Tech Salary Negotiation: How to Negotiate Base, Equity, Sign-On, and Refreshers
Tech offers are packages, not paychecks: base, equity, sign-on, and refreshers all move on different rules. Counteroffer values the whole thing and points you to the lever with real room.
Coaching, not legal or financial advice.
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Your offer or current pay
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Coaching, not legal or financial advice.
Direct answer
Tech salary negotiation means treating the offer as total compensation: base salary, equity or RSUs, a sign-on bonus, an annual bonus target, and refresher grants. Base salary is usually capped by a level band, so when it is at the ceiling the sign-on bonus and the equity grant are the levers with the most room, because each is a single budget decision rather than an ongoing payroll commitment. Value the full package, benchmark it by level on a source like levels.fyi, and counter the flexible lever in writing. This is career coaching, not financial advice.
The problem
Tech candidates fixate on base and ignore equity and sign-on, or cannot compare a cash-heavy offer to an equity-heavy one, and accept the worse package by mistake.
How Counteroffer handles it
Counteroffer breaks a tech offer into its real parts: base, equity, sign-on, bonus, and refreshers, then values them together and against market for your level. It flags which lever has the most room, often a sign-on or equity bump when base is fixed by the level band, and scripts the counter for that lever. You can compare two offers on total value instead of headline base, and ask the right questions about vesting and refreshers. It is a coaching tool with estimated figures, not financial advice.
▲ the numbers
Tech offer components and how negotiable each one is.
A tech offer is four or five separate line items, and each moves on its own rules. Knowing which lever has room, and which is locked by a formula, is the whole game once the base sits at the band ceiling.
| Component | How it usually works | How negotiable |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Set by a level band; exceeding the band often needs VP-level approval | Moderate. Push toward the top of the band for your level, but the ceiling is real |
| Sign-on bonus | Commonly $10,000 to $100,000, often split across years one and two | High. It is a single budget line, so it is the easiest lever when base is capped |
| Equity (RSUs) | A grant that vests over four years, most commonly 25 percent per year after a one-year cliff | High. The number of shares flexes, so ask for more equity when base will not move |
| Vesting shape | Standard is 25/25/25/25; Amazon back-loads at 5/15/40/40 across the four years | The schedule itself rarely moves. Value it correctly, because back-loaded grants are worth less up front |
| Annual bonus target | A percentage of base set by level | Low. It is formula-driven and rarely negotiable at the offer stage |
| Refresher grants | Annual RSU top-ups meant to offset the vesting cliff in later years | Ask the refresh policy up front. It is rarely written into the offer letter, so get it in an email |
Ranges are broad because they swing hard by company, level, and location, so benchmark your exact level on levels.fyi before you counter. The trap most people miss is vesting shape: a headline equity number on an Amazon-style 5/15/40/40 schedule is worth far less in your first two years than the same number vesting evenly.
the stat everyone quotes
"A bigger equity grant always beats more cash."
Not always.
Recruiters love to steer a counter toward equity because it costs the company nothing today and it is the number that looks biggest on the offer letter. But a grant is a promise about the future, and two things quietly shrink it: the vesting shape and the odds the shares are worth what the offer assumes.
Vesting shape matters more than most candidates realize. Amazon vests initial grants at 5 percent, 15 percent, 40 percent, and 40 percent across four years, so 80 percent of the value lands in years three and four. That is why Amazon pairs the grant with sign-on bonuses in years one and two: without them, the early-year pay would fall short of the headline number.
For most people changing jobs in 2026, pushing base and sign-on produces more reliable wealth than holding out for a larger grant, because base compounds every future raise and a sign-on is cash in hand this year. Ask for more equity when base is truly capped, but value the grant on its real vesting schedule, not the four-year total.
▲ how to do it
How to negotiate a tech offer, step by step.
Value the whole package before you react to the base
The base is one of five numbers. Add the annualized equity, the sign-on spread across the years it actually pays, and the bonus target, then compare offers on total compensation. A lower base can be the better package once the equity and sign-on are counted correctly.
Find your exact level and band on levels.fyi
Base salary is capped by a band tied to your level, so the first question is whether the offer sits at the median or the top of that band. Pull your title, level, and metro on levels.fyi and know where the offer lands before you decide what to ask for.
Ask which lever has room, then push that one
If base is at the band ceiling, do not keep hammering base. Pivot to the sign-on bonus and the equity grant, which are single budget decisions and far more flexible. A recruiter who cannot move base by $5,000 can often add $20,000 of sign-on or a larger grant.
