Desired Salary: How to Answer Salary Expectations and Compensation Expectations
The number you give before you have an offer sets the ceiling for everything after it. Counteroffer builds your market band first, so the figure you type into that box is researched instead of guessed.
Coaching, not legal or financial advice.
What are you negotiating?
Your offer or current pay
Market-rate band
Talking points
Email template
Timing
Coaching, not legal or financial advice.
Direct answer
Answer the desired salary or salary expectations question with a researched range whose bottom number you would genuinely accept, not with your current pay and not with a dodge. Build the range from market data for that title, level, and metro area, then place your target near the top of it and say what it is based on. In 13 US jurisdictions the employer already has to publish a good faith pay range in the posting, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Washington and Washington DC, so read the posting before you invent a number. On an application form that will not accept text, enter the bottom of your researched range rather than 0 or a placeholder, because many applicant tracking systems filter on that field. Twenty jurisdictions also bar employers from asking what you currently earn, so you are never required to disclose salary history. This is career coaching, not legal or HR advice.
The problem
The desired salary box appears before you know the level, the bonus, or the equity, and whatever you type there quietly becomes the ceiling the recruiter negotiates down from six weeks later.
How Counteroffer handles it
Counteroffer turns the question into a number you can defend. It benchmarks the title, level, and metro area you are applying into and gives you a market band rather than a single guess, then sets the figure you should lead with inside that band and the floor you should not go under. It checks the posting and your state against the pay transparency rules, so if the employer already had to publish a range you are working from their number instead of one you made up. It writes the exact sentence for each place the question shows up: the application form field, the recruiter screen, and the interview. And it keeps a record of what you said, so the number you gave in week one still matches the case you make in week six. It prepares your ask; it does not talk to the employer for you.
▲ the numbers
Where the pay range is already published, so you do not have to guess.
Most advice on this question tells you to research the market and stops there. In a growing list of US jurisdictions the employer is legally required to publish a good faith range in the job posting itself, which means the anchor you are being asked to invent may already be printed above the apply button. Requirements and employee thresholds as summarized by employment counsel in 2026.
| Jurisdiction | What the employer must publish in the posting | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| California | The pay scale for the position, and the pay scale to applicants on request | Employers with 15 or more employees |
| Colorado | Pay range or rate, a general description of other compensation, and a general description of benefits | All employers with at least one employee in the state |
| Hawaii | An hourly rate or salary range reflecting the expected compensation | Employers with 50 or more employees |
| Illinois | Pay scale and benefits | Employers with 15 or more employees |
| Maine | The wage or salary range for the position, including internal transfer and promotion postings | Employers with 10 or more employees, effective July 29, 2026 |
| Maryland | Wage range, a general description of benefits, and any other compensation offered | All employers, in effect since October 1, 2024 |
| Massachusetts | The pay range for the position | Employers with 25 or more employees |
| Minnesota | A starting salary range, or a fixed pay rate if there is no range | Employers with 30 or more employees |
| New Jersey | Pay range, benefits, and other compensation | Employers with 10 or more employees |
| New York | The compensation range for the role | Employers with 4 or more employees |
| Vermont | Compensation or a compensation range | Employers with 5 or more employees |
| Washington | Salary range or a fixed wage | Employers with 15 or more employees |
| Washington, D.C. | The minimum and maximum projected pay for the role | Private employers with at least one employee |
| Connecticut, Nevada, Rhode Island | Not required in the posting, but the range must be given on request, before a compensation discussion, or after an interview depending on the state. Delaware joins this group on September 26, 2027 | Ask for it in writing early, and treat the answer as the anchor |
Employee thresholds, effective dates, and what counts as a covered posting differ by state, remote roles are usually covered by the law of any state where the work could be performed, and the rules keep changing. This is a research starting point, not legal advice: check the current statute or ask an employment attorney before you rely on it. Separately, 20 US jurisdictions bar employers from asking what you currently earn, so a salary history question is often one you do not have to answer.
the stat everyone quotes
"Never be the first person to name a number."
