Not first. Ask for the budgeted band, then say what you want and what you would not accept.
On paper that sounds blunt. On a call it takes one sentence. Here is why recruiters ask, what UK law says, and the words to use when they push.
Why does a recruiter ask what you earn now?#
A recruiter asks because your salary is the quickest filter and the quickest price. As a filter, it shows whether you are in range for the role. As a price, it shows the lowest figure you have already accepted.
Some lawyers believe the second reason is the real one. We cannot measure how often that is true. Most recruiters who ask are not out to cheat you. The effect on your offer is the same either way.
Here is the sum. An offer is often built as a rise on what you earn now. A rise on a low base stays low. Suppose you earn £40,000 and the role pays up to £50,000. An offer at 10% more is £44,000. That leaves £6,000 of the band unused. These numbers are invented to show the sum. They are not market data.
Your current salary also carries the history of your last firm. You may have been underpaid for years. You may have been paid well for a role that no longer exists. The new firm needs to know what the new role is worth, not what the old one paid.
Moving is where pay tends to move. ONS analysis of earnings data found that in 2018 job changers had median hourly earnings growth of 7.3%, against 3.0% for job stayers. The figure is old. It covers every kind of job. It is not a figure for lawyers.
- Job changers7.3%
UK, all jobs
- Job stayers3%
Do you have to tell a recruiter your current salary?#
No. We searched GOV.UK, Acas, the EHRC and legislation.gov.uk and found no duty to give a recruiter your current pay. We also found no UK rule that stops a recruiter asking.
Three points sit around that answer.
First, the Equality Act 2010 deals with pay secrecy in a narrow way. Section 77 makes some pay-confidentiality terms in a contract unenforceable. It applies only to a disclosure made to find out whether pay is linked to a protected characteristic. Telling a recruiter your salary to negotiate a job is not obviously that. If your contract has a pay-confidentiality clause, read it before you speak.
Second, the REC, the recruiters' trade body, published a guide with the Fawcett Society in April 2022. It tells recruiters to stop asking candidates about past pay. It says salary history "bakes in gender, race and disability inequality". It also says that if a candidate shares a figure, the recruiter should not pass it to the client.
Third, a UK Parliament petition asking for a ban closed on 10 September 2026 with 40 signatures. It got no government response.
So this is a matter of trade practice, not a legal duty. The choice is yours.
| Question | What we found | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Must you tell a recruiter what you earn? | No UK law that requires it | Our search of GOV.UK, Acas and the EHRC |
| Is it illegal for a recruiter to ask? | No UK ban found. The REC asks recruiters not to ask | REC guide, 2022 |
| Can a pay-secrecy clause stop you? | Not where the disclosure checks for pay gaps linked to a protected characteristic. A narrow rule | Equality Act 2010, section 77 |
| What happens in the EU? | Employers may not ask applicants about pay history | European Commission FAQ |
Is UK law on pay questions about to change?#
Not that we can verify. The EU has moved first. England and Wales have not followed.
The EU Pay Transparency Directive (2023/970) tells employers in member states not to ask job applicants about their pay history. It also gives jobseekers the right to information on the starting pay or pay range, through the vacancy notice or before the interview. The European Commission says member states had to bring it into national law by 7 June 2026. Its FAQ says the rules cover public and private employers.
That is EU law. It does not set the rule for a job in England or Wales. If you apply to an employer based in the EU, ask an employment solicitor how it applies to you.
On the UK side, the government's employment rights timeline, updated on 22 October 2026, lists gender equality action plans becoming mandatory in 2027. It says nothing about pay history or pay transparency. Nothing in it changes what you can say on your next call.
What should you say instead of a number?#
Say what the role should pay, not what you earn. Work in this order.
Ask for the band
"What is the budgeted band for this role?" is a normal question. Ask it before anything else.
Check it against the market
Compare it with the salary guide and the pay on live adverts.
Set a range
Make the lower end a figure you would accept today. Do not set it where you hope to land.
Know your floor
Decide the figure below which you would stay put. Do not announce it. Say you would need the lower end of your range.
Count the whole package
Base, bonus, pension, working pattern, caseload and progression. Base is one line.
Words matter. Some replies give away your position and some keep it.
Gives away your position
- "My current salary is [your figure]."
- "I would take whatever is fair."
- "I am flexible."
- "My bonus makes up the difference."
Keeps it
- "I am looking at roles in the band you are working to. What is it?"
- "For a role like this I am looking for [your range]."
- "The bottom of that range is where I would consider a move."
- "Let us compare the whole package once I have the band."
