Many software offers in India have room to negotiate, though not always in the component candidates push on first. The people who negotiate well are not the most aggressive. They know their own numbers, ask once with a reason the recruiter can repeat, and stop at the right moment. Here is how to prepare, when to ask, what to say and when to accept.
Know your own numbers first
Before anyone asks about pay, write down your current package the way an offer annexure would show it:
- Monthly fixed pay, and the net pay on your payslip.
- The variable pay you actually received in the last cycle, not the target.
- Equity due to vest in the next year, and any retention bonus you would forfeit by leaving.
- Your notice period, whether buyout is allowed, and roughly what it would cost.
- When your next raise and variable payout are due.
Many Indian employers still anchor on current pay and think of an offer as a hike on it, so your answer to "What is your current CTC?" shapes the first number they produce. Employers with formal level bands care more about the level than your current figure, but you still need to know what you are giving up. A variable payout two months away, or stock vesting soon after your planned exit, is money a joining bonus might cover, but only if you know to ask.
State your current pay accurately and in the employer's terms. Background checks often include payslips or confirmation from your previous employer, and an inflated figure discovered after you join is a quick way to lose the job. If your pay has an unusual shape, such as a large unvested stock grant, explain it rather than folding it into one bigger number.
Find out the level before you discuss money
Where pay is set in bands by level, your room inside a band is limited, and moving up a level moves the band. So one of the most valuable questions you can ask is: "What level is this offer at, and what would it take to be considered for the next one?"
Down-levelling often comes up when people move from a services company to a product company or GCC, or when a current title is bigger than the actual scope. If the level is lower than you expected, ask what in the interviews put you there and whether another conversation, such as a design or leadership round, could change it. Raise it with the hiring manager as well as the recruiter, because levelling decisions usually rest with the panel and the manager. A level is also much harder to fix after you join than a small difference in fixed pay. The guide on moving from a service company to a product company explains how titles translate between the two.
Be honest with yourself about your alternatives
Your real negotiating position is what you will do if this offer disappears: take another offer, finish a process that is close to the end, or stay in a job you do not mind. "I am comfortable where I am, but this role interests me" is a strong position if it is true. "I have resigned and my last day is in three weeks" is a weak one, and it tends to show.
Before any conversation, write down your walk-away terms: the lowest fixed pay you would accept, the level you need, and the one non-salary condition that matters most. Without them you end up negotiating against your own impatience, and the first number that sounds reasonable on a call becomes the one you accept.
When to negotiate, and with whom
You will be asked for your expected CTC early, sometimes on a form before the first interview. You do not need to negotiate then. Give a range you have thought through, or say you would like to understand the level and scope first and expect pay in line with that level. If you give a range, make the bottom of it a number you would genuinely accept, because the bottom is what tends to come back.
The real negotiation starts once you have an offer with a full breakup. Reply within a day or two, even if only to say you are reviewing it. A week of silence reads as lost interest, and that is when hiring teams start talking to their second choice.
Negotiate with the person who made the offer, usually the recruiter or HR partner, and keep it to one thread. The recruiter is not your opponent: their goal is a candidate who signs and joins, and they are the one who has to take your request to whoever approves it, so give them reasons they can repeat. Bring in the hiring manager only for what the manager controls, such as level, scope, start date or remote days. At a small startup you may negotiate with a founder directly; the same principles apply, with a shorter loop.
Three counter-offer messages you can adapt
Talk on the phone if the recruiter prefers, but follow up in writing so the details survive. Replace the brackets and make the reason specific to you.
A simple counter with a reason:
Thank you for the offer. I am keen on the role, especially the payments platform work we discussed. Having gone through the breakup, the fixed component is below what I expected for the scope described in the design round, and below what I would need to move from my current role. Is there room to bring the fixed pay to [figure]? If we can get there, I am ready to accept this week.
