Best Time to Ask for a Raise: The Right Planetary Hour

The best planetary hour to ask for a raise is a Jupiter hour, ideally on Thursday. Jupiter rules abundance, growth, and generosity, making decision-makers more open to saying yes. If a Jupiter hour is out of reach, a Sun hour is the strong backup — and you should always avoid Saturn, Mars, and Moon hours.

You’ve earned it. You know you deserve it. But when do you walk into that meeting, send that email, or have that conversation? The planetary hours can give you an edge.

First choice: Jupiter hour

Jupiter is the planet of abundance, expansion, and success. It’s the strongest possible hour for financial requests. Jupiter energy makes authority figures more generous, more open to growth, and more likely to say yes.

Best day: Thursday (Jupiter’s day) — the first hour after sunrise is the most potent
Best for: salary negotiations, promotion conversations, bonus requests, contract renegotiations

Second choice: Sun hour

If you can’t time a Jupiter hour, Sun hours are the next best option. The Sun projects authority, confidence, and leadership. You come across as someone who deserves more — not someone who’s asking for a favor.

Best day: Sunday
Best for: situations where presence and gravitas matter — board-level meetings, executive reviews

For job interviews specifically

Interviews are slightly different from raise requests. You’re not just asking for money — you’re communicating your value. Consider layering:

Jupiter hour if you want the job to feel like a natural expansion of your career
Mercury hour if the interview is heavily verbal (presentations, case studies) and you need your communication to be razor-sharp
Venus hour if the interview is about culture fit and likability

Hours to AVOID

Saturn — the worst possible hour to ask for more. Saturn restricts, compresses, and says no. Your manager will feel cautious and tight-fisted. Do not ask for a raise during Saturn hours.
Mars — the conversation will feel combative. Even if you get the raise, you may damage the relationship. Negotiations during Mars tend to leave scars.
Moon — too unstable. Promises made during Moon hours are more likely to be walked back later.

The practical approach

Decide your ask and prepare your case (any time — prep has no planetary constraint)
Check your planetary hours for the day in Kabbalistic Cycles
Schedule the meeting during a Jupiter hour if possible, Sun as backup
If you can’t control the meeting time: send the initial request email during a Jupiter hour instead

How do you layer planetary hours for maximum leverage?

The strongest requests stack the day and the hour in your favor. A Jupiter hour that also falls on Thursday — Jupiter’s own day — doubles the effect: the day sets the tone and the hour sharpens it. If you can’t land that exact combination, the next best move is to match the hour to the specific ask. Use a Jupiter hour when the conversation is about money and growth, a Sun hour when you need to project authority and gravitas, and a Mercury hour when you have to lay out numbers, metrics, and a written case. The goal is alignment: the energy of the hour should match the nature of what you’re asking for.

A worked example: timing a Thursday raise request

Say your review is flexible and you want the strongest possible slot. You open Kabbalistic Cycles on Thursday and see the first Jupiter hour runs from roughly 7:00–8:00 a.m., just after sunrise. That early Jupiter hour on Jupiter’s day is the single best window of the week. You schedule the meeting for 7:30 a.m., prepare your case the night before (prep has no planetary constraint), and walk in while the hour is still open. If your manager can only meet in the afternoon, you check for the next Jupiter hour later in the day — planetary hours repeat — and aim for that instead. If no Jupiter hour fits the calendar, you fall back to a Sun hour and, failing that, simply avoid Saturn and Mars entirely.

What are the most common timing mistakes?

Asking during a Saturn hour. This is the most damaging error — Saturn is the planet of restriction, and it makes decision-makers default to “no.”
Confusing the day with the hour. Thursday helps, but a Saturn hour on Thursday is still a Saturn hour. The hour matters more than the day.
Over-optimizing the timing and under-preparing the case. The hour tilts the odds; it doesn’t replace a well-built argument. Do both.
Sending the request by email at a random time. If you can’t control the meeting slot, at least send the initial email during a Jupiter hour so the ask lands under favorable energy.

You can’t control whether they say yes. But you can give the moment the best possible energy to work with.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best planetary hour to ask for a raise?

A Jupiter hour, ideally on Thursday. Jupiter rules abundance, growth, and generosity, making authority figures more open to saying yes. The first Jupiter hour after sunrise on Thursday is the most potent window.

Which planetary hours should you avoid when asking for more money?

Avoid Saturn, Mars, and Moon hours. Saturn makes managers cautious and tight-fisted, Mars turns the conversation combative, and the Moon makes any promise unstable and likely to be walked back later.

What is the best planetary hour for a job interview?

Layer the hour to the interview type: a Jupiter hour for growth-focused roles, a Mercury hour for verbal or technical interviews, and a Venus hour when culture fit and likability matter most.