i recently did the same. i work as a contractor. inflation, cost of living, cost of doing business, are all valid reasons. i don’t see why you would need to jus

i recently did the same. i work as a contractor. inflation, cost of living, cost of doing business, are all valid reasons. i don’t see why you would need to justify beyond that. if you offer a specialized skill they should have no issue paying more. that said i suspect managers discuss rates with finance or hr people while they should not. these people have their own ideas on what to pay people which IMHO are based on hearsay. i’m interested to hear other people’s opinion on this as i’ve had at least one situation like this. i’ve walked away from it.