With a competing offer:
I want to be open with you: I have another offer with a higher fixed component and a similar joining date. Your team is my first choice because of [specific reason]. I am not asking you to match it line by line, but if you can close part of the gap in fixed pay, I would like to accept your offer and decline the other one.
When base pay is fixed:
I understand the band for this level is fixed. Two things would make the decision easy for me: a joining bonus that covers the notice buyout my current employer requires, and the hybrid arrangement we discussed written into the offer letter. If both are possible, I can sign as soon as I receive the revised letter.
Each message says you want the job, gives a reason someone else can approve, and says what happens if the answer is yes. Ask for a specific figure rather than "a little more". If the employer thinks in hikes, you can describe the gap that way, but anchor the conversation on the role and its scope rather than on a percentage over your current pay.
What to ask for when base pay will not move
| Ask | Why it can work | How to frame it |
|---|---|---|
| Joining bonus | A one-time cost that does not raise the recurring salary bill | "To cover the notice buyout and the variable payout I give up by leaving now" |
| Level or title | Changes the band, future raises and how your next move is read | "Given the scope we discussed, could I be considered at [level]?" |
| Start date | Cheap for the employer when agreed early | "Could we set the joining date after my payout on [date]?" |
| Remote or hybrid days | Often a team decision rather than an HR one | Ask the hiring manager, then ask for it in writing |
| Early compensation review | Defers the cost and gives you a chance to prove the case | "A review at [date] against agreed goals, confirmed in the offer" |
Pick two or three asks at most, in order of importance. A list of eight makes every item look optional and none of them look important. Also check the strings attached: joining and relocation bonuses usually come with a clawback, which the guide on CTC and offer letters explains.
Competing offers: use them honestly
- Only mention offers that exist. A written offer, or a verbal one you can describe accurately. Recruiters and managers move between companies, and invented offers have a way of meeting their supposed source.
- Describe the structure, not a bluff. "Higher fixed pay, lower variable, joining in a month" is credible and useful. A round number with no detail is neither.
- Decide in advance what you will do if they say no. Do not threaten to take an offer you would never accept. If the reply is "we understand, all the best", you need to be ready to act on it.
- Proof is your choice. Some employers ask to see the competing letter. You can decline, or share a copy with personal details masked. Never edit the figures.
- Ask for time instead of accepting both. "Could I give you my answer by [date]? I have a final round on [day] and want to decide with everything in front of me." Most reasonable employers would rather wait a few days than lose a candidate they want.
A counter-offer from your current employer is a separate decision with its own risks; the guide on notice periods and switching jobs covers it.
When to stop
One counter, occasionally two, is normal. Each extra round costs goodwill with people you will be working alongside, so stop when any of these is true:
- The recruiter says the offer is final and gives a reason, such as the band limit or parity with the existing team. Ask one closing question, "Is there anything other than fixed pay with room?", and then decide.
- The remaining gap is small next to the things that matter more: the team, the work, the level, the commute.
- The tone has changed. If replies slow down or get shorter, accept or decline cleanly rather than pushing again.
- You have accepted. Reopening a signed offer because a better one arrived is how you earn a reputation, and offers can be withdrawn.
If the answer is no and you still want the job, accept graciously. Asking politely costs you nothing, and nobody worth working for holds it against you.
A checklist before you reply to an offer
- Your current package is written out in offer format, with the variable you actually received.
- You know your walk-away terms and the level of the offer.
- You have the full breakup and have worked out in-hand pay.
- You have chosen two or three asks and ranked them.
- Your message gives a reason, a specific figure and what happens if they agree.
- Everything you say about a competing offer is accurate.
- You have asked for a revised offer letter covering everything agreed, and you will resign only after signing it.
If your reason is that you bring a skill in short supply, back it with evidence. The market snapshot on uHired's job pages, such as backend developer roles in Bengaluru, shows which skills current postings name most often. That is evidence about demand, not pay, so use it to support your reason rather than as a number.