Some employers adhere to rigid policies around how large a pay increase anyone can get at one time. 

If you work for a company that generally gives raises once a year, pay attention to when that normally happens and plan to initiate the conversation with your boss at least a month or two before that formal process begins. 

... not your finances.

... is a recognition that you’re now contributing at a higher level than when your salary was last set.

• If you get a “maybe,” make sure you’re clear on what next steps are. It’s okay to say something like, “Could I plan to check back with you when we meet on the 20^th?” 
• If the answer is no,  this is a perfect opportunity to ask, “Can you tell me what you think it w...

Touch on why you think you’ve earned a raise — i.e., that your responsibilities and/or the level of your contributions have increased. 

If you know your boss will need to get your raise approved by someone above her, you can leave a short, bulleted list of key points of...

You can often get surprisingly good data just by talking to people in your field. 

For most people, expect to wait a year from the last time your salary was set before asking for it to be reassessed.

It’s not greedy or entitled to ask for a raise.  Unless you work somewhere truly dysfunctional, it’s understood that you work for money. This is okay.

Find out what the market rate for your work in your geographic area is before you ask for more money.