A word-for-word phone script for a salary counteroffer: opener, target, silence, and replies if they say the offer will not move. Free, in the browser.
Sample figures are filled in so you can see the script. Replace them with your offer before you copy it.
Your script
Base $150,000. Annual bonus $15,000. Equity yearly value $20,000.
Priced total: $185,000.
Target total compensation: $195,000.
Target is $10,000 above the priced figure, about 5.4%.
Opener
Thank you for the offer. I want to be direct about the number I would accept for the software engineer role.
Say this, then stop. Let them respond before you add the number.
Anchor and justification
I am targeting $195,000 in total compensation.
From what I can price today: $150,000 base, $15,000 bonus, $20,000 as the yearly equity value I am willing to count.
That priced total is $185,000. I am asking for $10,000 more, about 5.4%, which is my target and not a padded number.
The market check I can cite is that published ranges for this level in my city sit around $180,000 to $200,000 total. The scope I can defend is this. I own a production service and I am the person on call for it.
Name the target once. Do not raise it on the spot, and do not apologize for it.
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 $195,000.
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
If you can reach $195,000, I am ready to accept. If you cannot, tell me which parts can move and I will answer this week with a yes or a no.
Stop talking after the question. The next person to speak should be them.
Email version
Subject: Compensation for the software engineer role
Hello,
Thank you for the offer. I want to be direct about the number I would accept for the software engineer role.
I am targeting $195,000 in total compensation.
From what I can price today: $150,000 base, $15,000 bonus, $20,000 as the yearly equity value I am willing to count.
That priced total is $185,000. I am asking for $10,000 more, about 5.4%, which is my target and not a padded number.
The market check I can cite is that published ranges for this level in my city sit around $180,000 to $200,000 total. The scope I can defend is this. I own a production service and I am the person on call for it.
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.
If you can reach $195,000, I am ready to accept. If you cannot, tell me which parts can move and I will answer this week with a yes or a no.
Thank you,
[Your name]
On the phone you cannot edit. The script has to be short enough to say, and it has to stop. This page is set to a direct phone counter, with the same sample package as the email version so you can hear the difference. Change the numbers to your offer before you practice.
How the call should feel
Thank them, then say you want to be direct. State the target once. Give the reason in one breath. Then stop. The pause will feel long. That is the point. If you add “but I am flexible” before they have answered, you have already moved off the number.
Have the offer in front of you: base, bonus, equity, and anything you are not counting as cash. If they quote a different total, write it down and ask them to repeat it. Do not do math out loud if you are unsure. “I want to make sure I heard the base correctly” is a complete sentence.
If they say this is the best offer or the budget is fixed, use the replies in the script. Ask what can move besides base, then wait again. End by asking for the next step and when you will hear it. After you hang up, send a short email that repeats the number you asked for, so the call and the record match.
Questions
Should I negotiate salary on the first phone screen?
If they ask for expectations, answer with a target and ask for their band. Save the full counteroffer for when an offer exists. Use the salary-expectations page for that earlier call.
What if I freeze after I say the number?
The freeze is fine. Silence is not a mistake. Breathe, and let them speak. The notes beside the script tell you when to stop.
Updated 2026-10-08. Wording help, not legal advice.
