A bare amount is not enough to compare an expectation with a role's budget. Ask what the person means before recording it. This guide concerns expectations for a new role; it does not recommend asking for salary history.

Give the amount its context

Confirm the currency, period, gross or net basis, and type of engagement. Keep the role's budget on the same basis. If a detail is unknown, label it as unknown rather than filling it from a habit or a market assumption.

The following amounts are invented examples for explaining units, not salary benchmarks or recommended rates. "600 EUR per day" and "6,000 EUR per month" describe different units. They are not presented as equivalent. Converting between them would require assumptions that the speaker has not supplied.

Questions that clarify an expectation

  • Which currency is that?
  • Is the amount hourly, daily, monthly or annual?
  • Are you describing gross pay, net pay or an invoice amount?
  • Is the expectation for employment or a service agreement?
  • Is this a firm expectation, a range, or dependent on the arrangement?
  • Are any benefits or variable payments included in that figure?

Ask only the questions that remain unanswered. Read back the complete statement so the candidate can correct it before you forward it.

Keep conditions attached

"It depends on travel" is useful information. Preserve the condition instead of choosing a convenient point from a range. If the client changes the location or working arrangement, return to the expectation and confirm it again.

Keep an original note alongside a normalised field when the distinction matters. A short qualifier can prevent an apparent disagreement that is really a mismatch of units.

Avoid a silent conversion

This is not a tax calculator. Do not convert net to gross or a service invoice into employment pay with a general percentage. Ask the appropriate payroll or tax specialist to confirm a calculation for the actual arrangement, and distinguish that calculation from the candidate's own words. Information only, not legal or tax advice.

Record what you can explain

Deelbert provides candidate fields for rates and expectations. Review what you enter and keep missing details empty until confirmed. AI assistance is not a guarantee that a number has the right period or basis.

See the recruiting plans, questions about notice and availability, and what to check in an AI extraction.

The numerical examples above are deliberately fictional. No external market figures, tax rates or conversion ratios are asserted in this guide.