Salary Expectations: How to Answer (and in Cover Letters)

TL;DR — "What are your salary expectations?" is an anchoring question, not a curiosity question. On a first screen, deflect once and ask for their budgeted range. If they press, give a tight range built from government wage data for your occupation, level, and metro — never a single low number, and never your current salary. Check the posting first: in a growing number of US states, the employer may already be required to publish that range or give it to you on request. And if a posting asks for salary requirements in your cover letter, give the same researched range in one closing sentence — if it doesn't ask, leave salary out of the letter.

It usually arrives about eleven minutes into a recruiter screen, right after the friendly part. So, what are your salary expectations? Whatever you say next can quietly cost you thousands of dollars a year for as long as you stay — and unlike most interview questions, the right answer depends entirely on what you know at the moment you're asked.

Salary requirements in a cover letter: the short answer

Put salary requirements in a cover letter only when the posting asks for them. When it does, give a researched range for the role and your area in one sentence in the closing paragraph, and say you're open to discussing it:

"Based on market data for similar roles in the Columbus area, my salary requirement for this position is $54,000 to $60,000, and I'm open to discussing the full compensation package."

If the posting doesn't ask, leave salary out of the letter. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's career center puts it plainly: don't mention salary "until an offer is on the table." Build the range from government wage data rather than from your current pay (the method is below), and set the bottom of it at a number you'd genuinely accept. Three more wordings, and what to do when a posting also asks for your salary history, are in the cover letter section further down.

Why they ask this so early

It's rarely curiosity. Knowing which of three reasons is driving the question changes how you answer:

• Budget screening. The most common reason. They have an approved band, and the fastest way to avoid wasting four rounds is to find out early whether you're inside it. A mismatch ends the process before anyone reads your résumé carefully.
• Anchoring. Every number that enters a negotiation pulls the final figure toward it. Name one first and you've set the ceiling on your own offer — employers rarely come back above it, even when their band went higher.
• Level calibration. Sometimes your number tells them which of two openings you fit, or whether you see yourself as a junior or a senior. It's read as a self-assessment.

Because it's a screening question, it's one of the few you can fail without ever being told — you just don't hear back.

Why answering first is usually a disadvantage

The problem is information asymmetry. They know the approved band, what the last person in the seat made, and what the other finalists asked for. You know none of that. Guessing into that gap goes wrong in two directions:

• Guess low and you get exactly what you asked for. Employers rarely correct a candidate upward. A number that undershoots the band by 12% is a 12% pay cut you volunteered for, and every future raise compounds off it.
• Guess high and you can be filtered out of a job you'd happily have taken at the real number, without ever hearing it.

So the default is to let them go first. This isn't gamesmanship — it's declining to bid against yourself in an auction where only one side can see the reserve price.

The honest exception: going first is fine when you actually have the information. If the range was posted, if you have a live competing offer, or if you have a hard floor, naming a number saves everyone time. The rule isn't "never say a number" — it's "never say a number you can't defend."

First, check whether the range is already yours

Before you plan an answer, reread the posting. Depending on where the job is, the employer may be legally required to have published the range — or to give it to you when you ask.

A number of US states and cities now have pay transparency laws. The specifics differ a lot; these are verified examples, not a complete list:

• California — as of January 1, 2023, an employer with 15 or more employees must include the pay scale for a position in any job posting. Separately, under Labor Code section 432.3, an employer must provide the pay scale for a position to an applicant on reasonable request (California Department of Industrial Relations).
• Washington — under the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, "employers with 15 or more employees must include a wage scale or salary range, a general description of all benefits, and a general description of other compensation in job postings" (Washington State Department of Labor & Industries).
• New York State — Labor Law section 194-B requires businesses with four or more employees to list compensation ranges for advertised job opportunities, promotions, and transfers, and prohibits retaliating against applicants who request that information (New York State Department of Labor).
• Massachusetts — since October 29, 2025, employers with 25 or more employees must disclose pay ranges in job postings and to applicants on request, under the state's Wage Transparency Act (Mass.gov).

How much do these laws change what you see? Among the 30 states with the most postings, the ten with a posted-range law in effect are the ten where postings most often show pay, as our pay transparency report shows.

A separate set of rules restricts salary history questions. In California, Labor Code section 432.3 prohibits employers from seeking an applicant's salary history information. In Washington, "employers cannot seek the wage or salary history of an applicant," though an employer may confirm salary after an offer including pay has been made and accepted.

