How to mention a competing offer you actually have: what to say, what to leave out, and a script that stays blank until you type the real facts.
Sample figures are filled in so you can see the script. Replace them with your offer before you copy it.
The competing-offer box is on, and the detail is blank on purpose. Type an offer you actually have, or turn the box off. The script will not invent one.
Your script
Competing offer is checked, but the detail box is empty. The script does not mention another offer. Describe one you actually have, or uncheck the box.
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]
A real competing offer is ordinary information. A fictional one is a lie, and it is a common way people lose trust in the last week of a process. This page turns the box on and leaves the detail empty. Until you describe an offer you have, the script does not claim one.
What counts as a competing offer
A written offer counts. A verbal offer with a number and a date counts if you are sure you heard it. An early recruiter chat does not. “I am also interviewing” is a timeline, not an offer. If all you have is another process, say that plainly and do not attach a salary you hope they have.
When you do have one, share the facts that matter: total or base, whether equity is included, and when you need to answer. You do not have to name the company. You should not inflate the number. If they ask to see the letter, decide in advance whether you will show it. Do not promise a document you will not send.
Use the other offer as context for your target, not as a threat. “I have a written offer at this total and I owe them an answer on Friday. I would rather join you at my target” is a clean sentence. “Match it or I walk” is a sentence you should only say if you will walk. The close in this script asks what can move. It does not stage a fake deadline.
Questions
Should I name the other company?
Only if you are comfortable with them knowing, and only if it is true. The script uses the words you type in the detail box and does not insert a company.
What if the other offer is lower than this one?
Say so only if it helps, or leave it out. Do not raise it. A lower offer does not justify a higher ask. Your target still has to stand on the role and the market.
Updated 2026-10-08. Wording help, not legal advice.
