally required — several states (like Washington) also require disclosure on request, and the question has become normal everywhere. A company that refuses to give any range in 2026 is volunteering information about itself.
• Salary-history bans have real teeth. In ban states, employers can’t ask what you currently make or rely on it to set your offer. Your past pay is legally irrelevant to your next offer — negotiate off market data, not off your last paycheck.
• Check the specific statute for your state and the employer’s state before you rely on a protection; thresholds (employer size, remote-role coverage) differ, and new states join every legislative session.

FAQ

Should I ever give a single number instead of a range?

Yes, twice: late in the process when you have leverage (state your reach number), and when countering an offer (one precise ask, paired with “I’m ready to sign”). Early on, a top-weighted range keeps you in-band without capping yourself.

What if they ask my current salary and it’s legal where I live?

You’re still not obligated to answer. Redirect to expectations: “I keep past comp confidential, but I’m targeting [range].” No competent recruiter ends a process over that sentence — and one who would is telling you about the company.

Can an offer be rescinded because I negotiated?

It’s rare enough to be a non-factor if you negotiate professionally: one counter, market-based reasoning, stated enthusiasm, and a commitment to sign at your number. Offers get pulled over hostile tone or endless re-trading, not over a researched ask.

Should I name a lower number if I’m currently underpaid or was laid off?

No — that’s exactly what market anchoring protects you from. The role has a budget set before you applied; your personal situation doesn’t change it. Anchor to levels.fyi, BLS, and posted ranges, not to your last paycheck or your urgency.