Asking for a pay rise: checklist
How to prepare: results with numbers, expanded responsibility, market data, your figure and its reasoning, timing and what to do if the answer is no.

[ ] List your results for the period, with numbers
    What you did, what changed, what became faster, cheaper or more reliable. \u201cI worked hard\u201d is not an argument.
[ ] Show how your responsibility has grown
    New tasks, people, areas, complexity. This is a conversation about level rather than about time served.
[ ] Gather market data for your role
    Ranges for your role, level and region. A reference point for the conversation, not an ultimatum.
[ ] Decide a specific number and its reasoning
    \u201cAny increase would help\u201d almost always produces a symbolic one. You name the number.
[ ] Pick the right moment and review cycle
    Find out when the company reviews pay and how budgets work. A request outside the cycle is more often postponed.
[ ] Book a separate meeting in advance
    Not at the end of a stand-up and not in a corridor. Say the topic in advance — your manager needs to prepare too.
[ ] Say your part out loud once
    Two or three minutes: results, responsibility, market, request. Out loud you hear where the wording falls apart.
[ ] Do not build the case on personal circumstances
    A mortgage and rising prices are real, but a company pays for work. Personal context can be mentioned; it is not the argument.
[ ] Prepare a plan for the next period
    What you will take on next. It moves the conversation from rewarding the past to funding a role, which is easier to approve.
[ ] Listen and ask clarifying questions
    Budget limits, cycles, levels are part of the picture. Arguing without them turns into a tug of war.
[ ] Agree criteria if the answer is \u201cnot now\u201d
    What must change, how it is measured, when you return to it. Without criteria, \u201clater\u201d becomes never.
[ ] Put the agreement in writing
    A short email after the meeting: what was discussed, what was agreed, when you return to it. Standard practice.
[ ] Discuss what else can improve besides base pay
    Working format, training, role, holiday, equipment. Sometimes the budget is closed while these are open.
[ ] Decide in advance what you do if the answer is no
    Wait against criteria, change role internally, or look outside. An offer is only used as leverage if you are ready to leave.
[ ] Start keeping a results log now
    Five lines a month. In six months it is a ready case rather than an evening of trying to remember.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/salary-negotiation