Counter Offer Email With a Competing Offer
How do I counter a salary offer when I have another offer?
Mention the competing offer calmly, state your preferred number, and make clear this company is still your first choice. Name the other company and its number in one sentence, then ask if there's room to align comp. The email should sound like you want to take this offer — not like you're shopping.
Avoid this mistake: Don't threaten, bluff, or say "match this or I walk." The moment it reads as an ultimatum, you've lost the room.
Best next step: Use the template below, then get the $7 Counter-Offer Kit if you want safer wording before you hit send.
You're here because
- You have a real second offer and don't know how to mention it
- You're afraid naming the other company will sound like a threat
- You actually prefer this job and don't want to lose it
- You don't want to bluff or seem to be playing them
- The deadline is days away and you're freezing
The exact email to send
Hi [HIRING_MANAGER],
Thank you for the offer to join [COMPANY] as [ROLE]. To be transparent: I want to take this role. [COMPANY]'s [SPECIFIC_REASON — e.g. team, mission, product, manager] is what I'm optimizing for.
I do have a competing offer from [OTHER_COMPANY] at $[OTHER_BASE] base + $[OTHER_BONUS], with a response deadline of [DEADLINE]. The two offers are structurally close, with [COMPANY] currently [$X lower / equity lower / signing lower].
Would there be flexibility to bring the base to $[TARGET], or to add a signing bonus that closes the gap? I'm flexible on structure — if base is constrained, equity or signing both work.
I'd love to wrap this up by [DATE] so I can decline the other offer cleanly.
Thanks,
[YOUR_NAME]
Which placeholders to change
Everything in [BRACKETS] is a blank. Five of them decide whether the email works; the rest are ordinary detail.
| Placeholder | What to put | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
[OTHER_COMPANY] | The real company that made the offer | Optional to name, but a named company is concrete enough for a recruiter to escalate. If you keep it private, say so plainly rather than going vague on everything. |
$[OTHER_BASE] | The competing base salary, as written | This is the anchor. Round it to the actual figure — never inflate it. |
$[TARGET] | The number you are asking this employer for | The one thing you actually want answered. See how to set it below. |
[DEADLINE] | The date the other offer expires | Gives the request a real reason to be answered this week rather than next month. |
[SPECIFIC_REASON] | One concrete thing you prefer about this role | This is what separates a negotiation from a threat. "The team" is weak; "the platform work under [manager]" is specific. |
The rest — [HIRING_MANAGER], [COMPANY], [ROLE], [DATE], [YOUR_NAME] — are straight fill-ins. If you have no competing bonus, delete the + $[OTHER_BONUS] clause rather than writing $0.
The 3-line version (for a tight deadline)
If the other offer expires in 24–48 hours and you need to send something now, this is the short, conservative version:
I want to take this role — [COMPANY] is my first choice. I do have a competing offer from [OTHER_COMPANY] at $[OTHER_BASE] base, with a deadline of [DEADLINE]. Is there any flexibility to bring the base to $[TARGET] so I can decline the other offer and sign here?
Thanks,
[YOUR_NAME]
Not sure this email is the right move?
If your competing offer is verbal only, the deadline already expired, or they've said base is capped, sending this email as-is can backfire. Run the free Competing Offer Decision Check (six questions, nothing stored) or the Career Move Router to get the safer move first.
- Built for the moment a written offer or deadline lands — not casual browsing.
- Written for short decision windows — often only days.
- Designed for people who don't negotiate often.
- Real workplace register — not internet bravado.
How to set $[TARGET]
Anchor to the real number — don't invent a stretch figure. Which rule applies depends on what you are actually trying to do:
| If you want to… | Set [TARGET] to… | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Match the other offer | The competing base, exactly | Easiest to justify — the number is already in writing. Leaves nothing extra on the table if you were underpaid to begin with. |
| Beat both offers | The competing base, plus an increment you justify with market data or scope | Defensible only if the extra has its own reason. Asking for more because a competing offer exists reads as opportunism. |
| Close a gap when base is capped | The competing base, but offered as signing bonus or equity instead | A one-time payment is often a shorter internal approval than a base change. It does not compound into future raises the way base does. |
If the gap is large, ask them to close it rather than match it — and say you're flexible on structure. That lets base, signing and equity all count toward a yes. The point isn't to squeeze the maximum; it's to name a number you can defend with the offer sitting in your inbox.
