How to Counter a Job Offer: A Step-by-Step Guide

Receiving a job offer feels like the end of a process. It isn't — it's the beginning of a negotiation. The company has decided they want you, and they've made their opening bid. Whether you accept that opening bid or push back is almost entirely up to you.

Most people don't push back. A 2023 survey by Salary.com found that fewer than 40% of job seekers negotiate their salary after receiving an offer. Of those who do, the vast majority receive a higher offer. That gap — between the number of people who could negotiate and the number who do — is one of the most persistent and expensive habits in professional life.

This guide walks through the full process: how to evaluate an offer, when and how to counter, what to say (with word-for-word scripts), and how to handle the responses.

Step 1: Don't respond immediately

When you receive a job offer — by phone, by email, or in person — your first response should not be acceptance or rejection. It should be a polite acknowledgment and a request for time.

"Thank you so much — I'm really excited about this opportunity. Could I take a couple of days to review the full details before coming back to you?"

This is standard, professional, and expected. Any employer who pushes back on a reasonable request for 48 hours to evaluate an offer is sending you a signal worth noticing.

The time you buy yourself serves two purposes: (1) it gives you space to evaluate the offer properly, and (2) it gives you time to prepare your counter.

Step 2: Evaluate the offer against the market

Before you decide whether to counter, and by how much, you need to know where the offer sits relative to what the market pays for this role and location.

The relevant benchmark is not your current salary. It's not what you were hoping for. It's what comparable employers pay people with your skills and experience to do this job in this market. That's the data you're entitled to anchor your negotiation to.

Use our free salary checker to see the market range for your role and location. If the offer is below the median for your experience level, you have a clear, data-backed basis for a counter. If it's above the median, you can still counter — but your argument needs to be more specific to your personal value (skills, track record, specific expertise) rather than market lag.

Three questions to answer before you respond:

Where does this offer sit relative to the market median for this role and location? (Below, at, or above?)
What is the full package — base, bonus, equity, benefits? Base salary alone can be misleading.
What is the realistic ceiling for this role? Companies have pay bands. Understanding the likely band maximum helps you anchor your counter appropriately.

Step 3: Decide what you want to counter on

Most people think of job offer negotiation as salary negotiation. It's broader than that. The elements of a job offer worth evaluating — and potentially negotiating — include:

Base salary — The most important variable. It compounds: every future raise, bonus calculation, and contribution rate is anchored to your base. Start here.

Signing bonus — Often more flexible than base salary because it's a one-time cost. If a company has a hard band limit on base, a signing bonus can bridge the gap between their ceiling and your target.

Performance bonus — Target percentage, frequency, and the criteria that determine payout. A 20% target bonus vs. a 10% target bonus on a £90,000 base is £9,000 per year at target.

Equity — At startups and growth-stage companies, equity can be the most or least valuable part of the package depending on the company's trajectory. Understand what you're being offered before deciding how to weight it: total grant size, vesting schedule, cliff, type of equity (options vs. RSUs), and the current 409A or fair market value.

Start date — More flexibility here than most people assume. A later start date lets you finish projects cleanly at your current employer, take a break, or negotiate from less urgency.

Remote and flexibility — Number of in-office days, flexibility on working hours, or explicit policy on remote work from abroad. These have real financial and lifestyle value worth treating as negotiable.

Holiday entitlement — In the UK and Europe, this is statutory-minimum territory for most roles. But some companies offer above-statutory allowances as a differentiator.

Professional development budget — Not a salary item, but real value. Conference attendance, certifications, book allowances, and course budgets can be worth several thousand pounds per year.

Decide before you respond what you actually want more of. Trying to negotiate everything simultaneously is confusing and dilutes your leverage. Lead with base salary; treat other variables as secondary.

Step 4: Prepare your counter

Your counter needs three components:

A specific number, not a range. "I'm hoping for £92,000" is a counter. "I was thinking somewhere in the £88,000–£96,000 range" is an invitation to anchor at £88,000. Specific numbers signal preparation and conviction. Ranges signal uncertainty and a willingness to accept the lower end.

A rationale. Your counter should come with a reason — not an apology or a justification, but a factual basis. "Looking at the market for this role in London, I'm seeing a median around £90,000 for my level of experience" is a rationale. "I was hoping for more" is not.

