Learning how to negotiate salary on a job offer is the best-paid hour of any job search. The company has already chosen you, the offer letter is written, and a single well-worded email can move your base pay by four figures a year — permanently, because every future raise is calculated on top of it.
This guide is written for candidates hiring in Spain and Latin America, where the rules changed in June 2026. You get the three figures to prepare, how much to counter, and the exact wording to send — including what to say when they tell you the budget is closed.
Why the Salary Range Should Already Be Published
Since June 2026, EU pay transparency rules apply across the whole union, and they rewrite the opening move of the conversation. Two of them matter the day an offer lands on your desk.
- You are entitled to the number before you interview. Article 5.1 of Directive (EU) 2023/970 gives applicants the right to receive the starting pay or the initial pay range from the prospective employer, delivered in a way that allows an informed and transparent negotiation.
- They cannot ask what you earn now. Article 5.2 forbids employers from asking applicants about their pay history in current or previous jobs. The European Commission states the same in plain language: recruiters may no longer be allowed to ask them about their pay history.
The practical consequence is that the old trap — anchoring you to your current salary — is off the table. If the question still comes up, you are not being difficult by declining it. And if the range was published, your counter-offer is no longer a guess: it is a position inside a band the company itself defined.
What has not changed is the earlier stage of the process. If you are still in interviews and someone asks what you are looking for, that is a different question with a different answer — our guide on answering the desired salary question covers it.
Prepare Three Numbers Before You Reply
Never negotiate with one figure in your head. Improvising a single number is how candidates land exactly on the offer they were given, or overshoot into a range the role was never funded for.
Write down three, in this order:
- Your walk-away figure. The gross annual salary below which you decline and stay where you are. It is a private number and you never say it out loud, but it is what keeps you calm during the call.
- Your target. What the role is worth in this market, for your experience. Build it from the published band, comparable postings for the same title, and what people in your network actually earn — not from what you needed three years ago.
- Your anchor. The figure you name first, above your target, with a reason attached. It has to be defensible: if you cannot explain it in one sentence, it is too high.
You need an external reference point for step two. Spain's National Statistics Institute reports that the average annual salary was €29,540.26 per worker in 2024, 5.3% higher than the previous year. That national average is a floor for sanity-checking, not a target: it flattens sector, seniority and region, so a specialised role in Madrid or Barcelona sits well above it.
Sector data is the missing half. Collect it the same way you research employers during the search itself, as part of a wider job hunting strategy rather than in a panic the night the offer arrives.
How Much More Can You Realistically Ask For?
There is no universal percentage, because the honest answer depends on what the company has already told you. Find your situation below.
| Situation | What to counter with | Why it holds up |
|---|---|---|
| They published a band and offered you the bottom of it | The upper-middle of that same band | You are asking for a number the company already wrote down and approved |
| They published a band and offered the top | Leave base alone; negotiate the rest | Base is capped by design; bonus, days off and remote work are not |
| A single figure, no band | Between 8% and 15% above the offer | Large enough to be worth the conversation, small enough to stay credible |
| You have a second written offer | The competing figure, plus the reason you prefer this role | A verifiable alternative is the strongest argument there is |
| Junior role or first job | Between 5% and 8%, or a review date in writing | Entry bands are rigid; a scheduled review is the realistic win |
Two rules apply to every row. Ask once: a counter-offer that returns three times reads as bad faith and burns the goodwill that got you the offer. And always counter with a specific figure, never a range — the company will hear the bottom of your range and offer that.
Scripts to Negotiate Salary: What to Say, Word for Word
Four moments cover almost every negotiation. Adapt the wording, keep the structure: appreciation, then the figure, then the justification, then a door left open.
Buying yourself time
Say this the moment the offer arrives, verbally or by email. Nobody has ever lost an offer by asking for two days.
Thank you — I'm delighted, and I want to give the offer the attention it deserves. Could you send it to me in writing? I'll come back to you with an answer by Thursday.
The counter-offer email
Put the counter in writing. It travels up the chain intact, and whoever has to approve the budget reads your argument rather than a summary of it.
