Quick answer: For desired salary on a job application, enter a researched range if the box accepts text, the lower end of that range if it only accepts one number, and leave it blank only if the field is optional. Don't type 0, 1, or 999999 into a required field: systems such as Workable tell employers to collect salary expectations so they can "quickly disqualify candidates whose expectations are not in line with the role's budget" (Workable). Before you type anything, look for a posted range. In August 2026, 51.8% of US job postings on Indeed included pay information (Indeed Hiring Lab data).
This guide is for anyone stuck on the salary box halfway through an application. It covers what to type in each kind of field, how applicant tracking systems use your answer, which states now make employers post a range (as of October 21, 2026), and a two-minute way to pick your number. If your applications are being rejected within minutes, also read rejected immediately after applying, because salary is one of the most common knockout questions. Once you have an offer, switch to our salary negotiation scripts.
What does "desired salary" mean on a job application?
Desired salary is the pay you're asking for in this role. Unless the form says otherwise, that means base pay before bonus, equity, overtime, and benefits. On a salaried job it means an annual figure. On an hourly job it means an hourly rate.
It is not the same as:
- Salary history, meaning what you earn now or earned before. Several states bar employers from asking for this. Asking about your expectations is a different question, and it is generally allowed. California's pay equity guidance tells employers to ask "What are your salary expectations?" instead of asking about prior pay (California Pay Equity Task Force guidance).
- Minimum acceptable salary. Some forms ask for your floor rather than your target. Read the label. "Minimum," "lowest acceptable," and "required" mean the floor. "Desired," "expected," and "target" mean the number you'd like.
- A binding promise. You can still negotiate later, especially if the job turns out bigger than the posting suggested.
Why employers ask for desired salary on the application
Employers ask early so they can skip candidates they can't afford. The vendors say so in their own help pages:
| System | What its documentation says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Workable | Recommends recording salary expectations early so recruiters can "quickly disqualify" candidates outside the budget, and suggests a dropdown of salary ranges they can filter by (Workable) | A number far above the band can drop you from a recruiter's filtered list |
| Greenhouse | Auto-reject rules work only on Yes/No, single-select, and multi-select questions (Greenhouse) | A typed number can't trigger a Greenhouse auto-reject, but a salary dropdown with bands can |
| Workday | Employers can write condition rules that automatically decline candidates using answers from questionnaires completed when they apply (Workday) | If the salary question is part of the questionnaire, it can be used in an auto-decline rule |
None of these documents says every employer filters on salary. Many don't. But the feature exists in the most common systems, so treat the salary field as a screening question, not small talk.
What to put for desired salary: field-by-field
The right answer depends on what the box allows. Find your field type below.
| Field type | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Optional, any type | Leave it blank, or answer if a posted range already works for you | (blank) |
| Free text, required | A range plus one short phrase | "$88,000 to $98,000 base, flexible on total package" |
| Number only, required | The lower end of your range, which should be a number you'd be glad to accept | 88000 |
| Two boxes (minimum and maximum) | Your range, low end in the first box | 88000 and 98000 |
| Dropdown of bands | The band that contains your target. If two bands overlap your range, pick the lower one only if you'd accept its top | "$80,000 to $99,999" |
| Hourly job | An hourly rate, not an annual figure | 21.50 |
| "Minimum acceptable salary" | Your honest floor | 82000 |
When "negotiable" is a good answer
"Negotiable" works when the field accepts text and the job has a posted range you're comfortable with. It's weaker when there's no posted range, because the recruiter learns nothing and may have to guess. A better text answer gives both signals: "Open to the posted range" or "$88K to $98K base, open to discussing."
Why 0, 1, and 999999 backfire
The old advice to type a placeholder came from a time when recruiters read every form. Now the answer can land in a filterable field. A 999999 sits above every budget. A 0 or 1 can sort you to the bottom of a list or make the form look careless. Some consumer guides still suggest $0 or $1 for required fields (Workplace Fairness), and Payscale lists "negotiable" or "000" as options (Payscale). Our view is that a real number is safer in 2026 because of the filtering features described above. If you'd rather not give a number, apply where the posting shows a range instead.
Where the number goes on a resume or cover letter
Not on the resume, ever. If the posting asks you to "include salary requirements" in the cover letter, add one line near the end: "My salary requirement for this role is $88,000 to $98,000 in base pay, depending on the full package." Leaving it out when it was asked for can look like you missed the instructions.
