This week I applied for a mid-level operations role at a midtown company—nothing fancy, but I liked the listed range. Within an hour, the recruiter sent me a pre-screen form for a "quick 15-minute intro." It had three required fields: current base salary, current bonus/commission, and target total comp for this role. No place to skip, and a little note that responses help "internal calibration."

I replied to the email instead of filling it out and asked if they could share the approved budget range first. The recruiter said she needed my current comp to move forward. I said I was focused on fit and the role, not my current package. Then I heard nothing.

I know NYC has a salary history ban, but I also know recruiters ask for expectations all the time. My question is: is bundling current salary with target comp a workaround, or is the current salary ask still not okay? I've hired people before and our HR always told us not to ask. Curious if anyone else has run into this lately. Also, if a form requires a number, what are you actually typing in the box?

Yeah this is the same playbook. They frame it as "calibration" but want to anchor you. I just put 0 or negotiable in the current comp box and put a realistic target number if I feel like it. If the form won't accept words, I put a range in the target and 1 in current. They can't stop you from being annoying. Asking current comp for an NYC job is supposed to be off-limits, but they do it until someone calls them out. You might have dodged one.

To be clear: the NYC law generally bars employers, employment agencies, and their agents from asking about or relying on salary history, including current pay and bonuses, when the job is in New York City. There are narrow exceptions, but an online pre-screen for a midtown role isn't one. Asking for target total comp is usually allowed, which is why the form mixes both: it gives them cover and also gives them a low anchor.

I would not fill it out. What I do now is reply with something like: "I'm happy to discuss the budgeted range for this role, but I don't share compensation history. My target depends on the full package—hybrid schedule, bonus, benefits, title." If the recruiter insists, I treat it as a signal about how they'll negotiate later. A good recruiter will either give a range or move you forward without the history.

Another tactic: if it's a third-party agency, ask where the role sits and whether the employer is NYC-based. Sometimes agency recruiters try to collect history for other roles too. Keep the email. You don't need to sue anyone, but that detail can be useful if the process gets worse.

Wait, this applies even if the form just says "current base" and not "salary history"? I had a recruiter ask me after an offer for my last paystub to "verify employment." I gave it because I didn't want to lose the offer. Was that wrong? Now I'm worried I messed up my negotiation.

The paystub after an offer is a little different and a lot more uncomfortable. An employer can verify dates and title without seeing your comp. If they want to use a paystub as proof you worked somewhere, you can offer a redacted version—black out the pay rate, hours, taxes, all dollar figures—and ask whether that works for their verification. If they say the numbers are required, I'd ask who in HR is asking, what policy it's for, and whether it's compensation-setting or background verification.

For a background check, the vendor usually doesn't need the applicant to hand over a paystub at all. For compensation, using that voluntarily handed-over number after an offer would still give me pause because a judge or investigator may not see it as truly voluntary if you were told the offer couldn't proceed otherwise. I'm not a lawyer, but the practical move is never hand over an unredacted paystub. Send the redacted copy and put the request in writing. If they push, that's a red flag.

I got the same kind of form last month for a Queens job. I put "negotiable" in every box that let me type, and for target I wrote "open to the market range for this role." They emailed back asking for a number. I wrote back, "What is the range you have approved?" They gave me a number and honestly it was lower than I'd have asked. So I think flipping works. You just have to be okay with maybe getting ghosted.

I'm with Flatbush_Fi on this one. The pre-call homework is the first interview, and it's mostly to see if you'll negotiate against yourself. I don't list current, period. If a form can't be submitted without a number I use a placeholder and then put my expectations in the message. If they come back with "we still need current," I already know the role is going to be a headache about money. Plenty of legit recruiters in this city will give you a range if you ask. The ones that won't are usually throwing you into a bucket for the client.