Backwards, once your number is researched.
This is the most repeated line in salary advice, and it survives because the fear behind it is real. Name a number too low and you never recover the difference. Name one too high and you worry the recruiter quietly moves on. So the standard advice is to deflect, bounce the question back, and make them go first.
The negotiation research points the other way. Anchoring is one of the most reliably replicated findings in the field: the first credible number on the table becomes the reference point both sides adjust away from, and final agreements land closer to it than to anything said afterward. Adam Galinsky and Thomas Mussweiler documented the first mover advantage in negotiation in 2001, and the Harvard Program on Negotiation has taught the same conclusion since. Deflecting does not remove the anchor. It just hands the anchor to the person whose job is to pay you less.
The caveat is the entire point, though. The advantage belongs to an informed anchor, not to any anchor. A number you pulled from your current salary plus ten percent anchors you down, and you carry it for the whole process. So do the research first, then answer first. One more thing worth saying plainly: you will see the claim that the opening number explains 78 percent of the final outcome, credited to a 2023 journal article. We went looking for that paper and could not find it, so we do not quote the figure. The anchoring effect is well established. That specific percentage is not something we can source.
▲ how to do it
How to answer the desired salary question, step by step.
Check whether the range is already published
Before you write anything, reread the posting. In California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington, Washington DC, and from July 2026 Maine, covered employers have to include a good faith range. If it is there, you are not inventing a number, you are choosing where in their band you belong. In Connecticut, Nevada, and Rhode Island you can ask for it, and Nevada employers must supply it after an interview.
Build a market band, not a wish
A defensible range comes from the title, the level, the metro area, and the size of the company, not from your current pay. Pull several sources and look for the band they agree on. Then set two numbers: a target you would be delighted by and a floor you would genuinely accept. If you would resent the bottom of your own range, the range is wrong, because you will very often be offered exactly that.
Decide what goes in the form field
Application forms are the hardest version of this question because there is no room to explain. If the field takes text, "Negotiable, and open to discussing the range for this role" is fine. If it demands a number, put the bottom of your researched range. Do not enter 0 or 999999. Many applicant tracking systems filter or sort on that field, and a placeholder can drop you out of the pile without a human ever reading it.
Answer the recruiter screen with a range and a reason
The recruiter screen is where the number actually gets set, usually in the first ten minutes. Give the range, say what it is based on, and hand the conversation back. "Based on market data for this title at this level in [city], I am targeting [number] to [number]. Does that line up with the band you have budgeted?" That last question is the useful part: it makes them show you their range without you having to guess it.
Anchor near the top of your band and justify it
Once you give a range, assume you will be offered the bottom of it, so build the range accordingly and lead with the upper number when you state your target. Attach one sentence of evidence to it, whether that is the published band, comparable offers, or a specific piece of scope you would be taking on. An anchor with a reason behind it holds. A number with nothing behind it gets negotiated away.
Keep the number reversible until you see the whole package
Salary expectations given before you know the bonus target, the equity, the level, and the on call load are provisional, and it is fair to say so. "That is my expectation based on what I know so far, and I would want to revisit it once we have settled the level and the bonus structure." That sentence buys you room to move later without looking like you moved the goalposts. When the written offer arrives, that is when you negotiate the job offer properly.
copy and paste
What to say, in each place they ask.
The question shows up in three different formats and each one needs a different length of answer. Swap the bracketed parts for your own research.