Two things to take from this. First, salary history and salary expectations are different questions. Where history questions are restricted, asking what you're looking for generally still is not — so expect the expectations question everywhere, and know you never have to volunteer what you currently earn. Second, these rules vary by state and city, carry different employee-count thresholds, and change often. The examples above were verified against the linked government sources in August 2026; check your own state labor department, and treat this as background rather than legal advice.

If a range is posted, you don't need a strategy — just decide whether it works for you. And where disclosure is required, asking for it is an ordinary request:

"Before I give you a number — I saw this role is based in Seattle. Do you have the posted wage range handy? Happy to tell you where I land within it."

How to build a range from real data

A range you invented is worse than no range, because you'll abandon it the moment someone pushes. Here's how to build one you can defend, in about twenty minutes.

1. Find your occupation in government wage data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics runs the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, and its OEWS Profiles tool is the most useful free thing on the internet for this. Pick your occupation and a measure: it reports the annual 10th, 25th, median, 75th, and 90th percentile wage, sliced by state and by metropolitan area. The current release is the May 2025 estimates. For a friendlier interface over the same data, CareerOneStop's Salary Finder, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, covers more than 800 occupations by location. Unsure which occupation title your job maps to? Start with the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

2. Use the metro figure, not the national one. Don't do cost-of-living arithmetic on a national median yourself; the metro table already reflects local conditions and beats anything you'd derive.

3. Adjust for level — the step everyone skips. An OEWS figure covers everyone in that occupation, from first-day hires to twenty-year veterans, so the median is not the entry-level number. A reasonable way to read the table: for a genuinely entry-level role, weight toward the 10th–25th percentile band; for a role wanting a few years of experience, the median to 75th. Quoting a national median for a junior job is the most common way people price themselves out.

4. Triangulate against live postings. Government survey data lags — as of August 2026 the current release reflects May 2025 — so cross-check against ranges posted right now for the same title in the same metro, plus your school's or professional association's starting-salary report. Look for the cluster, not a single data point.

5. Land on three numbers. A floor you'd decline below, a target that's fair for the market, and a stretch you'd be delighted with.

Now the mechanic that matters most: the bottom of the range you say out loud is the only number they hear. So your spoken range runs target to stretch, and your floor stays private. Keep the spread tight, roughly 10–15% — a $70,000–$120,000 range tells the recruiter you did no research at all.

The three legitimate plays

There are three defensible answers. Which is right depends on how much you know when the question lands.

Play 1 — deflect and redirect

Use it when: it's a first recruiter screen, no range was posted, and you haven't heard the real scope yet. This is your default.

"I'd love to get there — I just want to make sure I understand the scope first, since the range for this kind of role varies a lot depending on how much ownership it carries. Do you have a budgeted range for the position? I can tell you pretty quickly whether we're in the same neighborhood."

That last sentence is what makes it work: a bare deflection sounds evasive, one that promises a fast answer sounds collaborative. Recruiters almost always have a band, and many will just tell you — then you're answering with information instead of guessing.

Play 2 — give a researched range

Use it when: they've described the scope, the posting listed a range, or they've now asked twice. Deflecting again starts to read as difficult.

"Based on what I've seen for similar roles in this metro at this level, I've been targeting somewhere in the $78,000 to $88,000 range. That said, I'm looking at the whole package, so if the rest of it is strong there's some room in that."

Two things do the work: you cited a basis rather than a feeling, and left a door open without undercutting yourself.

Play 3 — name a single number

Use it when: you have strong information — a posted range, a live competing offer, or a hard number you need to make the move worthwhile. A single figure signals seriousness and moves fast.

"I saw the posted range goes to $95,000. Given the scope you've described and the three years I've spent doing exactly this, I'd be looking at $92,000."

When they push you for a number anyway

Some recruiters are trained to hold the silence until you fill it. Don't fill it with a low number.

"I don't want to pull a figure out of the air and have it be wrong in either direction — that helps neither of us. What I can tell you is that I won't be a surprise: I've done the research for this level in this market. If you can share the band, I'll tell you honestly whether I'm inside it."

If they still refuse to share a range and still demand a number, that's information about the company. Give your Play 2 range and move on — but note it.

When the application form makes the field required

Online forms don't negotiate. Match your move to the field type:

• Free-text field: enter your range as text — 78,000–88,000 — or Negotiable, targeting mid-$80Ks based on market for this role.
• Numeric-only field that won't accept a range: enter your target, not your floor. It's the highest-stakes box on the form and most people lowball it out of anxiety.
• The 0 or 1 trick: a placeholder meaning "negotiable" sometimes works, but filters may reject it and a human may read it as unserious. Prefer a real number.
• Any adjacent notes or cover-letter box: put the qualifier there.