Thank you for the offer and for the whole process — the role is exactly what I'm looking for and I'd like to join the team.
Based on the responsibilities we discussed, my experience in [specific area] and the range published for the position, I'd be able to accept at a gross annual salary of €[figure]. Everything else in the offer works for me as it stands.
Let me know if that works and I'll sign this week.
When they say the budget is closed
This is the most common reply, and it is not a rejection. Take it at face value and move to the levers that do not touch the salary line.
I understand there's no room in the base. In that case, would it be possible to look at the variable component, extra days off, or a formal review at six months with a defined target? Any of those would make the difference for me.
When you have another offer
Mention it only if it is real and in writing. Bluffing here is the one mistake that genuinely does get offers withdrawn.
I want to be straightforward with you: I have another written offer at €[figure]. I'd rather join you — the project and the team are a better fit for me. If you can get closer to that number, I'll confirm today.
The difference between a counter-offer that works and one that irritates is almost always the wording, not the number:
Say your version out loud before you send it. Reading it back is how you catch the apologetic hedges, and the same three-part structure that works in structured interview answers keeps a negotiation reply from rambling.
What Else Is Negotiable Besides Base Salary?
When the salary line is genuinely frozen, the rest of the package rarely is. These levers come from different budgets, which is precisely why they are easier to approve.
| Lever | How to ask for it | Realistic chance |
|---|---|---|
| Signing bonus | A one-off payment to bridge the gap you are leaving behind | High: it does not touch the recurring payroll |
| Extra days off | Two to five additional days per year, in writing | High: it costs no cash |
| Remote days | A fixed number of days per week, stated in the contract | High if the team already works that way |
| Six-month review | A date and a measurable target attached to a raise | Medium: insist that the figure appears in writing |
| Training budget | An annual amount for certifications or conferences | Medium: it usually comes from a separate budget line |
| Job title | The seniority level the responsibilities actually match | Medium, and it pays off at your next move |
A verbal promise is worth nothing. If the six-month review or the remote days are not in the contract or in a confirmation email, they do not exist the day your manager changes.
Your Next 48 Hours
- 1
Thank them and ask for it in writing
Never accept on the spot. Ask for the full offer by email and agree a date to reply.
Same day
- 2
Set your three figures
Walk-away, target and anchor, backed by the published band and sector data.
2 hours
- 3
Send the counter-offer
One email: appreciation, one specific figure, the justification, and a clear commitment to sign.
Within 48 h
- 4
Negotiate the rest
If the base is frozen, move to signing bonus, days off, remote work or a review date.
1-3 days
- 5
Get it in writing before you resign
Every agreed point in the contract or in a confirmation email. Then, and only then, hand in your notice.
Before signing
Rehearsing the conversation out loud is what stops the number from coming out as a question. You can practise the whole exchange, including the awkward silence after you name your figure, with the AI interview simulator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a company withdraw an offer because I tried to negotiate?
It is extremely rare when the counter-offer is reasonable, argued and made once. What does put an offer at risk is inventing a competing offer, changing your figure after they have accepted it, or reopening the negotiation repeatedly.
Is it better to negotiate by email or on a call?
By email. Your argument reaches the person who approves the budget exactly as you wrote it, and you have a written record of what was agreed. If they call you, thank them, listen, and say you will confirm in writing.
What do I do if they ask what I earn right now?
You do not have to answer: since June 2026 the question is prohibited in the EU. Redirect it without confrontation — say that your current salary reflects a different role, and give the figure you are looking for in this one.
How much time can I take to answer an offer?
Between 48 and 72 hours is standard and nobody will hold it against you. Ask for the deadline explicitly when the offer arrives; if they push you to accept on the same call, that pressure is itself information about the company.
Does this work for a first job or an internship?
Partly. Entry-level bands are rigid, so the realistic win is not the base figure but a review date with a defined target, extra days off, or a training budget. Ask once and in writing.
How do I keep track of several processes at once?
Record the published band and the offered figure for every application from day one, so you are comparing your own notes instead of your memory. A job application tracker turns that into a two-minute check.