Negotiating salary once you have an offer
Why the offer stage is the one moment you have real bargaining power, how to prepare a number you can defend, and a calm script for asking without souring anything.
By Avowly · Last reviewed 6 November 2026 · 6 min read · How we write these
In short
- The offer stage is the one moment of real bargaining power. Use it once, politely.
- Prepare two numbers, glad and walk-away, each backed by market evidence.
- Ask for the offer in writing, make one specific ask with a reason, then be quiet.
- If base pay cannot move, negotiate the review date, sign-on, leave or title, in writing.
Most people negotiate at the wrong moment or not at all. The wrong moment is early, when pay questions are a screening step and pushing reads as presumptuous. Not at all is the expensive version: the offer stage is the one point in the whole process where the employer has chosen you, the alternative to a small raise is restarting their search, and a polite ask is expected far more often than it is punished.
This guide is about that stage: the offer is in hand, or clearly coming, and the question is what to do with it.
Before: know your number and your evidence
Know your two numbers
The figure you would be glad to accept and the one below which you decline, both backed by market evidence.
Get the offer in writing
Thank them, ask for the written offer and a day or two, and read all of it, not just the base figure.
Ask once, with a reason
One specific figure, one sentence of evidence, one question. Then be quiet and let them answer.
Settle it in writing
Whatever moved, the number, a review date, leave or a sign-on amount, exists once it is written down.
One polite, evidenced ask at the offer stage is expected far more often than it is punished.
Walk in with two numbers. The figure you would be glad to accept, and the figure below which you would decline. Both come from evidence: what this kind of role pays in your market, at your level, which you can research in salary surveys and postings for similar roles. A number with reasons behind it sounds like information. A number without them sounds like a wish.
Earlier in the process, keep your powder dry. Application forms and recruiters often ask for expectations before any offer exists; the guide on personal details and salary questions covers how to handle those early asks without boxing yourself in.
When the offer arrives
Thank them, and ask for it in writing with a day or two to consider. Both requests are normal, and the written offer is what makes everything after it real. Read the whole of it: base pay, bonus, leave, notice, anything variable. Sometimes the fix you want is not the base number.
The ask itself
Make it once, make it specific, and attach the reason.
Thank you, I am excited about this role. Based on what the role involves and what similar positions pay, I was expecting something closer to a specific figure. Is there room to get closer to that?
Three sentences, warm, and it ends in a question the other side can work with. Say your figure, not a vague "more". Then stop talking and let them respond. Silence here is not rudeness, it is how the other person gets room to say yes.
Here is the difference a figure and a reason make. All the figures in this guide's examples are made up.
Before
Is there any flexibility on the salary? I was hoping for a bit more.
After
I am keen to accept, and thank you. Given the month-end reporting this role includes, and what similar postings offer, I was expecting closer to 31,000. Is there room to get nearer that?
Why it works: The figure is invented for this example. In real life it would be her prepared "glad" number, taken from postings for similar roles she saved. A number with a reason gives the employer something they can say yes to; "a bit more" gives them nothing to work with.
If base pay truly cannot move, ask what can: the review date, a sign-on amount, leave, title. An early review with a stated number attached is a real concession, not a brush-off, if it is written down.
Before
Okay, I understand, I'll just take it then.
After
Understood. Could we write a pay review at six months into the offer, with the rate moving to 16.50 an hour if I meet the pick targets we discussed?
Why it works: The rate is made up for this example; his would come from his own prepared number. The pick targets are the ones the manager named in the interview. A dated review with a figure turns a no into a plan.
Hourly pay and shift work
If the job is paid by the hour, the same rules apply, and there is often more to talk about than the rate. Ask about the extra for nights or weekends, guaranteed weekly hours, the overtime rate, the shift pattern and when the first rise is due. Over a year, guaranteed hours or a rota that fits your life can be worth more than a small change to the rate. Pick the one that matters most to you and ask for that.
If they ask what you earn now
You are usually not obliged to say. Bring it back to the role and name your own number. If you do give your current pay, give the true figure. Where a form demands a number earlier in the process, the personal details guide covers your options.
Before
Er, I'm on about 28 now, so maybe 30?
After
Rather than my current pay, could we talk about this role? It covers two stores, and for that I am looking for around 36,000.
Why it works: All the figures are made up for the example. The two stores came from the offer letter, and the number is the one he prepared from similar roles, not his current pay plus a little.
What not to do
Do not bluff. An invented competing offer can be called, and then everything else you said is doubted too.
Do not negotiate twice. Ask once, get the answer, decide. Coming back a second time for another slice spends goodwill you will want on the job.
Do not accept on the call just to be agreeable. "I will confirm by Friday" is a complete sentence, and a reasonable employer will give you a day or two.
Do not resign anywhere until it is signed. A verbal number is not an offer. The guide on resigning and notice periods starts exactly there, and it also covers the counter offer your current employer may make once you do resign.
If the answer is no
A flat no with a reason is information, not an insult. You asked professionally, they answered, and the offer still stands. Decide against your lower number, not against the disappointment. Accepting warmly after a no costs you nothing: the ask is forgotten in a week, and you have lost nothing by making it.
Common questions
- Will negotiating make them withdraw the offer?
- A polite, evidence-based ask almost never does. Offers get withdrawn over bluffs, hostility or endless rounds, not over one professional question. If a single respectful ask would sink the offer, that tells you something about the employer worth knowing now.
- How long can I take to answer an offer?
- A day or two is normal, and asking for it is part of being professional. If you need longer, say why and give a date: "Could I come back to you by Monday? I want to read the contract properly." Then answer by that date, even if the answer is a question.
- Should I negotiate my first job offer?
- If you have evidence the offer is below market, a modest, well-reasoned ask is fine even at entry level. If the offer is fair for the market, the better early-career negotiation is often the review date: "Could we agree to review pay after six months?"