What to say when a recruiter asks for salary expectations. A target, a narrow band, and a question back about their range. No invented offer.
Sample figures are filled in so you can see the script. Replace them with your offer before you copy it.
Your script
No offer numbers yet.
Target total compensation: $170,000.
Opener
Thanks for asking. I would like to hear the band you have for the software engineer role, and I can tell you the number I am targeting so we both know if it is worth continuing.
Say this, then stop. Let them respond before you add the number.
Anchor and justification
My target is $170,000. For the scope we have discussed, that is the number I would accept. I can work from $163,000 to $179,000 if bonus, equity, or level changes the total. I would not want an offer at the bottom of that range unless another part of the package made up the difference.
What band are you hiring against?
The market check I can cite is that for this level and city I have seen totals around $160,000 to $185,000.
Give the target, then ask for their band. Do not fill a silence with a lower number.
If they say this is our best offer
I hear you, and I appreciate you saying it directly. If this base is the ceiling, I still want to see whether a signing bonus, the equity grant, or the level can move. If none of those can, I will decide on the package as it stands rather than ask the same question again.
Thank them before you ask what else can move. Then wait.
If they say the budget is fixed
Understood. A salary band is often fixed once the level is fixed. Signing bonuses and equity grants sometimes sit outside that annual budget. Is either of those actually open? If both are closed, what does a pay review look like in six months, and what would have to be true for the level to change?
Ask one question, then stop. A list of demands sounds like you did not hear them.
If they ask for your current salary
I would rather keep this on the pay for this role. A prior salary is a different job, and in some places an employer should not ask. The number I am using here is $170,000.
I am not going to invent a current salary, and I am not required to answer with one.
You can decline. If you answer, use the real number.
Non-salary asks
If salary cannot move the whole way, I will ask about other terms I actually want. I will start with a signing bonus.
If base cannot reach the target, I would like to talk about a signing bonus that closes part of the first-year gap. I want the amount, and any payback terms, in writing.
On equity, I would like the grant size, the vesting schedule, the cliff, and what happens to vested shares if I leave. If these are options, I also want the last independent valuation and how long I have to exercise after I leave. I will not treat a percentage as cash.
I would like to know how refresh grants work here: whether they happen on a schedule, what they depend on, and whether this offer is only the initial grant.
Remote work matters to me. I would like the written policy: which days, which locations are allowed, and whether pay changes with location.
I would like to confirm paid time off: the number of days, whether they are accrued, and what happens to unused days.
I can start on a date I can keep. If you need someone sooner, tell me the real date and I will say yes or no, rather than agree and then slip.
Pick the two you care about. You do not have to read all six.
Closing
I would like to get to yes. If $170,000 is possible, I can move forward. If it is not, I am open to a different mix of base, bonus, and equity that lands in the same place. What is the next step on your side?
Stop talking after the question. The next person to speak should be them.
Email version
Subject: Salary expectations for the software engineer role
Hello,
Thanks for asking. I would like to hear the band you have for the software engineer role, and I can tell you the number I am targeting so we both know if it is worth continuing.
My target is $170,000. For the scope we have discussed, that is the number I would accept. I can work from $163,000 to $179,000 if bonus, equity, or level changes the total. I would not want an offer at the bottom of that range unless another part of the package made up the difference.
What band are you hiring against?
The market check I can cite is that for this level and city I have seen totals around $160,000 to $185,000.
If base cannot reach the target, I would like to talk about a signing bonus that closes part of the first-year gap. I want the amount, and any payback terms, in writing.
I would like to get to yes. If $170,000 is possible, I can move forward. If it is not, I am open to a different mix of base, bonus, and equity that lands in the same place. What is the next step on your side?
Thank you,
[Your name]
“What are your salary expectations?” usually shows up before anyone has made an offer. The recruiter is checking fit against a band, and they will write down whatever you say. This page answers with a target, a narrow band around it, and a question about their band. The sample target is $170,000 total. Put in yours.
Give a target, not a trap
A very wide range sounds evasive, and a range whose bottom is your real number teaches them to offer the bottom. The script names the target as the figure you would accept for the scope you have heard, then a band a little below and a little above it. It says you would not want the bottom unless bonus, equity, or level made up the difference.
Ask for their band in the same breath. If they share it and you are inside it, say so. If you are above it, say so now, while leaving is cheap for both of you. Do not invent a competing process to justify the target. Market pages and the scope they described are enough at this stage.
If you truly do not know the level, say that you need the level before the number can be tight, and still give a ballpark you can live with. “I will know after the interviews” with no figure at all often gets read as stalling. A ballpark plus a request for their band is easier to respect.
Questions
Should I give a number or ask for their range first?
Ask for the band, and be ready to give a target if they will not go first. Refusing to say anything can end the call. Guessing far below market can stick.
Do salary expectation answers differ by country?
Yes. Some places expect a current-salary question and some restrict it. The script declines current pay unless you choose to share a real figure. It is not legal advice.
Updated 2026-10-08. Wording help, not legal advice.
