Quick answer: Enter the salary you were offered, and optionally the market rate for the role, to see four possible counter-offer amounts, from a conservative ask to a confident stretch. The percentages reflect commonly cited general negotiation ranges, not a formula tailored to your specific industry or location.
Enter the salary you were offered, and optionally the market rate for the role if you have researched it, to see four possible counter-offer amounts: a conservative ask, a reasonable middle ground, a confident ask, and a stretch figure.
How to use the range
These percentages (roughly 5% to 20% above the offer) are a reasonable general starting point for many professional roles, not a guarantee or a formula tailored to your specific situation. Your actual leverage depends on your experience, how much the company wants you specifically, the broader market for your role, and the company's own budget constraints.
If you have researched the market rate for your role (using sites that aggregate real salary data for your title, location and experience level), enter that instead of leaving it blank: it grounds the range in your specific market rather than just the offer you happened to receive, which may itself be on the low end.
A worked example
Example. An offer of $70,000 with no market data entered produces a range from about $73,500 (conservative) to $84,000 (stretch), giving a concrete starting point for the conversation rather than guessing a number on the spot.
Real-world examples
A candidate offered $65,000 with a researched market rate of $72,000 enters the market figure instead of the offer, producing a counter range grounded in what the role is actually worth rather than the employer's opening number.
Someone with a competing offer in hand uses the stretch figure as an opening counter, since having leverage from another offer usually supports asking toward the higher end of a reasonable range.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating the suggested range as a guarantee rather than a starting point for a conversation.
- Not researching the actual market rate for your specific role, location and experience level before countering.
- Countering with a number far outside the suggested range without a clear, specific justification ready to explain it.
Frequently asked questions
Where do these percentages come from?
They reflect commonly cited general negotiation ranges, not a formula specific to your industry, location or experience. Use them as a starting point, not a guarantee.
Should I always counter?
Not always, but it is common and often expected, especially for roles with a defined negotiation process. Many offers have some room built in.
Is my salary information uploaded?
No. The calculation happens entirely in your browser.
What if I do not know the market rate?
Leave it blank; the calculator will base the range on the offer itself instead, though researching the market rate first will usually give you a stronger position.
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Sources and further reading
- Salary negotiation (Wikipedia, under Negotiation)
- Minimum wage and wage data context (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
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