How to negotiate salary by email after a job offer (5 templates)

Decide these privately before you send anything:

1. Your target: the figure you’ll ask for. It should be defensible from evidence, not just higher.
2. Your acceptable figure: what you’d happily say yes to.
3. Your walk-away point: below this, you’d decline. Knowing it keeps you calm.

Good evidence for the target, roughly in order of strength:

• the pay range in the job ad, if there was one (ask for the upper part of it if your experience fits);
• a competing offer in writing;
• what the role pays at similar companies in the same city, from salary sites and people you know in the field (our salary pages show the ranges employers advertise in job ads, by role and country);
• the scope you discovered in interviews, if it’s bigger than the ad suggested.

More ads include pay ranges than a few years ago. Several US states and cities, including Colorado, California, Washington and New York, require ranges in job postings. In the EU, the Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970 gives job applicants the right to information about the starting pay or its range and bars employers from asking about pay history; member states had until 7 June 2026 to put it into national law (EUR-Lex). Check how your country has implemented it.

Ask for the one or two things that matter most to you. A list of eight requests reads as a shopping list and makes it easier for the company to say no to all of them.

The core email. Start with genuine enthusiasm, name one figure (not a range, which invites the bottom of it), give a reason, and make it easy to say yes by saying what happens if they do.

Subject: [Job title] offer: thank you, and one question on salary

Hi [Name],

Thank you for the offer for the [Job title] role. I'm excited about joining [team] and working on [something specific from the interviews].

Before I accept, I'd like to discuss the base salary. Based on [the scope we discussed / the market for this role in (city) / my experience with (relevant skill)], I was hoping for something closer to [target figure]. In particular, [one concrete reason: you'd own X from day one, you bring Y that the team said it lacks].

If we can reach [target figure], I'm ready to accept and can start on [date].

Best regards,
[Name]

An illustrative version of the reason line: “In the interviews, Sam mentioned I’d take over the Salesforce migration from the first week. That’s a lead role I’ve done twice before, so I was hoping for something closer to $96,000.” The figure and names are invented; the pattern of scope plus proof is what matters.

Only send this if the other offer is real and you’d actually take it. Recruiters sometimes ask to see it, and a bluff that gets called ends badly.

Subject: [Job title] offer: timing and next steps

Hi [Name],

Thank you again for the offer. [Company] is my first choice, and I want to be open with you: I've received another offer at [figure] base, with a reply needed by [date].

I'd much rather join your team. Would you be able to move the base closer to [figure]? If so, I'd be happy to accept straight away.

Thanks for considering it,
[Name]

Public-sector, union and many large-company roles have fixed pay bands. When the recruiter says the number can’t move, accept that gracefully and ask about the other levers.

Subject: Re: [Job title] offer

Hi [Name],

Thanks for explaining that the salary band is fixed. I understand, and I'm still keen to join.

Would there be flexibility in other areas? In particular:
- a signing bonus of [amount], to offset [the bonus I'd forfeit by leaving / relocation costs]
- [an extra N days of annual leave / a learning budget of (amount)]
- a salary review after six months, against agreed goals

Any of these would make the decision easy for me.

Best,
[Name]

Asking for two to five working days is normal, especially to compare benefits. Asking for the full package in writing is also normal: pension, health cover, bonus terms and equity can change the real value of an offer considerably.

Subject: [Job title] offer: request for a few days

Hi [Name],

Thank you very much for the offer. I'm really pleased. Could I have until [day, date] to review the details and give you a full answer? I'd also be grateful for the complete package in writing, including [pension / benefits / equity / bonus terms], so I can look at it properly.

Best regards,
[Name]

Confirm every agreed term in writing, and don’t resign from your current job until you have the updated offer letter or contract.

Subject: Accepting the [Job title] offer

Hi [Name],

Thank you for working with me on the package. I'm happy to accept the offer at [agreed salary], with [any other agreed terms], starting on [date].

Could you send the updated offer letter or contract when it's ready? I'm looking forward to joining the team.

Best,
[Name]

Many recruiters prefer to negotiate by phone, and a call can feel more natural. Email has two advantages: you can choose your words carefully, and everything agreed is on record. A good pattern is to take the call if they offer one, say you’ll confirm by email, and then send a short summary of what was agreed. If you’re nervous on the phone, it’s fine to say “Let me think about that and come back to you by email this afternoon.”

• US: offers often arrive by phone first. Benefits such as health insurance, 401(k) matching and paid time off vary a lot between employers, so compare total compensation, not just base salary.
• UK: full-time workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year, which can include bank holidays (GOV.UK). Many employers offer more, so it’s a reasonable item to raise. Also check the employer pension contribution and your notice period.
• Europe: salaries are usually quoted gross per year, but some countries, including Spain and Austria, commonly split annual pay into more than 12 payments. Confirm whether a figure is annual or monthly, and how many payments there are, before you compare offers.
• Remote roles across borders: pay is often set by your location. If the job is remote, confirm which country’s rate and contract apply; our remote eligibility checker helps you read the ad’s location rules, and the employer of record guide explains offers made through an EOR.

• Negotiating before the offer. Your leverage is highest once they’ve decided they want you.
• Giving a range. They’ll hear the bottom of it.
• Personal reasons as the argument. Rent and debt are real, but the case should be about the role and the market.
• Ultimatums. “Match it or I walk” leaves no room for a compromise.
• Going back a second time on salary. One counter, then decide. Reopening an agreed figure damages trust.
• Accepting verbally and resigning before the paperwork.

Still in the application stage? Negotiation is easier with more than one offer, and more offers start with more interviews. The free CV score checker shows how well your CV matches each job before you apply, and our follow-up email templates cover the stages before the offer.