How to get a salary raise in the New Year?

[JustMe9]

Does anyone have any tips of how to get a salary raise? A bit of a background - I have been working in a new department (branch) of the business of a medium size National company for almost a year. Our branch has started to make a bit of a profit every month and is run by a team of 3. I have been praised by the director as doing very well, above and beyond blah blah blah but everytime I mention money, he keeps saying that the business overall has to cut costs etc and my salary will be reviewed. It hasnt been yet. I am 99% sure when we start expanding our branch I will be promoted as I am the only one of 3 people based in the office and doing 100% of office "operations" but God knows how long it will take till that stage. Do I need to be more assertive now? I started on the lower end range of salary due to having gaps in my CV (due to raising a child) and hoped my salary would be reviewd once I pass my probation (it wasnt) Oh and other excuse my director made was him being flexible allowing me to work from home when my child got sick (ONCE!) and I had to work till late that day anyway so its not like anyone picked up my job as simply we dont have anyone else in the team who would be trained to do my job. So back to my question, should I wait it out until we start expanding or should I push for more money now? Currently 80% of my salary goes on nursery fees so I would love to have at least a tenner left in my bank account at the end of the month.... But its not an argument to my boss of course

List everything you did when yoy started on the lower wage. List everything you do now. If you do more (more of the original tasks or more tasks or better results, etc) now, this can be a legitimate reason for saying you believe you are worth more money.
It's the only way I've ever successfully got a payrise in a company where pay reviews weren't mandatory.
Good luck!

Schedule a meeting with him and explain clearly why you think you should get a higher salary.
If he keeps saying: in the future, we will see blabla, ask him: what target do I need to achieve in order to get a payrise and by when? Make it SMART.

Having managed people for many years, and been on the other end of the conversation you described many times, I'll give you my view (which is only a view, not any hard law).

In environments where progression isn't automatic (e.g. some NHS roles or civil service etc), people get pay rises and promotions when they are so indispensible that their managers literally fear them leaving. That's it.

If you can hand on heart say your manager would be in a tight spot without you, then you're in a good spot. Have an honest conversation about how your expectations aren't being met, and what those expectations would be.

If your manager has a different view on your indispensibility, that conversation will get you nowhere.

Your other option is to get an offer from elsewhere, and see if they'll meet it. This is a trick you can generally pull off once (and only once) for any given employer. Make sure it's an offer you're willing to take, because this gambit may not work.

Thank you all. I wouldnt want to leave as I like the company and their values overall and it is literally 5min drive from my home. My boss knows this unfotunately