Salary Negotiation Plan Template

Salary Negotiation Plan: [Role] at [Organisation]

A preparation plan for negotiating pay on a job offer or a raise: market data, your alternatives (BATNA), target and walk-away points, the package beyond base pay, a conversation script and the rights to pay information that apply in some places. Based on common negotiation practice (principled negotiation and BATNA) and, for pay information, Directive (EU) 2023/970 Articles 5 and 7 with dated UK and US examples. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. This is a planning format, not legal, tax or financial advice: check the current official text of the law that applies and a qualified professional.

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1. The offer in writing

2. Market data

Summary: market median about [amount]; the offer sits at [percentile]. Example: The three medians average EUR 71,000; the offer of EUR 68,000 is below the median and inside the posted range.

3. Alternatives and limits

Example:

What their side probably needs: [budget cycle, start date, internal pay equity, filling the role quickly]. Example: The team lead wants a start before the January planning cycle.

4. Package beyond base pay

5. Your rights to pay information (dated examples)

EU. Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency. Member States had to transpose it by 7 June 2026 (Article 34); the rights reach you through national law, and not every Member State had finished transposition by that date, so check whether and how the law of the Member State concerned applies.

• Article 5: applicants have a right to information on the initial pay or its range (based on objective, gender-neutral criteria), for example in the vacancy notice or before the interview, and the employer must not ask about pay history in current or previous jobs.
• Article 7: workers may request written information on their own pay level and on average pay levels, broken down by sex, for workers doing the same work or work of equal value; the employer answers within two months at most. Workers may not be prevented from disclosing their pay to enforce equal pay, and Member States must prohibit contract terms that restrict this.
• Source: Official Journal text, Directive (EU) 2023/970, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj; European Commission summary (5 June 2026), https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/new-eu-rules-pay-transparency-explained-2026-06-05_en

UK. There is no general legal duty to publish a pay range in job adverts. Equality Act 2010, section 77, makes contract terms unenforceable to the extent that they stop a person from discussing pay to find out whether a pay difference is linked to a protected characteristic: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/77

US. Federal: the National Labor Relations Act, section 7 (29 U.S.C. 157), protects concerted activity for mutual aid or protection, which the NLRB treats as covering discussions of pay among covered employees; supervisors and some other groups are excluded by 29 U.S.C. 152(3): https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/157. State examples: New York Labor Law section 194-b requires employers with four or more employees to state a compensation range in advertised jobs (https://dol.ny.gov/pay-transparency); Washington RCW 49.58.110 requires employers with 15 or more employees to include the wage scale or salary range and a general description of benefits in each posting (https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=49.58.110). Other states and cities have their own rules.

Questions to check for your situation:

• Did the employer give a pay range, and where is it in writing?
• Were you asked about current or past pay, and does the law where the job is based allow that question?
• Does your current contract contain a pay confidentiality clause, and does local law limit it?

6. Conversation plan and script

Script outline (adapt the words; keep the structure):

1. Opening: "Thank you for the offer. I am excited about [the team or problem] and want to make this work."
2. Ask: "Based on [market data, the scope we discussed, my experience in X], I was expecting a base salary of [opening ask]. Is there flexibility to get there?"
3. Pause. Let them answer first.
4. Explore: "What is the main constraint on your side: the band, the budget this year, or internal pay equity?"
5. Package: "If base salary is fixed at [amount], could we look at [sign-on bonus, review after six months, learning budget]?"
6. Close: "Thank you. Could you send the updated offer in writing? I will reply by [date]."

Phrases to avoid: an ultimatum you will not carry out, a false competing offer, apologising for asking, or naming a number before you have their range when one was not given.

7. Outcome and decision

Example: The new base is 6.6% above the first offer and 15.1% above the current base of EUR 63,000. It is below the target of EUR 74,000 but above the walk-away point and the BATNA, so the offer is accepted and the Quillmont Freight offer is declined politely.

• Decision: [Accept / decline], YYYY-MM-DD, because [reason]
• Signed contract checked against this table: [Yes / No]

8. Glossary

• BATNA: Best alternative to a negotiated agreement; what you do if you cannot agree.
• Walk-away point (reservation point): The least favourable package you will accept.
• Total target cash: Base salary plus variable pay at target.
• Anchor: The first figure stated, which tends to shape the range that follows.

Standard and licence note

Based on common negotiation practice (principled negotiation and the BATNA concept, as popularised by Fisher and Ury, "Getting to Yes") and, for pay information, on Directive (EU) 2023/970 (Articles 5, 7 and 34), the UK Equality Act 2010 (section 77) and the US examples named in section 5, as public law paraphrased in original words and checked on 2026-10-30. Pay-transparency law is changing quickly: check the current official text and the law where the job is based. Not legal, tax or financial advice. Original text written for this collection; people, organisations and figures are fictional. Template licence: MIT.