A salary conversation goes better when the words are already chosen. This page builds a script from the offer in front of you, the number you would actually accept, and the facts you can say out loud. It runs in the browser. It does not invent a competing offer, pad your target, or tell you to inflate your current pay.
When to negotiate
Negotiate when you have an offer, a clear verbal yes, or a recruiter who has asked what you want, and you can explain the number. The useful moment is after they want you and before you sign. The first recruiter screen is a different conversation. You are checking that their band and your target overlap. You are not yet making a counteroffer.
Ask when the gap matters. A small difference on a package you would accept anyway may not be worth a week of delay. A gap that changes your level, your cash, or the equity you are being asked to bet on is worth a calm conversation. Skip the theater if you cannot say the sentence twice. If you do not have another offer, you can still negotiate on the job and the market. You cannot pretend that you do.
Read the offer before you push on one line of it. Bonus targets, vesting, location pay, and sign-on pay are part of the number. A base that looks low can be a fair total. A high base can hide a grant that never refreshes, or a bonus that is not paid unless a company target is hit. If a term is missing from the letter, ask what it is before you anchor against a guess.
How to anchor
An anchor is the number you say, and then stand on. It should be the amount you would accept for the scope you think this job is. It should not be a theatrical markup you plan to abandon. Recruiters write down the figure you give them. A number you cannot defend becomes the story they tell the hiring manager.
This builder uses the target you type. It does not add a secret percentage on top. On a counteroffer, the script asks for that target and shows the gap against the base, bonus, and equity value you chose to count. On the question “what are your salary expectations?”, before an offer exists, the script gives a band around your target and says the target is the number you would accept. The bottom of the range is not a discount you secretly hope they ignore.
Say the number once. Then give the reason. A reason is something you can show: a published band, a market page you actually opened, the scope of the role, or another offer you really have, including the stage and the figure if you know it. “I feel I should be paid more” is not a reason they can take upstairs. If their offer is already above your target, say that. Do not raise the target because the conversation turned into a contest. Confirm the letter, and ask only about a term that is still missing.
What to say
The order is short. Thank them and name the topic. Say the number. Give one or two facts. Stop talking. On a phone call, the pause is part of the script. If you rush to fill it, you will negotiate against yourself and offer a concession they did not request. In email, the same points can be a little longer, because nobody is waiting on the line, but the ask is still one number.
A counter offer email that works is plain. Gratitude, the package as you understand it, the total or the base you want, the reason, one alternative if base cannot move, and a close that asks for the next step. You do not need a story about your rent. You do need a subject line a recruiter can forward without editing.
- Opener: thanks, and the topic is compensation.
- Anchor: one target, plus the facts you typed.
- Pushback: a reply for “best offer”, “budget is fixed”, and “what is your current salary?”
- Other terms: signing bonus, equity, remote work, time off, or start date, only if you want them.
- Close: a yes path, and a question that hands the turn back.
What to say when they push back
“This is our best offer” sometimes means the base band is used up. Sometimes it means they want to see if you fold. You will not know which from the first sentence. Thank them. Then ask whether a signing bonus, the equity grant, or the level can move. If every one of those is closed, decide on the package you have. Repeating the same request does not create budget, and it makes the rest of the conversation tense for no gain.
“The budget is fixed” is often true for base salary at a named level. Ask what sits outside the annual band. New-hire equity and a signing bonus sometimes do. Also ask what a review in six months looks like, and what would have to be true to change level. If you are going to accept on the promise of a later raise, that promise belongs in the letter or in a note you both have. A friendly sentence on a call is hard to rely on in month seven.
“What is your current salary?” You can keep the conversation on this role. A prior salary is a different job, and in some places an employer is not supposed to ask. If you choose to answer, use the real number. Inventing a higher salary is a lie. It falls apart if they ask for a document, or if the figure changes between the recruiter and the hiring manager. This script never tells you to invent one. If you leave “I will say this number” off, the script will not speak the figure, even if you typed it into the form as a private note.
Signing bonus, equity, remote work, and the rest
If base will not reach your target, trade for something you can verify. A signing bonus can close part of the first-year gap. Ask for the amount and for any payback clause if you leave early. Equity needs the grant size, the vest, the cliff, and, for options, the last independent valuation plus how long you have to exercise after you leave. A percentage with none of those facts is not money. A refresh grant is a separate question: some companies grant more equity every year, and some never do. Ask which one this is before you count on it.
Remote work, paid time off, and the start date are worth naming when they matter to your life. They are weak substitutes for a large cash gap. Do not read six requests just because they are on the page. Pick the two you would actually mention, and ask them as questions. “Is a signing bonus possible, and what are the payback terms?” is a better sentence than a list of demands.
Mistakes that cost people the offer, or the money
- Naming a number before you have looked at the market, then feeling stuck with it.
- Putting your real target at the bottom of a wide range, then acting surprised when they offer the bottom.
- Claiming a competing offer you do not have, or exaggerating one you do.
- Inflating your current pay.
- Threatening to walk away when you would still accept.
- Apologizing for the ask until you talk yourself down.
- Arguing a dozen small perks and never saying the number.
- Accepting “we will fix it later” when the letter does not say so.
A professional script is specific, short, and true. If a sentence is only true of a different candidate, delete it. If you would be embarrassed to repeat it to the hiring manager, it does not belong in the email.
How this builder works
The form does not call a model and it does not create an account. The script is assembled from the channel you picked, the tone you picked, and the facts in the boxes. Empty boxes stay empty. The competing-offer line appears only after you describe one. Sample numbers on the narrower pages are labeled as samples. Replace them before you copy anything into a real email.
Read the result aloud once. If a sentence does not sound like you, change it. The point of a script is a line you can stand behind when they ask a follow-up, not a performance. For the recruiter screen in particular, see recruiter phone screen salary question tips.
This is not legal advice. Rules about pay history and pay ranges differ by city and country. If you are unsure whether you must answer a question, check the rule where you live and where the company hires before you rely on a template.
Questions
Does this salary script use AI?
No. It fills a professional script from the channel, the tone, and the numbers and facts you type. Nothing in the form is sent to a server.
Should I always negotiate a job offer?
Negotiate when you have an offer or a direct question about pay, and a number you can explain. Do not negotiate by bluffing. If the offer is already above the target you wrote down, confirm the letter instead of inventing a higher ask.
Can I negotiate without a competing offer?
Yes. Scope, a market range you actually checked, and terms such as equity or a signing bonus are enough. Do not invent another offer. Uncheck that box unless you can describe a real one.
How high should I anchor?
At the number you would accept and can defend. This page does not add a markup on top of your target. If you are answering a salary-expectations question before an offer, the script puts your target in the middle of a narrow band and says you would not want the bottom unless another part of the package made up the difference.
What if they say the budget is fixed?
Treat base salary at that level as fixed until they say otherwise. Ask whether a signing bonus or the equity grant sits outside the annual band, and what a review in six months would require. Then decide.
Should I tell them my current salary?
Often you can decline and talk about this role. If you answer, use the real number. The script speaks a current-pay figure only when you check that you are willing to say it.
Will this write a counter offer email?
Yes. Choose Email as the channel, or open the counter offer email page. You get a subject line and a body you can copy. Read it before you send it, and replace any sample figures.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. It is a wording tool. Pay-history laws, equity tax, and bonus clawbacks depend on where you and the employer are. Ask a qualified person if the letter is unclear.