How to Answer "What Is Your Expected Salary" for IT Jobs

The best way to answer "what is your expected salary" for IT jobs is to give a researched range, not a single guessed number: look at current posts for the same role, level and city on JobStreet, LinkedIn, Kalibrr and Indeed PH, set a range whose bottom is a number you'd genuinely accept, then say it calmly and add that you're open to discussing the full package. For example: "Based on similar junior QA roles I've seen posted in Makati, I'm looking at X to Y, and I'm flexible depending on the benefits." Your range should come from evidence, so it sounds reasonable to HR and doesn't leave money on the table.

This question shows up early in the Philippines. You'll see it as a required field on JobStreet applications, hear it on the first HR screening call, and get it again in the final HR round. Answering "kahit magkano po" or naming a number your friend mentioned once are the two most common ways to hurt yourself here.

Why do Philippine employers ask for your expected salary so early?

HR asks early to check whether you fit the budget for the role before spending time on interviews. It's not a trick. Most entry-level IT roles have an approved range, and HR wants to know if your expectation falls inside it, far below it or far above it.

That's why both extremes hurt. A number far above the range can get you filtered out. A number far below can make HR wonder if you understand the role, and if they hire you, it sets your starting basic pay low, which also affects things computed from it, like your 13th month pay.

We won't give you peso figures here, on purpose. Pay for the same title varies a lot between a local SME, a BPO's IT department, a bank and a foreign-owned IT services firm, and between Metro Manila, Cebu and the provinces. Any number in a blog post goes stale. Current job posts don't.

How to research the salary range for your IT role

Spend one hour on this before your first application. You'll reuse it for every interview.

1. Open a Google Sheet with columns: role title, company, company type, city, level, salary shown, work setup, date seen, link.
2. Search your exact target title on JobStreet, Kalibrr, LinkedIn and Indeed PH, filtered by your city and entry level. Use variants: "junior web developer," "associate software engineer," "QA tester," "IT support associate."
3. Log only posts that show a salary. Many don't. Kalibrr and some JobStreet posts often do. Aim for 10 to 15 entries.
4. Remove the outliers. Senior roles mislabeled as junior, posts that look fake, and roles in a different city.
5. Look at the middle. Sort by salary and look at where most of the entries cluster. That cluster is your realistic market range for now.
6. Ask two real people. Alumni a year or two ahead of you, or someone in a similar role, via LinkedIn or your org's group chat. Ask about ranges, not their exact pay: "For junior QA roles in Makati, what range seems normal?"
7. Check company reviews on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed company pages for the specific company, knowing these are self-reported and can be outdated.

Repeat a quick version of this every month or two during your search. The ranges you see will move, and you'll notice patterns by company type.

How to choose your expected salary range

Your range is two numbers. Set them deliberately:

• The bottom is the lowest you'd honestly accept for this role, after thinking about your commute, rent, family support and the learning you'd get. Never put a number at the bottom that you'd turn down.
• The top sits around the upper part of the cluster you found, a little higher if you have something extra: a strong capstone, a relevant cert, real OJT on the same stack, or years of related work if you're a career shifter.
• Keep the range reasonably tight. A very wide range sounds like you haven't decided. A narrow one that's realistic sounds prepared.

Also know what number you're actually talking about. Ask, or confirm, whether the figure is basic monthly pay or gross with allowances. In the Philippines an offer can include basic pay, allowances (rice, transport, internet), night differential for work between 10 PM and 6 AM, 13th month pay, HMO coverage and leave credits. Two offers with the same basic pay can be very different packages. Take-home pay is lower than gross after withholding tax and SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions, so ask HR for an estimate if it matters to your budget.

Sample answers to "what is your expected salary"

Here are scripts for the situations you'll actually meet. Replace X and Y with your researched range.

On a screening call, when you'd like them to go first:

"Before I give a number, may I ask the budgeted range for this role? I want to make sure we're aligned." If they share it and it fits, say so. If they insist you go first, use the next script.

When they ask you directly:

"Based on what I've seen for similar junior developer roles in Pasig, and the React and SQL work from my capstone, I'm looking at X to Y. I'm open to discussing it together with the benefits and training."

On a JobStreet form with a single required field:

Enter a figure near the middle of your researched range, not the bottom. If there's a text box, add a line like: "Flexible depending on the full package." Be aware the number you type may be seen during screening.

When they say your range is above their budget:

"Thanks for telling me. Could you share the range you have in mind? I'd also like to understand the rest of the package, like HMO, allowances and when the first salary review happens." Then decide calmly. You don't have to answer on the spot. "Can I think about it and get back to you tomorrow?" is acceptable.

When they ask for your current salary (career shifters):

You can share it, or redirect politely to the new role: "I'd rather focus on what this IT role pays in the market. Based on my research, I'm looking at X to Y." If your current pay is higher than entry-level IT, say you've planned for it: "I know entry-level IT may start lower than my current role. I've planned for that, and my range reflects it."

In writing, by email:

Hi Ms. Cruz,

Thank you for the update. Based on similar QA Tester roles
in Makati, my expected salary is in the range of X to Y per
month. I'm open to discussing this together with the full
package, including benefits and training.

Best regards,
Bea

Weak vs strong salary answers

• Weak: "Kahit magkano po, basta makapasok lang." Strong: A researched range plus openness to the package. Being eager is fine. Having no number makes HR's job harder and usually means a lower offer.
• Weak: "My friend at another company gets X, so I want X." Strong: "Based on 12 current posts for this role in Cebu, the common range is X to Y." Evidence, not one person's story.
• Weak: A single number far above anything posted, because you saw it on a TikTok video. Strong: A top end that matches the upper part of real posts.
• Weak: Accepting the first number on the call to avoid awkwardness. Strong: "Thank you, can I review the full offer in writing first?"

What if the salary is fixed?

Some entry-level programs, especially big trainee batches, pay the same starting salary to everyone. In that case pushing on base pay may not get far, and that's not a red flag by itself. You can still ask about the start date, hybrid days, a laptop or internet allowance, a training budget, or an earlier performance review. If there's a training bond, read the terms before signing. See IT trainee programs and training bonds and negotiating your first IT job offer for what to check.

You can practice all of this alone with your Google Sheet and a phone recorder. What's harder to get alone is honest feedback on how your answer sounds. Nervous applicants often say the right range and then undercut it in the same breath. In the Fresh Grad Track, week 4 covers reading a Philippine job offer and negotiation basics, and your final assignment is a recorded HR mock interview that includes this exact question, with a coach's feedback on your salary answer. See what's inside at the Fresh Grad Track, try the free fresh grad preview, or start with the free IT Job Starter Kit. The HR interview questions for IT jobs post covers the rest of that round.

Frequently asked questions

Should I give a range or a single number for expected salary?

A range is usually better because it shows you've researched the market and leaves room to discuss the package. Make sure the bottom of your range is a number you would actually accept.

Is it okay to ask the employer's budget first?

Yes. Politely asking "May I know the budgeted range for this role?" is normal in the Philippines. If they insist you answer first, give your researched range.

Should my expected salary include allowances and 13th month pay?

State your expectation as monthly basic or monthly gross, and say which one. Ask HR whether their figure is basic pay or includes allowances, since 13th month pay, night differential and some benefits are computed separately.

What if I'm a fresh grad with no experience?

Base your range on current entry-level posts for your role and city, and lean toward the middle of what you see. A strong capstone, OJT or relevant cert can justify the upper part of that range.

Can a high expected salary get my application rejected?

It can, if it's far above the role's budget, especially when it's a required field used in screening. That's why your number should come from current job posts rather than a guess.