Time is running out. The survey for Payscale's 2026 Compensation Best Practices Report closes December 12, 2025 — and your input could shape how thousands of organizations approach pay in the year ahead.
Now in its 17th year, the CBPR is the most comprehensive report on compensation management available. But its value depends on robust participation from compensation, total rewards, and HR professionals like you. The more responses we collect, the deeper the insights.
Why participate:
The 2026 survey tackles the compensation challenges you're dealing with right now: navigating a shifting labor market, managing AI adoption, ensuring pay transparency compliance, and stretching budgets while maintaining pay equity. With just over 100 questions taking 30 minutes to an hour, this is your chance to see how your practices compare — and access the resulting data free when the report drops in early 2026.
The survey uses skip logic and saves your progress, so you can start now and return later using the same link and browser. But don't wait too long — December 12th will arrive faster than you think.
What's covered in 2026:
- Firmographics
- Pay increases
- Compensation preparedness
- Labor market and economic conditions
- Salary data and market pricing
- Artificial intelligence
- Compensation strategy
- Pay equity and DEI
- Pay transparency and communications
- Variable pay and benefits
Hot topics evolve annually. While some questions remain consistent for year-over-year tracking, many have been updated or added to reflect what's actually happening in HR right now —issues you can't afford to ignore.
Sample questions you'll see:
- How well prepared is your organization to ensure compliance with compensation laws? (e.g., FLSA, California labor laws)
- How does your organization measure the ROI of compensation changes?
- How is your compensation team primarily structured?
- What was the average number of days required to fill an open position in your organization in 2025?
- Are employees "job hugging" in your organization?
- What is the biggest challenge your organization faces in managing compensation in the current economic landscape?
- What do you expect will be the average percent base-pay increase given to employees in your organization in 2026?
- Is your organization considering a standard, across-the-board pay increase in 2026?
- What are the most important characteristics for assessing the quality of a salary data source?
- How does your organization age survey data to align with your salary planning cycle?
- What compensation activities would you most want to automate if you could?
- What factors most influence your trust in an AI tool for compensation-related tasks such as salary benchmarking or aggregating and weighting data?
- Does your organization have a formal process for determining where employees fall in the pay band and how they progress up the pay band?
- To what extent are budget constraints limiting your organization's ability to ensure internal pay equity?
- How would you describe your organization's readiness for compliance with the EU Pay Transparency Directive?
What's in it for you:
Beyond shaping the industry's most trusted compensation benchmarks, survey participants are entered to win a $200 gift card. More importantly, you'll get early insights into how your peers are handling the same challenges — data you can bring directly to budget meetings and strategy sessions in 2026.
Industry coverage expands in 2026:
This year, we're adding Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology to ensure even more precise industry benchmarking. Full coverage includes:
- Agencies & Consultancies
- Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation
- Construction
- Education
- Energy & Utilities
- Engineering & Science
- Finance & Insurance
- Food, Beverage, & Hospitality
- Government
- Healthcare & Social Assistance
- Manufacturing
- Nonprofit
- Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology (new!)
- Real Estate, Rental, & Leasing
- Retail & Customer Service
- Technology
- Transportation & Warehousing
High participation rates allow us to segment data meaningfully by industry, company size, and region. Your response doesn't just help you — it helps everyone in your sector access better benchmarks.
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What happens next:
In early 2026, Payscale's research team will analyze thousands of responses and release a comprehensive report packed with data, charts, and actionable insights. Whether you manage compensation full-time or oversee it as part of broader HR responsibilities, this report will arm you with the intelligence you need to make confident decisions in an uncertain year.
The clock is ticking. Survey closes December 12, 2025. Take 30 minutes now to contribute your perspective — and gain access to the insights that will define compensation strategy in 2026.
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