Salary Negotiation for Software Engineers: What to Say When the Recruiter Asks for a Number

Do not give a number before you have an offer. Ask instead for the pay band, which is the range the company pays for the level it has placed you at. If the recruiter insists, give a researched range for that level and location, never a single figure.

The reason is simple. The company knows its band and you do not, so the first number you say can only lower the offer. A number said after the offer, with a reason, is the one that raises it.

This guide gives the words for the first call, explains what an offer is made of, and gives the script for asking for more.

What to say when the recruiter asks for a number

The recruiter asks about salary expectations in the first call, before any interview. Have three short answers ready, in this order.

The deferral. This answer delays the number politely, and most recruiters accept it. Use it first.

"I would rather learn more about the role and the level before I talk about numbers. Once we both know the role is a match, I am confident we can agree on pay."

The band question. Ask for the band right after the deferral, because the company already has it written down.

"Could you share the pay band for this level? That helps me confirm we are in the same range before we both spend more time."

The range answer. Use it only when the recruiter must enter a number in their system. Give a range for total compensation, which is base salary, bonus, and equity for one year added together.

"Based on what I have seen for this level in this location, total compensation between 180,000 and 220,000 would match my expectations. I am flexible on how that splits between base and equity."

Those numbers are a rounded example in US dollars. Choose your own range so the lowest number is one you would accept. More replies to this question are in how to answer "what are your salary expectations".

What a software engineer offer is made of

An offer from a large company has four or five parts. Total compensation, defined above, is the number you compare across companies.

Base salary is the fixed amount paid each month, before any bonus. It is also the part large companies change the least.

The annual bonus target is a percent of base that the company plans to pay once a year. The word target matters, because the real payment depends on company and personal results. For example, a 15 percent target on a base of 160,000 means a planned 24,000 a year.

Equity is part ownership of the company. At public companies it is usually given as restricted stock units, or RSUs, which are shares you receive on a schedule. The offer states a grant, which is the total value of equity promised.

The vesting schedule is the timetable for receiving the grant, often four years in equal yearly parts. Many schedules include a cliff, which is a waiting period of about one year before any shares become yours. If you leave before the cliff, you keep none of the grant.

A sign-on bonus is a one-time cash payment made when you join. Companies use it to replace the bonus or equity you give up by leaving your current employer. Some require you to repay it if you leave within the first year.

Refresh grants are new equity awards given each year after you join. Without them, your equity income falls to zero when the first grant finishes vesting. Ask whether the company gives them and how large a typical one is.

How to research the right number

You need one number before you ask for more, and it must be for one level and one location. A level is the rank a company gives an engineer, and each level has its own band. The same title can mean different levels at different companies, which FAANG software engineer job levels explains.

Reported pay on levels.fyi. This is a website where engineers report their level, location, and each part of their pay. Filter by company, level, and city, then use the middle of the reported values, not the highest.

The posted band. In some places the law requires a job posting to show a pay range. Where it does, that range is the company's own band, so read the posting again before the call.

Peers. Two or three engineers at your level, at similar companies, will usually tell you their offers if you ask directly. One number from a person you trust is worth more than a forum thread.

Recruiters at other companies. A recruiter who wants you for a similar role will often tell you their band without being asked. Two active interview processes at once also give you a competing offer later, which is a real offer from another company.

Which parts of the offer are negotiable

At a large company, base salary is the part that changes the least. Base bands are narrow and shared by everyone at the level, so a recruiter can rarely change base by much. Sign-on bonus and equity change far more, because they are one-time or paid over several years and do not affect the band.

Down-leveling is being placed one level below the level your experience matches. It is the single change worth the most money, because every part of pay depends on the level. Every future raise starts from that level too.

If you think you were down-leveled, say so before you discuss any number. Ask what the next level requires, and give evidence from your work that you already do it. Some companies will re-interview for the higher level and some will not, but both answers are useful.

Small companies are different in one way. Their equity is harder to value, so base is usually the part to negotiate. For the equity, ask for the share count, the percent of the company it is, and the last funding price.

