This question decides more of your pay than the negotiation that follows it. Whoever names a number first sets the anchor, and every later discussion happens in orbit around it. That's why it gets asked early, often before you know anything concrete about the role's budget.
The one answer you should never give
Never anchor on your current salary. It is the number you are trying to leave behind, and repeating it caps your offer at a small increment above a figure that may already be below market. Many places now restrict employers from asking salary history for exactly this reason — but if it's asked, you can decline and redirect without hostility.
Deflect once — politely
The first time it comes up, turn the question around:
"I'd rather understand the role properly first. Do you have a budgeted range for the position?"
This costs you nothing. Employers expect it, many are required to disclose the range, and their answer either gives you the anchor for free or reveals that they are waiting you out. Deflect once. Twice reads as evasive and starts to damage the conversation.
If they insist, give a researched range
When you do give a number, give a range built from market data — not from what you'd settle for. Then put your target near the bottom of it. That feels backwards, and it's the most important mechanic in this whole exchange: offers gravitate to the lowest number you name. A range of "90 to 110" will produce an offer near 90 almost every time, so the range should start at the number you'd be happy with, not the number you'd accept reluctantly.
Anchor it in evidence rather than need: "Based on what I'm seeing for this level in this market, I'm targeting 105 to 120." Notice what's missing — no mention of rent, no mention of what you earn now. Your costs are not the employer's pricing input, and bringing them up shifts the conversation from your value to your circumstances.
Where the range comes from
Triangulate three sources. Salary surveys for your industry and level. Job ads that publish bands, which are increasingly common. And recruiters, who are the most useful of the three because they see what offers actually close at, not what companies wish they paid. One source is an anecdote. Three sources agreeing is a range you can quote with a straight face.
Handling the awkward follow-ups
"That's above our band." Ask what the band is and what would move someone to the next one. You've now learned the real constraint, which is more useful than winning the exchange.
"What would it take to get you to say yes today?" Don't answer instantly. This is a pressure technique, and the correct response is that you'd like to see the full package in writing first.
"We can't move on base." Then move to what's flexible: signing bonus, equity, start date, remote arrangement, holiday, title, or a review scheduled in six months rather than twelve. When base pay is genuinely locked to a band, this is where the real room usually is.
The mindset that makes it easier
Naming a number feels like asking for a favour. It isn't. You're quoting a price for work in a market that has prices, and the person across the table does this dozens of times a year without embarrassment. Preparing the number in advance — writing it down, saying it out loud once — removes most of the discomfort, because the hard part is rarely the negotiation. It's saying a large number calmly for the first time.
This guide is general education, not personalized career or financial advice.