How to respond to a low salary offer

A number just landed and it's lower than you hoped. This guide walks you through the next few days: how to check whether the offer is really low, what to say on the first call, how to pick a counter you can back up, and how to tell when it's time to walk away. There's a short script at every step.

One honest note: a good counter can improve your odds, but nothing guarantees the employer will move. Some meet you partway, some add something other than salary, some hold firm. What you control is how prepared you are.

First, check: is the offer actually low?

"Low" is a feeling until you compare it with something. Line the offer up against two benchmarks: what people in your job earn, and what this employer said it would pay.

Look up the OEWS percentiles for your job

The Bureau of Labor Statistics runs the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, which is the biggest free source of pay data by occupation in the US. The newest set is the May 2025 OEWS data. It covers about 830 occupations nationally, by state, and for roughly 530 metro and nonmetro areas, according to the BLS technical notes.

OEWS reports pay as percentiles. Here's what that means in plain terms:

• The median (50th percentile) is the middle. Half the people in that job earn more, half earn less.
• The 25th percentile is the point where a quarter of workers earn less. Think "early career or lower-paying employers."
• The 75th percentile is where three quarters earn less. Think "experienced, or at a higher-paying employer or city."
• The 10th and 90th percentiles mark the far ends. Few offers should sit below the 10th unless the role is truly entry level.

BLS explains this on its percentile wages page, which shows the five percentiles it publishes: 10th, 25th, median, 75th and 90th.

Here's a real set of numbers. For accountants and auditors, BLS reports a median annual wage of $83,680 in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned under $56,020, and the top 10 percent earned over $144,090. Pay also differed by industry: the median in finance and insurance was $93,290.

That's a wide spread, which is why local data beats the national figure.

How to find your numbers:

1. Open the May 2025 occupation profiles and click the occupation that matches your job duties, not just your title.
2. Look at the state and metro tables. Your metro is usually the most useful benchmark.
3. Write down the 25th, median and 75th percentile annual wages.
4. Decide where your experience honestly puts you. Newer to the field? Aim your expectation between the 25th and the median. Several years in, with in-demand skills? Median to 75th is reasonable to discuss.

Know the limits of OEWS before you quote it:

• It lags. The May 2025 estimates blend six survey panels collected over three years, from November 2022 through May 2025, with older wages adjusted forward, per the technical notes. In a fast-moving field, it may trail what employers are paying right now.
• It's base pay only. OEWS excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and the cost of benefits such as health insurance and retirement contributions, according to the OEWS FAQ. An offer with a large bonus or strong benefits isn't directly comparable.
• It doesn't know your level. One occupation code can cover junior and senior people. BLS itself notes that experience and level of responsibility both move pay.
• Small metros can be thin. If your area's table is missing or the occupation is rare locally, fall back to the state figures and say so.

Compare it with the posted range

Next, find the job posting. In a growing number of states, employers must publish a pay range. That range is often stronger evidence than any survey, because it's the employer's own number. Three examples:

Sources: Washington L&I, California Labor Commissioner FAQ, New York DOL. Other states and some cities have their own versions, and the details (employer size, remote jobs, what counts as a posting) differ. Check your state labor department's page, and see our pay trends section for how transparency laws are spreading.

If the job wasn't posted with a range, you can still ask. In California, an applicant can ask for the pay scale and the employer must provide it on reasonable request. Anywhere else, asking is normal and polite:

"Before I respond, could you share the salary range budgeted for this role? It helps me understand where this offer sits."

Read where the offer lands

Put the two benchmarks side by side and the picture usually gets clearer.

Count the whole package

Price the parts that aren't salary. A smaller base with a richer retirement match or cheaper health premiums can beat a larger base without them. Get the benefits summary in writing and compare like with like.

What to say in the first call, before you counter

Offers often arrive by phone, and the caller may want a reaction on the spot. You don't owe them a decision or a counter in that call. Your jobs: sound pleased, get the details, set a time to come back.

Say thank you. Enthusiasm doesn't weaken your position; it tells them you're worth a second round.

Get every detail. Base salary, bonus and how it's paid, equity, benefits, PTO, start date, title, level, remote or in-office terms, and when they need an answer. Ask them to send it all in writing.

Buy time. Twenty-four to 48 hours is a normal ask. For a big move, a few days is usually fine.

Script for buying time:

"Thank you, I'm really excited about this role and the team. I'd like to review the full offer in writing, including benefits. Could I get back to you by Thursday afternoon?"

If they push for an answer now:

"I understand you'd like to move quickly, and so would I. I just want to give this the attention it deserves. Thursday at 2 works for me. Does that work for you?"

What not to do on this call:

• Don't accept or reject.
• Don't name a counter number before you've done your homework.
• Don't share your current salary if you'd rather not. In Washington and California, employers generally can't ask for it, and anywhere you can steer back to the role.

If they ask what you're making now:

"I'd rather focus on what this role is worth. Based on the scope we discussed and the market data I've looked at, I'm sure we can find a number that works."

Building your counter: picking a number with evidence

A strong counter is one number with two or three reasons behind it. You're not asking for a favor; you're showing where the market puts the job and where you fit.

Step 1: Set your target. Using your OEWS percentiles and the posted range, decide what a fair base looks like for your experience. Write it down.

Step 2: Set your floor. This is the lowest base you'd accept, after counting benefits. Keep it to yourself.

Step 3: Pick your ask. Your counter should sit a bit above your target, because employers who do move often meet you somewhere in between. Keep it inside the posted range when there is one. Asking above the top of a published range is possible, but expect a "no" unless the role has grown since it was posted.

