How to Ask for a Pay Rise in Australia

Most pay rises go to people who ask clearly, at the right time, with evidence. Your manager may support you but still need to justify the increase to someone else, so your job is to make that case easy for them.

First, check you're paid at least the minimum

If you’re covered by an award, minimum pay rates usually rise each year after the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review. In 2026 the Commission announced a 4.75% increase to minimum wages, applying from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 (Fair Work Ombudsman, checked 26 October 2026).

That increase is a legal minimum, not a pay rise you negotiate. If you think you’re being paid below your award rate, check with the Fair Work Pay Calculator first. That’s an underpayment question, not a pay rise conversation.

When to ask

Good times to raise your pay:

• Before your performance or annual review, so it can be considered in the budget.
• After a clear win, such as finishing a big project, landing a client or solving a problem.
• When your role has grown: you’re training others, managing more, or doing work above your level.
• When you’ve learned your pay is below the market for similar roles.

Times to wait, if you can: straight after bad news for the business, in the middle of a restructure, or in your manager’s busiest week.

Do your research

Know roughly what your role is worth before you ask:

• Look at job ads for similar roles in your city that show a salary range.
• Check your award’s pay guide if you’re award-covered, to see the next classification level.
• Talk to people in similar roles. In Australia, employees have a workplace right to share (or not share) their pay with others, and pay secrecy terms in agreements made on or after 7 December 2022 can’t be enforced (Fair Work Ombudsman: pay secrecy).

Settle on a specific figure or percentage. “I’d like to ask for $78,000” is much easier to say yes to than “I’d like more”.

Build your case

Write down three to five specific things you’ve done that added value. Numbers help, but they don’t have to be dollars:

• “Trained four new starters this year.”
• “Took over the weekly roster when our supervisor left.”
• “Cut our customer response time from two days to same-day.”
• “Got positive feedback from three clients by name.”

Focus on what you’ve contributed, not on personal costs like rent or bills. Your manager can argue for value; it’s much harder for them to argue for need. Our free Achievement Tracker makes this easy if you log wins as they happen.

Ask for a meeting

Don’t ambush your manager in the corridor. Ask for a short meeting so they can prepare too:

What to say in the meeting

Keep it calm, short and specific. A simple structure:

1. Thank them and say you enjoy the role.
2. Share your evidence: two or three of your strongest examples.
3. Make the ask: a specific figure or percentage.
4. Stop and listen. Let them respond.

If they need time, that’s normal. Ask when you can expect an answer and who else needs to approve it.

If the answer is no (or not yet)

• Ask what it would take. “What would I need to show to get there, and by when?”
• Agree on a date to revisit it, such as your next review or in three to six months.
• Ask about other options: training, a new title, extra leave, flexible hours or a one-off bonus.
• Stay professional. A calm reaction makes a yes more likely next time.

If you’re repeatedly told no without a clear path, that’s useful information for your next career move.

Follow up in writing

After the meeting, send a short email summarising what was agreed: what you asked for, what your manager said, and any next steps or dates. It creates a record and keeps the request moving. Our Pay Rise Request Generator has a follow-up option for exactly this.