Salary negotiation email: how to counter an offer in writing.
Email gives you time to think, lets you choose every word and creates a written record. The best counter-offer email is short, grateful and specific about the number and the reason.
A salary negotiation email should thank them for the offer, confirm your enthusiasm, name one specific number (not a range) and give a short reason based on the role's scope, your experience or market pay data you can cite. Ask whether they can meet it, then stop. If base pay is fixed, ask about a sign-on bonus, start date, title, remote days or a review date instead.
4 copy-ready templates
Illustrative: names, companies, dates and numbers in these templates and examples are fictional. Replace every bracket with your own true details before you send anything.
Counter-offer on base salary
When to use: Your main counter. Use one number and a reason you can defend.
Subject: [Role] offer Hi [Name], Thank you for the offer for the [Role] position. I'm excited about the team and the work on [project]. Based on [the scope of the role / my experience leading X / pay for similar roles in this area], I was hoping for a base salary of [amount]. Is there flexibility to get closer to that number? I'm keen to make this work. Best regards, [Your name]
Ask for other terms when base is fixed
When to use: When they have said the salary band is firm.
Hi [Name], Thank you for checking on the base salary. I understand it's fixed. Would the team consider [a sign-on bonus of amount / an extra week of leave / a salary review after six months / a later start date] instead? That would make it much easier for me to say yes. Thanks, [Your name]
Accept after negotiating
When to use: When they meet you partly or fully.
Hi [Name], thank you for working with me on this. I'm happy to accept the revised offer of [amount] base with [other terms], starting [date]. I look forward to receiving the updated letter. Best, [Your name]
Response to 'this is our best offer'
When to use: When they say no further movement is possible.
Hi [Name], thank you for being clear and for considering my request. Could I have until [day] to think it over? I want to give you a firm answer. Best, [Your name]
Disclosure: TryHired makes HIRED, a paid job-search program, so we have a conflict of interest when we mention it. Every template on this page is free to use without buying anything.
Negotiation sequence
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Offer arrives | Thank them, ask for the written offer and a decision deadline. |
| Within a day or two | Send your counter-offer email. |
| They counter | Decide whether to accept or ask about non-salary terms; do not keep pushing base pay. |
| Agreement | Get the revised offer in writing before you accept. |
The same message, rewritten
Illustrative example with fictional details.
| Version | Example |
|---|---|
| Weak | I was hoping for more money. Can you do better? |
| Strong | Based on the scope of this role, which includes managing the vendor budget, I was hoping for a base salary of $85,000. Is there flexibility to get closer to that number? |
Why it matters: The weak version gives no number and no reason, so the easy answer is no. The strong version gives the employer something specific to take to whoever approves pay.
Mistakes to avoid
- Naming a range: they will hear the bottom of it.
- Inventing a competing offer.
- Negotiating after you have accepted.
- Apologising for asking.
- Asking for more without a reason you can explain.
Write yours faster
Questions people ask
Is it better to negotiate salary by email or phone?
Can negotiating cause an offer to be withdrawn?
How much should I counter?
What if they say no?
How this page is built
Written by Maid Dizdarevic, a career coach and 8x LinkedIn Top Voice. The templates and timing guides are practical advice, labelled as advice. We do not publish response rates or success rates, and every example uses fictional details.
- How a specific employer or recruiter will respond: practices vary by company, industry and person.
- Legal advice: for contracts, severance releases or disputes, talk to an employment attorney or the relevant agency.
- Outcomes: no message, template or program can promise an interview or a job.
- TryHired editorial guidance by Maid Dizdarevic, career coach, Nov 2, 2026.