Step 4: Gather your reasons. Pick the two or three strongest:

• Where the local OEWS median and 75th percentile sit compared with the offer
• Where the offer sits in their own posted range
• Specific skills, licenses or experience that match what they asked for
• A competing offer, but only if it's real

Step 5: Decide your trade-offs. If base salary won't move, what would you take instead? Rank your options now so you're not deciding on the fly.

Example: countering an offer at the bottom of the range

This is a hypothetical example to show the method.

Priya is an accountant with four years of experience and a CPA license, applying for a senior accountant role in Washington. The posting lists a range of $60,000 to $80,000, as required for an employer of this size. The offer comes in at $60,000, the very bottom.

She checks the data. The national OEWS median for accountants and auditors was $83,680 in May 2025, and the lowest 10 percent earned under $56,020. So the offer sits close to the bottom tenth of the national distribution, even though she has a license and several years in the field. The median is above the employer's entire posted range.

That means the offer is low for her profile, and the employer's band itself may be below market, which makes the very top a stretch.

She sets her target in the upper half of the range and decides her ask will be $80,000, the top of the posted range, with the national median as her main evidence. She also decides that if base pay can only move partway, she'll ask for a written six-month pay review.

Her reasons:

• The national median for her occupation is above the top of their range.
• Her CPA license and four years of experience match the "preferred" qualifications in the posting.
• An offer at the bottom of the range often signals someone new to the work, which she isn't.

Whether the employer moves is their call. But a counter grounded in their own range and federal data is easy to take seriously.

Scripts for email and phone

Phone lets your tone come through; email gives you time to get the wording right. Either works. If you call, follow up with a short email confirming what you discussed.

Email counter

Subject: [Your name]: offer for [Job title] >Hi [Name], >Thank you again for the offer. I'm excited about the role and about working with [team or manager]. >I've reviewed the details and looked at market pay for this work. The posted range for the role is [range], and BLS data puts the median for [occupation] in [state or metro] at [figure]. Given my [license, years of experience, specific skill] that match what the team is looking for, I'd like to ask for a base salary of [your number]. >If we can get there, I'm ready to move forward quickly. Happy to talk it through by phone if that's easier. >Best,[Your name]

Phone counter

"Thanks for making time. I'm excited about this role, and I want to make it work. I've looked at the posted range and at BLS pay data for this occupation in [area]. Given my [experience or skill], I was hoping for a base salary of [number]. Is there flexibility there?"

Then stop talking. Silence after an ask feels long, but it gives them room to respond.

If they say the budget is fixed

Sometimes the answer really is no. Salary bands, internal pay equity, union scales or a hiring freeze can all cap base pay. "Fixed" doesn't always mean "nothing else is possible," though.

First, check what's fixed:

"I understand. Is the base salary fixed, or the total budget for the role? I'd like to see if there's anything else we can look at."

Then ask about the things that often have more give:

• Sign-on bonus. A one-time payment sometimes comes from a different budget than salary.
• Title or level. A higher level can come with a higher band, now or later.
• Start date. A later start can give you time to finish a bonus cycle at your current job.
• PTO. Extra days off are a real benefit and sometimes easier to grant.
• Remote or hybrid terms. Fewer commute days have a dollar value to you.
• Training, certifications or a professional development budget.
• An earlier pay review, covered in the next section.

Script:

"If the base can't move, would you consider a sign-on bonus to close the gap, or a pay review at six months? Either would make it much easier for me to say yes."

Asking for a pay review date in writing

A promise to "revisit pay later" is easy to make and easy to forget, especially if your hiring manager moves on. If you agree to a lower start on the strength of a future review, get the details in the offer letter or a signed addendum.

What the written version should include:

• The date of the review, such as six months after your start date
• What's being reviewed: your base salary, not just general performance
• The criteria: what you need to show by then, ideally specific and measurable
• Who decides, by role rather than name, so it survives a reorganization

Script:

"I'm open to starting at [number] if we can build in a salary review at six months, based on [goals we agree on]. Could we add that to the offer letter so we're both clear on the timing and what success looks like?"

Be clear-eyed about what this gets you. A written review commits the employer to a conversation on a date, not to a raise. It still helps: you have a scheduled moment, agreed criteria and a paper trail. If you ever believe an employer isn't honoring what it put in writing, an employment lawyer or your state labor department can explain your options where you live.

When to walk away

Walking away is a legitimate outcome, not a failure. Decide your line before the final conversation, not during it.

Signs it may be time to decline:

• The final offer is below your floor, and benefits don't make up the difference.
• The base sits well under the local 25th percentile for experienced work, and the employer won't explain why.
• The offer is below their own posted range, and they won't correct it.
• The pressure is the problem. Exploding deadlines or irritation that you asked at all can preview how pay talks will go once you're hired.
• The trade-offs don't add up. A lower base can be worth it for training, stability or a career pivot. If none of that applies, it may not be.

Weigh your situation too. If you need the job now, a below-market offer with a written review can be a sensible choice, and you can keep looking while you work.

If you do decline, leave the door open:

"Thank you for working with me on this. I've thought it over carefully, and I don't think I can accept at this level. I really enjoyed meeting the team, and if the budget for the role changes, I'd be glad to hear from you."

Employers occasionally come back after a polite no. Don't count on it, and don't decline as a tactic unless you're ready to walk.

What to do next

Work through this in order:

1. Ask for the full offer in writing and set a reply time, ideally within 24 to 48 hours.
2. Pull the 25th, median and 75th percentile for your occupation and metro from the OEWS profiles.
3. Find the posted range, or ask for it. In states with transparency laws, the employer's own range is your best benchmark.
4. Set your target, your floor and your ask, and write down two or three reasons.
5. Counter once, clearly, then listen.
6. If base pay won't move, ask for a sign-on bonus or a written six-month review.

For the full offer process, from the first recruiter screen to signing, head to our negotiation section. This guide covers only the moment a low number lands.