A clear ask. End your counter with a direct question or statement: "Is there flexibility to get to £92,000?" or "I'd like to see if we can get to £92,000." Don't leave it ambiguous.

Step 5: Deliver your counter

In most cases, the most effective medium for a counter-offer is a phone call or video call rather than email. Email gives you more control over wording, but a live conversation lets you read the response, address concerns in real time, and build the relationship.

Whether by phone or email, the structure is the same:

Express genuine enthusiasm for the role
State that you'd like to discuss the compensation
Name your specific counter and your rationale
Invite their response

Sample script (phone):

"I really appreciate the offer and I'm genuinely excited about the opportunity. I do want to be transparent about one thing before I respond formally. Based on my research into the market for this role in [city], and looking at my [X years] of experience in [specific area], I was expecting something closer to [your target number]. Is there flexibility to get to [number]?"

Then stop. Don't over-explain. Don't pre-emptively justify or offer concessions. State your ask and wait.

Sample counter-offer email:

"Thank you for the offer — I'm genuinely excited about joining the team and I've been impressed throughout the process. Before I formally respond, I wanted to have a direct conversation about the compensation.

Based on my research into the market rate for this role in [city], and factoring in my [X] years of experience and [specific relevant background], I was hoping we could get to [target number] in base salary.

Is that something you're able to explore? I want to make sure we start on the right footing, and I'm confident we can find an arrangement that works."

Step 6: Handle their response

If they match or come close: Great. Confirm in writing before signing. "Thanks for moving on this — to confirm, we're agreeing to £92,000 as the base salary, with [other agreed terms]. I'll look out for the updated offer letter."

If they come back lower than your target but higher than the original offer: You've made progress. You can accept, push once more ("I appreciate you moving — is there any way to get to £90,000?"), or shift to non-salary variables. Don't push more than twice on the same number — it becomes counterproductive.

If they say the offer is firm and there's no flexibility: Ask specifically about other variables. "I understand the base is fixed at this stage. Is there any flexibility on a signing bonus or on the start date?" If everything is genuinely fixed, you're making a decision about whether the role is worth it at the offered terms.

If they come back defensive or seem irritated: This happens rarely, but it happens. Some hiring managers are not comfortable with negotiation and interpret any counter as ingratitude. Reassure them of your genuine interest and keep your tone warm. If the response suggests this is a cultural pattern at the company, that's a signal worth factoring into your decision.

Common mistakes to avoid

Negotiating against yourself. Naming a number lower than you want because you pre-emptively expect rejection. You don't know what they'll say — let them say it before you decide on their behalf.

Giving a reason that sounds like need rather than value. "I need to cover my rent" is not a basis for a counter. "The market rate for this role is X" is. Keep your rationale anchored in market data and your demonstrated value.

Counter-offering by email when a call would be better. Tone is hard to calibrate in text. If there's any relationship in place from the interview process, a call is usually more effective.

Waiting too long. If you have a deadline on the offer and you're planning to negotiate, do it quickly. Letting a deadline pass without accepting or counter-offering looks disorganised.

Negotiating at offer stage then disappearing. If you counter and they ask for time to review, follow up at the agreed date. Don't let it drift.

What if they rescind the offer?

Offer rescissions for counter-offers are rare — far rarer than most people fear. Employers invest substantial time and effort in hiring. Rescinding an offer because a candidate negotiated professionally would mean restarting a process that typically costs thousands of pounds and takes weeks. It almost never happens when the counter is delivered respectfully.

The scenario people fear ("they'll think I'm greedy and take the offer back") is the exception, not the rule. The more common outcome is that they either meet you or don't — in either case, you've learned something real about the employer before you've started.

The numbers: what counter-offering is worth

If you receive an offer of £80,000 and counter to £88,000 — and succeed — that's £8,000 in year one. But it's also the base for every future raise calculation. With 3% annual increases, the compounding value of that £8,000 starting point is over £100,000 across a decade. For a 15-minute conversation.

The asymmetry between the cost of asking (discomfort) and the benefit (material lifetime earnings) is extreme. The data is on the side of asking.

Start by knowing where the offer sits relative to the market. Check the market rate for your role and location →