Working out the number itself is a separate job: how much to ask for in a salary negotiation covers the research side.
What NOT to say
- "Match it or I'm gone" — the moment you ultimatum, you've lost.
- Naming a competing offer that doesn't exist. If a fabrication surfaces, your credibility is gone.
- Going vague on everything. You may decline to name the company — but then be specific and honest about the rest.
- "Either you can do better or I'm taking the other one" — same as above.
- Bringing this up after you've negotiated once and lost — you're stacking pressure.
An illustrative example
Imagine an engineer with Offer A (preferred role) at $155K and Offer B (less preferred) at $170K, who writes: "I want this role. The competing offer is at $170K base. Can we close the gap?" One possible response in this hypothetical would be $165K + $10K signing — a partial close. A real employer might equally hold firm or decline; this is a possible response, not a prediction.
Why each block is there
The email is four moves in a fixed order. Cutting one is what usually makes a counter land badly.
| Block | Job it does | What breaks without it |
|---|---|---|
"I want to take this role… [SPECIFIC_REASON]" | Establishes preference before any number appears | The competing offer reads as a threat instead of a comparison. |
"I do have a competing offer from [OTHER_COMPANY] at $[OTHER_BASE]" | Supplies the concrete fact a recruiter can escalate internally | A vague "I have other options" gives them nothing to take to a compensation approver — and reads as a bluff. |
"Would there be flexibility to bring the base to $[TARGET]… I'm flexible on structure" | Makes one specific, answerable ask and widens how they can say yes | Without a number they have to guess; without flexibility a capped base ends the conversation. |
"I'd love to wrap this up by [DATE]" | Gives a real reason for a timely answer | The request drifts, and the other deadline arrives before their reply does. |
Recruiters generally have to justify a compensation change to someone else. A real number attached to a real company is something they can carry upstream; stating your preference plainly removes the threat framing. None of this guarantees a yes — it removes the avoidable reasons for a no.
What has to be true before you send
This email only works on facts. Three things must be literally accurate:
- The competing offer exists and has been made to you — not a recruiter conversation, not a likely outcome.
- The number is the real number. Not rounded up, not the top of a range you were quoted.
- You would genuinely take this role at
$[TARGET]. If you would decline anyway, you are spending credibility for nothing.
If your offer is verbal only, or the numbers aren't firm yet, the verbal-offer version is the safer starting point.
What to do next
Send this once. If they decline, you have a real decision to make — not a bluff that exploded. The Counter-Offer Kit includes the benefits-pivot email for when they can move part of the gap but not all of it.
Before you send — quick check
- Do you know your walk-away number?
- Do you have a Levels.fyi or market band to anchor to?
- Do you have a 3-business-day deadline written in?
If you answered "not sure" to any of these, the Counter-Offer Kit includes the 5-minute salary research guide and the deadline-extension email.
Related reads
FAQ
Should I name the competing company?
It's optional, but it usually helps: a named company and a real number give the recruiter something concrete to work with. If confidentiality matters, you can decline to name it — just stay specific and honest about what you can share, and never invent an offer.
What if my competing offer isn't really competing — different role, different city?
Be honest about the comparison: "The roles aren't identical, but the base is $X." Recruiters respect that more than a forced comparison.
Can I lie about a competing offer?
No. You can't control what gets checked or shared between people who work in the same industry, and the reputational cost if a fabrication surfaces is far larger than any upside. Negotiate only with real facts.
How much more should I ask for when I have a competing offer?
Anchor to the real number. Ask them to match the competing base, or to land within a few thousand dollars of it. If the gap is large, ask them to close it with a mix of base, signing bonus, or equity rather than base alone.