Work out your floor with numbers, not a mood. The cost of the wrong move calculator takes your own figures. It shows what a move that does not work could cost in salary, progression and time. The sums run in your browser and nothing you type is sent or saved.
What can you say when a recruiter pushes?#
Say it once, politely, and say what you will give instead. Each line below is a script you can adapt. It is not legal advice.
Do they refuse to share the band?
YesSay: "I would rather not name a figure before I know the band. Could you ask the firm what it has budgeted?"
NoSay: "Thank you, that works for me. Tell me about the role."
Do they say the client needs your current salary?
YesSay: "I will give you the range I would accept: [your range]. I would rather you did not pass on my current salary."
NoSay: "Good. Then we can talk about the role and the pattern of work."
Do they say they cannot go on without a figure?
YesSay: "Then I will leave it there for now. If the band is confirmed, I would like to hear it."
NoSay: "Understood. Here is what I am looking for: [your range]."
Is your current pay above their band?
YesSay: "My current package is above that band, so this would be a step down. Is the band fixed, or is there room?"
NoSay: "Then let us see how the band compares with what I am looking for."
Some lawyers set a plain rule: no band, no application. The figures later in this article suggest they are not unusual. A recruiter who bristles at a polite question has told you how they may treat you at offer stage.
When is it reasonable to give a number?#
When the band is on the table, or when you earn more than it offers. Otherwise wait.
There are good reasons to share a figure. Each one has a condition.
- The band is known and you are above it. Saying so saves everyone a wasted interview. Say whether you mean base salary or the whole package.
- You know who will see it. Ask "Will you pass this to the client?" before you answer. The REC guide says recruiters should not.
- You are at offer stage. Here you are comparing packages, not setting a price. Ask the firm to set out base, bonus and pension in writing.
- You hold a counter-offer. Your firm has already put a number on you. Read should you accept a counter-offer first.
How do you read the pay band on an advert?#
As the firm's budget for the role, not a promise. Read it with four questions.
- Is it base salary or a package? A discretionary bonus is not part of the base.
- Is it for this exact role? A band for "associate" can cover a wide spread of experience.
- Where would you sit in it? A wide band has a reason. Ask where a candidate with your years of experience would land.
- What is missing? Hours, hybrid days and caseload change what the figure is worth.
Our guide to how to read a legal job advert goes through the rest. A band does not prove the vacancy is real, so see ghost jobs and how to tell a real legal vacancy. We explain why legal job adverts should show the salary in a separate piece.
Pay on adverts is common but not universal, and jobseekers say they act on it.
41%
of 1,043 UK jobseekers surveyed in August 2026 said they would refuse to apply for a job with no salary information (a job board survey, stated intention)
58%
of UK job postings included pay information in the three months to June 2026, below a September 2024 peak of 64%
61%
of UK organisations that tried to recruit said candidates mostly or always had realistic salary expectations (CIPD survey, April 2024)
Every advert we run shows the pay or earnings basis, the working pattern and the date. On roles that give a salary, you start with the band. See the live roles and check them against the salary guide.
On this siteCheck the band before the callThe salary guide lists published ranges, names its source, and shows the pay on our live adverts.Open the salary guideWhat should you do before the next call?#
Settle three things before you speak: the band, your range and your floor. Then use the list below.
Pay questions come back later. They return at the offer, at the counter-offer and at resignation. What to ask a legal recruiter before you send your CV covers the questions to settle early. When you do hand in notice, resigning from a law firm sets out the order.
If you would rather talk it through first, you can. A named person looks after you. It costs lawyers nothing, and no CV goes to a firm without your say so.
On this siteTalk it through before you name a numberA confidential 20-minute screening call on Microsoft Teams. No CV leaves us without your say so.Book a screening callSources
- CV-Library, Candidate Behaviour Barometer 2026, reported by Onrec (13 October 2026)
- Indeed Hiring Lab UK: 2026 Mid-Year UK Jobs and Hiring Trends Report (3 August 2026)
- CIPD: Resourcing and talent planning report 2024 (survey of 1,016 UK HR and people professionals)
- ONS: Analysis of job changers and stayers (29 April 2019)
- REC: End Salary History, a guide for recruiters (28 April 2022)
- Equality Act 2010, section 77 (discussions about pay), legislation.gov.uk
- European Commission: Frequently asked questions on the Pay Transparency Directive (2023/970)
- European Commission: EU action for equal pay
- UK Parliament petition 759507: ban employers and recruiters asking about candidates' salaries (closed 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act timeline update (updated 22 October 2026)
This is general information, not legal advice. Where a figure comes from another organisation, the source is above, and we say when it is dated.