"The salary field required a single figure, so I entered $82,000 — that reflects the market for this role in this area based on my research. I'd welcome a conversation about the full package once I understand the scope better."

Nothing you type in a form binds you. If the role turns out broader than the posting suggested, say so later: "Now that I know the scope includes managing the vendor relationships, I'd want to revisit the number I put on the application."

How to include salary requirements in a cover letter

The written version of this question follows the same logic as the spoken one, with one extra rule: only answer it when you're asked. The career development center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville puts it plainly in its cover letter guide: "If the posting doesn't ask for a salary history, don't mention salary until an offer is on the table." Volunteering a number in a letter carries all the anchoring cost of going first and none of the benefit.

When the posting does ask for salary requirements, don't skip it — ignoring an instruction the employer gave is an easy reason to set an application aside. Answer it the way Kent State's career center recommends: "always state your requirements in a range" and say you're open to negotiation, after researching "salary figures for the position and geographic area." The data method above gives you that range.

Four rules for the sentence itself:

• Put it in the closing paragraph, in one or two sentences. The letter's job is still to make the case for you; salary is a line item, not the headline.
• Give your range, with the target at the bottom — the same range you'd say out loud, for the same reason.
• Anchor it to the role and the market, not to what you earn now.
• Leave it off your résumé. Salary belongs in the letter or the application form, never on the résumé itself.

Three ways to word it, depending on what the posting gave you:

"My salary requirement for this role is in the range of $62,000 to $68,000, based on market data for similar positions in the Denver area. I'm open to discussing the full compensation package."

"The posted range of $55,000 to $65,000 is in line with my expectations, and I'd welcome a conversation about where I'd fit within it once we've talked through the role."

"Based on my research into this role and my three years in client support, I'm targeting $58,000 to $63,000, and I'd be glad to discuss this further once I understand the full scope of the position."

If the posting asks for salary history as well, check your state first — California and Washington, above, bar employers from seeking it. Where it's allowed, you can still steer toward requirements rather than history: "Rather than my current salary, I'd prefer to focus on the requirements of this role: based on market data for similar positions in this area, I'm targeting $62,000 to $68,000." Kent State notes that employers who ask for history are "looking for consistency," so whatever you do share must be accurate.

Two hard cases

You're currently underpaid

The trap is letting a bad old number set your new one. Redirect to the market, not your history — which, in some jurisdictions, they aren't permitted to ask about anyway.

"I'd rather anchor this to the role than to my current job — I've been underpaid relative to the market for a while, which is part of why I'm looking. For this scope in this market, I'm targeting $85,000 to $95,000."

That explains the gap without apologizing, and moves the conversation onto the ground that matters.

You have a competing offer

Only say this if it's true. A bluff that gets called ends the negotiation and sometimes the relationship.

"I want to be straightforward with you: I have another offer at $90,000, and this role is the one I'd rather take. I'm not trying to run an auction — I'd just want to be in a similar place to make it an easy yes."

Mistakes that cost real money

• Naming your current salary. It answers a question you weren't asked and hands over your anchor for free.
• Stating a range whose bottom you'd refuse. You will be offered the bottom.
• A range so wide it reveals you guessed. Keep it inside about 15%.
• Apologizing. "Sorry, I know this is awkward, but…" invites them to treat your number as soft.
• Answering before you know the scope. One job title can cover wildly different levels of ownership, and the pay follows the scope.
• Treating this as the negotiation. It isn't. This is the screen.

That last point is the one to hold onto. The expectations question is a gate, not a deal — your job is to stay in the process without capping your own offer, which is far easier than negotiating. The real negotiation comes later, once you have a written offer and actual leverage: salary negotiation for new grads covers the counter-offer stage. Before deciding what number to hold out for, learn what the rest of the package is worth — understanding your paycheck and benefits breaks down the line items, and evaluating a job offer covers comparing total compensation. And since this question usually lands on the first call, prepare it alongside the rest of the phone screen questions.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Profiles (May 2025 estimates; percentile wages by state and metropolitan area)
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Outlook Handbook
• CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor — Salary Finder
• California Department of Industrial Relations — California Equal Pay Act FAQs
• Washington State Department of Labor & Industries — Equal Pay and Opportunities Act
• New York State Department of Labor — Pay Transparency
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts — Pay Transparency in Massachusetts
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Career Development Center — Creating a Cover Letter
• Kent State University Career Exploration & Development — Cover Letters