How to answer desired salary on a job application

“Desired salary” is one of the few application fields where the answer can cost you money twice: too high and you are screened out, too low and you anchor the offer. This guide shows how to pick the number, what to type in each kind of field, and which laws limit what employers can ask, with official sources dated October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. For how Tolta handles pay questions, see the safety page.

How should you answer desired salary on a job application?

Give a narrow range, built from the posted pay range and public wage data, whose lowest number is a salary you would accept. If the form takes free text and you have no good data, “Negotiable based on the full role” is fine. Do not enter past pay unless the form requires it and the question is legal there.

The steps, in order:

1. Read the posting for a range. Many US postings now include one by law (see below). If the range fits you, answer inside it, at or near the top if your experience matches the senior end.
2. Check public data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage estimates for about 830 occupations by state and metro area in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Compare postings for the same title at similar companies.
3. Set your floor. Decide the lowest base salary you would accept for this role in this location. That is the bottom of your range.
4. Build a narrow range. Roughly 10 to 15 percent wide is common. A range from your floor to double it tells the employer nothing.
5. Match the field’s format. Numbers only, annual or hourly, currency: read the label.

What should you type in each kind of field?

Forms ask about pay in four common shapes: a free-text box, a numbers-only box, a dropdown of bands, or a pair of minimum and maximum fields. The answer is the same researched range; only the format changes. Avoid placeholder values like 0 or 999999, which can fail validation or be read as careless.

Field type	What to enter
Free text	“$120,000 to $135,000 base, negotiable based on the full role”
Numbers only, one value	The figure you would be glad to receive, such as 128000
Minimum and maximum	Your floor and the top of your narrow range
Dropdown of bands	The band that contains your floor

The figures in the table are an example only. Use your own research.

Can employers ask about your salary history?

In some places they cannot. California’s Labor Code says employers “cannot, orally or in writing, personally or through an agent, seek salary history information.” Washington says employers “cannot seek the wage or salary history of an applicant.” The EU Pay Transparency Directive includes “a prohibition to ask salary history.” Other US states and cities have similar bans.

Where a ban applies, you can still choose to share your pay history, but you do not have to, and you gain little by doing it. California’s guidance adds that salary history cannot be a factor in deciding whether to hire you or what to offer. If a form in a covered location asks for current salary anyway, answering with your expected range is a reasonable response.

Where no ban applies, the question may be legal. You can still answer with what you expect for this role rather than what you earn now. Your current pay reflects your current job, not the one you are applying to.

Which pay transparency laws require a salary range in job postings?

Several US states require many employers to put a pay range in job postings, including California (15 or more employees), Washington (15 or more) and New York State (4 or more). The EU directive also gives candidates a right to pay information before employment. Coverage, thresholds and dates differ, so read the official page for the job’s location.

What the official pages say, as of October 12, 2026:

• California. “An employer with 15 or more employees must include the pay scale for a position in any job posting.” The pay scale is “a good faith estimate” of what the employer reasonably expects to pay, and it must be in the posting itself.
• Washington. Employers with 15 or more employees must include a wage scale or salary range, plus a general description of benefits and other compensation. If the pay is fixed, the posting must state the fixed amount.
• New York State. Businesses with four or more employees must include a compensation range for advertised jobs, promotions and transfers, and say if the position is commission-based.
• European Union. Member states had to transpose Directive (EU) 2023/970 into national law by 7 June 2026. Check whether your country has done so and what its version requires.

Other states and cities have passed their own rules, and the list keeps growing. A posted range is the best data point you will get, so use it.

How do you set the number without underselling yourself?

Anchor on the posted range and on market data for the specific title and location, then adjust for how closely you match the job’s requirements. Your floor should be a number you would accept without resentment, because the bottom of a range is often the number the employer remembers.

A few adjustments are worth making:

• Level. If you meet every requirement and more, aim for the upper half of the posted range.
• Location and remote work. Some employers pay by location. A remote role may use a different range from the same title in a large city.
• Total compensation. The field usually means base salary. Bonus, equity and benefits are worth discussing later, once there is an offer to compare.
• Consistency. If you apply to several roles at one company, give compatible answers. Applications to one employer usually land in the same applicant tracking system.

How does Tolta handle salary questions?

Tolta never fills in your past salary on US applications. When a form asks for desired salary and your profile does not hold an answer that fits, the application is held and you are asked once, in context; your answer is then reused on similar forms. Tolta does not invent a number for you.

Salary sits alongside two other questions where a guess hurts: work authorization and sponsorship and the voluntary EEO section. Each has its own guide.