N
The Global Insight

What is a reasonable salary counter offer?

Author

Mia Phillips

Updated on April 02, 2026

So how do you do that? A good range for a counter is between 10% and 20% above their initial offer. On the low end, 10% is enough to make a counter worthwhile, but not enough to cause anyone any heartburn.

Why you should never take a counter offer?

Counteroffers can be a stall tactic. Often employers will pay you more because they know it will only be for a short while. They will then start searching for a replacement who will take a lower salary with a similar skillset to yours. This is one reason why you should never accept a counteroffer.

Should I accept the first salary offer?

In short — negotiate your offer. Your first salary is a springboard from which you’ll negotiate your future job offers, so put yourself in a good position from the start. Be sure that although you might not negotiate your offer — others will negotiate theirs. Know that your bargaining power is greater than you think.

Are there employers that are willing to negotiate salary?

Fifty-three percent of employers say they are willing to negotiate salaries on initial job offers for entry-level workers, and 52 percent say when they first extend a job offer to an employee, they typically offer a lower salary than they’re willing to pay.

Is there room to negotiate a job offer?

On the other hand, if you’re negotiating with a smaller company that has never hired someone in your role, there may be room to adjust the initial salary offer or job title but not other things. The better you understand the constraints, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to propose options that solve both sides’ problems.

When to make a counter offer in salary negotiation?

The brief phase of the negotiation between the time you get a job offer and when you make your counter offer sets the table for the entire salary negotiation and will have a substantial impact on your final compensation. This guide will show you how to negotiate your salary over email with a step-by-step process.

How to respond to a salary negotiation email?

You can also respond with an email to a verbal offer made by the hiring manager or recruiter with an email. Here’s an email template you can use to reply to your job offer letter while you write your salary negotiation email: To: [Recruiter] Subject: [Name of person who made the offer] ’s verbal offer.