1. THE APPLICATION FORM FIELD If the field accepts text: Negotiable, and happy to align with the published range for this role. If the field demands a number: Enter the bottom of your researched range. Not 0. Not a placeholder. 2. THE RECRUITER SCREEN, ASKED IN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES Happy to talk about it. Based on market data for a [title] at this level in [city], I am targeting [number] to [number] base, and I am flexible on how the total package is put together. Does that line up with the band you have budgeted for the role? 3. WHEN THEY PUSH FOR A SINGLE NUMBER I would want to be at [target number] base. That is where the market data for this scope lands, and it reflects [one specific thing you bring]. If the rest of the package is strong there is room to talk, but that is the number I am working toward. 4. WHEN THEY ASK WHAT YOU CURRENTLY EARN I would rather anchor this to the market for the role than to my last one. For this scope I am targeting [number] to [number]. Happy to walk you through where that comes from. 5. WHEN THE RANGE IS ALREADY PUBLISHED I saw the posted range of [low] to [high]. Given [specific experience or scope], I am targeting the upper half of that band, around [number].
Swap the bracketed parts for your own numbers. Counteroffer writes this for your exact offer.
▲ frequently asked
Salary expectations questions people actually ask.
What are your salary expectations?
Answer with a researched range rather than a single figure or a deflection, and say what the range is based on. A good response names the band for that title and level in that metro area, places your target in the upper half of it, and ends by asking what the employer has budgeted. Only give a range whose bottom number you would genuinely accept.
How do you answer salary expectations without giving a number?
You can defer once, politely, by asking for the range the role is budgeted at. After that, deflecting twice usually reads as evasive and hands the anchor to the employer. A better move is to give a wide, evidence-backed range with a caveat that it is provisional until the level, bonus, and equity are settled. That keeps you flexible without leaving the number blank.
What should I put for desired salary on a job application?
If the field accepts text, "negotiable" or a note that you are open to the posted range is safe. If it requires a number, enter the bottom of the range you researched for that role, not 0 and not a placeholder like 999999. Applicant tracking systems often sort or screen on that field, so a junk value can quietly remove you from consideration.
What does desired salary mean on an application?
Desired salary is the annual base pay you are asking for in the new role, before bonus, equity, overtime, and benefits, unless the form says otherwise. If the job is hourly, enter an hourly rate. It is not what you currently earn and it is not a binding commitment, but employers do use it to screen candidates against the budgeted band, so it should be researched rather than guessed.
Should I give a salary range or a single number?
Give a range in early screens and a single number once you are close to an offer. Ranges keep the conversation open, but assume you will be offered the bottom of any range you name, so set the floor at a figure you would accept. When they press for one number late in the process, name your target rather than the midpoint, and attach a reason to it.
How do I answer salary expectations when the range is already posted?
Use their band instead of inventing your own. Say you saw the posted range, then place yourself in it with a reason, usually the upper half if your experience is above the minimum listed. Covered employers in states like California, Colorado, New York, and Washington must publish a good faith range, so the posted numbers are a real anchor rather than a formality.
What are your compensation expectations, and is that different from salary?
Compensation expectations covers the whole package: base pay, bonus target, equity, sign on, and sometimes benefits. Salary expectations usually means base only. When you are asked the broader version, answer with the base you want first, then say you are flexible about how the rest is structured. That keeps base pay, which every future raise compounds on, from being traded away for one time money.
Can I change my salary expectations after I have given a number?
Yes, if the role changes or you learn something new about the scope, the level, or the total package. Revising a number because the job turned out to be bigger than the posting described is normal and defensible. Revising it because you decided you want more, with nothing new to point to, damages trust. Flagging up front that your figure is provisional makes the later adjustment much easier.
▲ sources
- Jackson Lewis: Navigating 2026, Pay Transparency Laws and Employer Obligations
- HR Dive: salary history bans, a running list of states and localities
- Ogletree Deakins: Maryland Wage Range Transparency Law, effective October 1, 2024
- Littler: Maine enacts wage transparency law
- Harvard Program on Negotiation: grappling with anchors in negotiation
- Fidelity: young professionals and salary negotiation study, 2022
Last updated August 2026. Figures are estimates and market data changes; verify anything you plan to quote in a negotiation.
▲ what it uses
The features behind salary expectations.
▲ more use cases
Walk in knowing your number.
Counteroffer is educational career coaching, not legal, financial, or HR advice.