How to answer 'What are your salary expectations?' in Canada (scripts + data)

TL;DR

• The salary-expectations question is an anchoring game. Whoever sets the first credible number shapes the range — so go in with a researched one, not a guess.
• Research a market range first (role + city + seniority), then answer with a band ("$85–95K") or deflect to their budget — never a single low number off the top of your head.
• In Canada, pay-transparency laws (BC in effect; Ontario's ESA pay-transparency rules rolling out) increasingly require postings to list a range and limit asking your salary history — use that.
• Don't guess your range. Pull a market figure for your role + city from the free salary calculator before any screen.

It's the question that makes everyone tense up, usually on the first recruiter call: "So, what are your salary expectations?" Answer wrong and you either price yourself out or anchor thousands below what they'd have paid. Here's how to handle it in the Canadian market in 2026.

🎯 Why it's a trap (and how anchoring works)

Recruiters ask early for two reasons: to screen out anyone outside budget, and to get you to set the anchor. If you blurt "uh, maybe $70K?" and their band was $80–95K, you just cost yourself ~$15K — they'll happily anchor to your number.

The fix isn't to be cagey. It's to come in informed so your number is credible and well-placed:

1. Research the market range for your role, city, and seniority.
2. Decide your target (what you want) and walk-away (your floor).
3. Answer with a range whose bottom is your target, or deflect to their budget.

💰 Before any salary conversation, get a real number for your exact role + city. The free salary calculator gives you a Canadian market range (Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal, Calgary, Ottawa…) so your answer is anchored in data, not vibes.

🗣️ Word-for-word scripts

On an application form that forces a number:

Enter the top of your researched range (or the field's max). A form number isn't binding, and a higher figure keeps you in the running for the better band. If it allows text: "Open / negotiable based on total compensation."

When a recruiter asks on the screen (best: deflect to their range):

"Happy to talk numbers. Since the role's scope is what sets the range, what budget has been approved for this position? I want to make sure we're aligned before we both invest time."

Most will tell you — especially now that many postings must list a range anyway.

If they push you to go first:

"Based on the market for [role] in [city] and my experience, I'm targeting $[target]–$[target+10–15K]. Where does that sit against your range?"

Notice the band starts at your target, not below it — you negotiate up from the bottom of whatever you say.

If asked your current salary (you usually don't have to answer):

"I'd rather focus on the value of this role than my last one — what's the range you're working with?"

⚖️ Canada's pay-transparency shift is in your favour

The leverage has moved toward candidates:

• British Columbia — employers must include a salary or wage range on public job postings (Pay Transparency Act).
• Ontario — pay-transparency provisions under the Working for Workers changes require ranges on publicly advertised postings (rolling out 2026), with limits on asking salary history.
• More provinces are following.

Practical upshot: check the posting for a range first — increasingly it's required to be there. If it's listed, your "expectation" is simply "the upper half of your posted range, given my experience."

📊 Build your range in 10 minutes

1. Pull the market range for your role + city from the salary calculator.
2. Cross-check 2–3 live postings for the same title (and any required range).
3. Set target = upper-middle of that range if your experience is solid; floor = the lowest you'd accept.
4. Phrase your answer as a band starting at target, or deflect to their range.

Then, when an offer lands, that's a negotiation, not a guess — and it has its own scripts (see the salary negotiation script).

💰 Going into an actual offer negotiation? The salary negotiation coach gives you market data, counter-offer scripts, and a simulator to rehearse before the call.

❓ FAQ

Should I give a number or a range for salary expectations?

Give a range whose bottom is your target figure — never a single number, and never a number below what you actually want. Better still, deflect first: ask what budget is approved for the role, since the employer usually has a band in mind.

Do I have to share my current salary in Canada?

Increasingly, no — pay-transparency rules in BC and Ontario limit employers from requiring salary history, and it's generally fine to decline. Redirect to the value of the new role and ask for their range instead.

What if the job posting doesn't list a salary range?

Research it yourself before you answer — pull a market range for the role and city (our free salary calculator does this for major Canadian cities), then either state a researched band or ask the recruiter for their approved range.

Is it bad to ask the recruiter their budget first?

No — it's the strongest move. It avoids anchoring yourself low and signals you negotiate professionally. Most recruiters will share the range, especially where postings are now legally required to include one.

Anchor on data, not nerves. Pull your market range from the free salary calculator, rehearse the offer with the salary coach, and start free.

Land your dream job, faster.