Should You Ask for a Raise Right Now — Or Wait Until You're Better Positioned?

Asking for a raise at the wrong time, in the wrong way, or without the right evidence is worse than not asking at all. A poorly timed or poorly supported raise request doesn't just fail — it signals to your manager that you misread the situation, overvalue yourself, or lack awareness of business context. And once that signal is sent, it can take 12+ months to recover. The Should You Ask for a Raise calculator scores your readiness across five dimensions that determine whether a raise request is likely to succeed: Market Rate Gap (are you actually below market for your role, level, and location?), Performance Evidence (can you point to specific, quantifiable contributions in the last 6 months?), Tenure & Review Cycle (is this the right time in your organization's cycle?), BATNA Strength (do you have a competing offer, marketable skills, or a plausible alternative?), and Business Context (is the company in a position to actually approve raises right now?). The output is a Raise Readiness Score (0–100), a Go / Prepare / Wait recommendation, the specific dimension holding you back most, and a tailored action plan. You also get a negotiation range — the specific number to ask for and why — based on your market rate gap and performance evidence. The goal is to help you ask at exactly the right time, with exactly the right number, and exactly the right evidence.