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Got promoted but no salary hike - is this normal?

Sachin AhujaSachin Ahuja
8/8/2025
(edited)
140

My company promoted me from SDE-1 to SDE-2 but the salary increase is just 8%. My friends at other companies got 30-40% hike with their promotions.

Is this normal? Should I negotiate or just start looking for external offers? I like my team and the work but the compensation feels unfair.

For context: I'm at a Series B startup in Bangalore.

promotionsalarystartupnegotiation

Comments (2)

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Lakshay Desai
Lakshay Desai11 months ago

It's pretty common in startups to have smaller hikes, especially if they're tight on funding. Still, if you're pulling your weight and adding significant value, you should definitely negotiate. Maybe check if they're offering more equity instead?

Vera Chen
Vera Chen8/20/2025

8% seems quite low for a promotion, especially in the tech industry. In my last company, promotions usually came with at least a 20% increase. Might be worth having a conversation with your manager to understand the company's policy and see if there's room for negotiation.