How to ask for a raise in 2027, with the numbers to bring
Prices rose 3.7% in the year to September 2026; three employer surveys put 2027 raise budgets at 3.5% to 3.6%. How to use those numbers to ask for a raise.
Most employers were still setting 2027 pay budgets in July 2026. Ask at your year-end review with one figure and the evidence for it. That means your results, your market pay, and recent price and wage data. Consumer prices rose 3.7% over the 12 months to September 2026, so compare your last raise with that. Three employer surveys put planned 2027 budgets at 3.5% to 3.6%, an ask above that is above the average budget.
- Prices rose 3.7% over the 12 months to September 2026: compare your last raise with that figure.
- Three employer surveys (WorldatWork, Mercer, Payscale) put planned 2027 raise budgets at 3.5% to 3.6%. An ask above that exceeds the average budget.
- Ask before your employer's 2027 budget is final, and name one figure.
The numbers to bring to a 2027 raise conversation
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban consumers rose 3.7% over the 12 months ending September 2026. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported it on October 14, 2026. Without food and energy, prices rose 2.6%.[1]
Use that figure to judge your last raise. If it was less than 3.7% and came about a year ago, your pay now buys less than it did then. The CPI is a national average for urban consumers, so your own costs can rise faster or slower.[1]
The Employment Cost Index (ECI) shows wages and salaries for civilian workers rose 3.2% over the 12 months ending June 2026. For private industry workers they rose 3.1%, and they fell 0.4% after inflation over the same 12 months.[2]
The ECI tracks employers' labor costs for a fixed mix of jobs, not any one person's raise. BLS publishes the ECI for September 2026 on October 30, 2026, and the CPI for October 2026 on November 10, 2026.[3][2][1]
Three salary budget surveys, collected between March and July 2026, put the average planned increase at 3.5% to 3.6%. A WorldatWork table of 7 such surveys shows projections from 3.3% to 3.6%, with a Korn Ferry median of 3.0%.[4][5][6]
| Survey | Employers surveyed | When collected | Planned 2027 increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| WorldatWork 2026-2027 Salary Budget Survey | 1,799 organizations (all countries surveyed) | March to May 2026 | 3.6% average |
| Mercer QuickPulse US Compensation Planning Survey | 1,001 organizations | Mid-July 2026 | 3.5% total; 3.2% for merit increases |
| Payscale 2026-2027 Salary Budget Survey | 1,266 organizations in the US and Canada | May to June 2026 | 3.5% average |
A budget is an average across a workforce: some people get more than the average and some less. Mercer found 87% of employers still treated their 2027 budgets as preliminary in July 2026. Each survey asked employers about budgets, not workers about raises.[5]
What to have ready before you ask for a raise
- Your current pay and the date and size of your last raise.
- A list of your results since then, with numbers where you have them: sales, savings, volume, error rates, or projects delivered.
- Duties you took on that were not in your job description.
- The market pay for your role and place, from public pay data and current postings.
- One target figure, in dollars, and the lowest figure you would accept.
To find your market pay and set your number, use the steps in how to research pay and decide your number. They apply to a raise as much as to an offer.
How to ask for a raise at your review, step by step
- Ask your manager for a meeting about your pay before your review date.
- Open with your 2 or 3 strongest results since your last raise.
- Name your target figure as a salary or an hourly rate, not a range.
- Explain the figure with your market pay, then with how your last raise compares with the 3.7% rise in prices.
- Ask when the decision will be made and who makes it.
Done well, you leave the meeting with a decision date and the name of the person who decides. Put your figure and your results in an email to your manager that day, so they have them for budget meetings.
What to do if your manager says no to a raise
Before accepting a bonus instead of a raise, check how bonuses are taxed.
- Budget is closed: ask for a date to revisit it, and for an off-cycle adjustment then. In Mercer's survey, 64% of employers said they have given or will give off-cycle adjustments in 2027.
- Not enough evidence: ask which results would justify your figure, and get them in writing.
Sources
- Consumer Price Index Summary, September 2026US Bureau of Labor Statistics · Accessed October 23, 2026
- Employment Cost Index, June 2026US Bureau of Labor Statistics · Accessed October 23, 2026
- Employment Cost IndexUS Bureau of Labor Statistics · Accessed October 23, 2026
- WorldatWork: Employers' 2027 Pay Budget Projections Point to StabilityWorldatWork · Accessed October 23, 2026
- US employers stick with moderate pay increases for 2027, according to Marsh's Mercer QuickPulse SurveyMercer (Marsh) · Accessed October 23, 2026
- Salary Budget Survey (SBS) 2026-2027Payscale · Accessed October 23, 2026
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