Account for the vesting schedule, not just the total
A four-year equity total means little without the schedule. Standard is even 25 percent per year; a back-loaded 5/15/40/40 grant pays almost nothing early. If the vest is back-loaded, ask for sign-on bonuses in years one and two to bridge the gap, which is exactly how the companies that use that schedule structure it.
Use a competing offer as an anchor, not a threat
A second written offer is the strongest evidence of your market rate. Share it as a benchmark you want to align to, never as an ultimatum. Even one competing offer often unlocks a higher band placement or a bigger sign-on that the recruiter could not justify otherwise.
Counter in writing on the flexible lever
Put your ask in one warm email that names the specific lever and the number. Anchor it to your level benchmark or a competing offer, and make clear you intend to sign once it works. Written asks are easy for a recruiter to forward to whoever approves the budget.
copy and paste
The tech counter email.
Send this after you have valued the full package and benchmarked your level. It targets the flexible levers, sign-on and equity, and signals that you plan to accept once the number works.
Subject: Excited about the offer, one number to align Hi [Name], Thank you for the offer to join [Company] as a [role]. I am excited about the team and plan to accept once we align on the package. Looking at levels.fyi for this level and market, and at another offer I am holding, the total comp is a little below where I need to be. I understand base may be near the top of the band, so I would rather focus there is room: could we add [amount] to the sign-on, or increase the equity grant by [amount] over the four years? Either one gets us to a yes. Happy to talk it through this week. I am confident we can close this quickly. Best, [Your name]
Swap the bracketed parts for your own numbers. Counteroffer writes this for your exact offer.
▲ frequently asked
Tech offer questions people actually ask.
Can you negotiate a tech job offer?
Yes. Nearly every tech offer is negotiable, and recruiters expect a counter. Base salary has the least room because it is capped by a level band, but the sign-on bonus and the equity grant are single budget decisions with real flexibility. A warm, specific counter rarely costs you the offer and usually improves it.
Is base salary negotiable in tech?
Base salary is negotiable within your level band, but the band ceiling is a hard limit that often needs VP approval to exceed. If the offer already sits near the top of the band, you will get further pushing the sign-on bonus or equity, which are not constrained the same way. Benchmark your level first to know where the offer lands.
Should I negotiate base salary or equity?
Push base first because it compounds every future raise and bonus, then pivot to sign-on and equity once base hits the band ceiling. For most job-changers in 2026, base plus a sign-on is more reliable wealth than a larger grant, especially when the equity vests on a back-loaded schedule or the shares are not yet liquid.
What is a good signing bonus in tech?
Sign-on bonuses in tech commonly range from about $10,000 to $100,000, driven by level, company, and how badly the team needs to close you. They are the most flexible lever because they cost the company once rather than forever. When base is capped, asking for a larger sign-on is often the fastest way to raise first-year pay.
How do RSUs work in a job offer?
Restricted stock units are company shares granted to you that convert to real stock as they vest, most commonly over four years with a one-year cliff and then quarterly. Your equity value is the number of units times the share price at each vest, so both the grant size and the vesting schedule decide what you actually receive.
What is Amazon's vesting schedule?
Amazon vests initial RSU grants at 5 percent in year one, 15 percent in year two, and 40 percent in each of years three and four, known as 5/15/40/40. Because 80 percent of the value lands in the last two years, Amazon adds sign-on bonuses in years one and two to bridge the gap in early-year pay.
What is a refresher grant?
A refresher is an additional equity grant companies give existing employees, usually once a year, to keep total pay competitive as the original grant vests down. Refreshers are rarely written into the offer letter, so ask about the refresh policy before you sign, because it heavily affects your pay in years three and four.
Do you need a competing offer to negotiate tech pay?
No, but a written competing offer is the strongest anchor you can bring, because it is concrete proof of your market rate. Without one, benchmark your level on levels.fyi and use that data instead. Present any competing offer as a number you want to align to, not as a threat, to keep the conversation collaborative.
▲ sources
- Levels.fyi: Ultimate Salary Negotiation Guide
- Exponent: Complete Guide to Negotiating Your Tech Salary
- Progress Wealth Management: Amazon RSU Vesting Schedule Explained
- Fearless Salary Negotiation: The Anatomy of a Big Tech Job Offer
Last updated July 2026. Figures are estimates and market data changes; verify anything you plan to quote in a negotiation.
▲ what it uses
The features behind tech offer negotiation.
Walk in knowing your number.
Counteroffer is educational career coaching, not legal, financial, or HR advice.