Negotiation is a claim with a reason, said once, in plain words. That is the same skill the behavioral interview tests. Grokking the Behavioral Interview teaches how to describe what you did, and why it mattered, in that same plain form.

How to make the counter offer

A counter offer is a request for a higher number than the one offered. Make one counter, following five rules.

One specific number. Not a range, and not "more". Ask for total compensation of 230,000, for example, and say which part you want it to come from.

One or two reasons. The band you researched, a competing offer, or a specific skill the team needs. Reasons about your rent or your student loans are not reasons the company can act on.

A competing offer, if it is real. A real competing offer is the strongest reason you can give. Recruiters can ask to see it, so never claim one you do not have.

Asked once. Say your number, give your reasons, and stop talking. Do not lower it before the recruiter has answered.

By phone, then in writing. Make the counter on a call, so questions get answered at once. Then send a short email the same day with the number and the reasons, so there is a record.

The counter script below uses example numbers.

"Thank you for the offer, and I want to join this team. Based on the band for this level and a competing offer at 225,000 total, I am ready to sign at 230,000 total. I am flexible on whether the difference comes from equity or the sign-on bonus."

"Ready to sign" tells the recruiter that agreeing to the number ends the process. Only say it if it is true. What is a polite way to negotiate salary has more phrasing for the call.

A counter inside the researched band is easy to justify, and one above it needs a competing offer. What is a reasonable salary negotiation explains how large a request is normal.

When to answer and when to wait

Never accept on the call. Ask for the offer in writing and for time to review it. A few days is a normal request, and a week is not unusual.

A deadline is negotiable. If the recruiter gives you three days and you have a final interview elsewhere next week, say so and ask for more time. A company that has decided to hire you can usually wait a week.

The best moment to counter is when two offers arrive in the same week, so use the review time to finish other processes. Ask a slower company to speed up its final rounds. The FAANG hiring process lists the stages, so you can tell each recruiter which stage you have reached elsewhere.

Once the recruiter agrees to your number, or gives a final answer, confirm every part in writing and sign within a day or two.

Salary negotiation mistakes to avoid

Naming a number first. Every number you say before the offer becomes the upper limit of the offer. Use the deferral and the band question instead.

Negotiating against yourself. This means lowering your own number before the company has answered, usually because the recruiter stays quiet. State the number and wait.

Inventing a competing offer. Recruiters talk to each other and can ask for proof. If the claim is found to be false, the offer can be withdrawn, and the loss is larger than any raise.

Negotiating every line item means asking for each part of the offer in its own email. That tells the company you will never be satisfied. Ask for one total, once, and say which part it should come from.

Not replying for days. Silence after an offer is understood as a lack of interest, and some companies then make an offer to the next candidate. If you need time, ask for it and give a date.

Frequently asked questions

Should I tell the recruiter my current salary? No, and in some places recruiters are not allowed to ask for it. Your current pay is not a reason for the new company to pay less. Say that you would rather discuss the band for the role.

Can negotiating make a company withdraw the offer? A polite counter, asked once with a reason, is expected and normal. Offers are usually withdrawn for behavior like inventing a competing offer or repeated demands, not for one clear request.

Should I negotiate if I was laid off and need the job? Yes, but keep it to one request with one reason. The company decided to hire you based on your interviews, not on your job status. How to explain a layoff or career gap in a tech interview covers the interview side.

How much should I ask for above the offer? Ask for a number your research supports, not a fixed percent. If the offer is below the middle of the band, ask for the middle or higher. If it is already near the top, ask for sign-on or equity instead of base.

What if the recruiter says the offer is final? Ask which parts are fixed and which are not, because "final" often means base is fixed while sign-on is not. Then decide using the total number, not the word. Either answer is fine as long as you chose it with the facts.

Negotiation is easiest when the company has already decided it wants you, and that decision is made in the interviews. Grokking the Coding Interview teaches the patterns behind most coding questions, so that more than one company makes you an offer.

Related reading

• What are your salary expectations? How to answer
• What is a polite way to negotiate salary?
• What is a reasonable salary negotiation?
• Understanding FAANG software engineer job levels
• The FAANG hiring process, stage by stage
• FAANG behavioral interview guide