How to pick your number in two minutes
You don't need a perfect figure. You need one you can defend.
Step 1: Check the posting for a range
If the posting shows a range, start there. California's guidance for employers says a fully qualified applicant is "likely to be placed in the mid-point of the range" (California Pay Equity Task Force). So if you meet every requirement, the midpoint to upper half is a reasonable ask. If you meet most of them, aim nearer the middle. If the top of the posted range is below what you need, that's useful information too: skip it and spend the application elsewhere.
Step 2: If there's no range, use public wage data
Use the federal Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (BLS OEWS tables). The current release covers May 2025 and was published in 2026. It gives national, state, and metro wages for about 830 occupations (BLS). Some national means from that release:
| Occupation | Mean annual wage, May 2025 | Mean hourly wage, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Software developers | $148,100 | $71.20 |
| Registered nurses | $101,420 | $48.76 |
| Accountants and auditors | $94,750 | $45.56 |
| Medical assistants | $46,120 | $22.17 |
Source: BLS OEWS Table 1, May 2025. These are national averages for whole occupations. Your metro, level, and industry will move the number, so look up your area in the OEWS tables and compare it with posted ranges for similar jobs nearby.
Step 3: Turn the data into a range
- Write down the lowest base pay you'd genuinely accept for this job in this location. This is your floor.
- Set the bottom of your range at or a little above your floor. Never below it, because that's the number a recruiter may quote back to you.
- Set the top 10% to 15% higher. A range much wider than that can look like you haven't decided.
- Sanity-check it against the market. In September 2026, median wage growth for people who changed jobs was 4.7%, versus 3.4% for people who stayed, on a three-month average (Atlanta Fed Wage Growth Tracker, via FRED). A modest step up is normal for a switch. A huge jump needs a reason, such as a promotion in scope.
Step 4: Convert hourly and annual correctly
The standard full-time conversion is 2,080 hours a year (40 hours times 52 weeks).
| Hourly | Annual (full time) |
|---|---|
| $20 | $41,600 |
| $25 | $52,000 |
| $30 | $62,400 |
| $40 | $83,200 |
| $50 | $104,000 |
If the job is part time, enter an hourly rate even if the form says "salary." For context, average hourly earnings for all private-sector employees were $37.81 in September 2026, up 3.0% over the year (BLS Employment Situation, Oct. 2, 2026).
Not sure which roles fit your pay target? Upload your resume to our free job finder to see matching openings, then run anything suspicious through the ghost job checker before you spend time on the form.
Which states require a pay range in the job posting?
If the job is in one of these places, the employer generally has to show a range, so you rarely need to guess. Here are the rules for several large states, as of October 21, 2026. Size thresholds and remote-job rules differ, so check the linked agency page before relying on any one detail.
| State | Posting rule | Who it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | Pay or pay range, plus benefits, in internal and public postings | Employers with at least one Colorado employee | Colorado CDLE |
| California | Pay scale in every job posting. Applicants can request it | Employers with 15 or more employees | California DLSE |
| Washington | Wage or salary range plus benefits and other compensation | Employers with 15 or more employees | Washington L&I |
| New York | Good-faith pay range for jobs, promotions, and transfers | Employers with 4 or more employees | New York DOL |
| Illinois | Pay scale and benefits, since January 1, 2025 | Employers with 15 or more employees | Illinois DOL |
| New Jersey | Wage or range plus benefits, since June 1, 2025 | Employers with 10 or more employees | New Jersey DOL |
| Massachusetts | Pay range in job postings, since October 29, 2025 | Employers with 25 or more employees in the state | Mass.gov |
| Virginia | Good-faith wage or salary range in public and internal postings, since July 1, 2026. Employers also can't seek your salary history | Covered Virginia employers | Virginia DOLI, Code of Virginia |
| Connecticut | Wage or wage range plus a general benefits description in postings, since October 1, 2026 | Covered Connecticut employers, including some out-of-state roles that report into Connecticut | Connecticut Public Act 26-12 |
Other places, including Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, and Vermont, also have posting laws. Check your state labor department for the details.
What to do when a covered posting has no range
- Look again. Some employers put the range at the very bottom, after the benefits section.
- Check the employer's careers site. A job board may have cut the range from the copy.
- Ask. Several of these laws also require employers to give the range when an applicant asks. A short note works: "Could you share the pay range for this role before I complete the salary question?"
- If you still can't get it, use your researched range and move on. Don't stall an application for days over one field.