Most people negotiate the base number, then sign everything else on the page without reading it. Knowing what to negotiate besides salary is where the rest of the money hides.
Quick answer: What to negotiate besides salary comes down to eight levers: level and title, sign-on bonus, equity, start date, paid time off, remote terms, severance, and an early comp review. Anchor on base first, then use these to close the gap. Get every one of them in the offer letter.
Clients who negotiate with me see about $26K more in total comp on average. Almost none of that comes from one heroic base-salary counter. Instead, it comes from knowing which levers exist and pulling them in the right order.
Why you should negotiate besides salary (but not instead of it)
Base still matters most. Every future raise is a percentage of it, and your next employer will ask what you make now. An extra $5K in base is $25K over five years before a single raise compounds on it. So don’t trade base away for perks you could have gotten anyway.
That said, base is also the hardest number for a company to move. It sits inside a salary band, and HR watches it closely because it’s a cost they pay every year. By contrast, most of the levers below are either one-time costs or no cost at all. None of them touch the salary band. That’s why they work: they let the company say yes without breaking a rule.
If you haven’t set your numbers yet, start with the three numbers to walk in with. Then come back here.
The 8 things to negotiate besides salary
Level and title
Negotiate this first, before comp. Level decides which salary band you land in, and the band caps everything else. A “Senior” offer that should have been “Staff” costs you far more than a small base bump. Ask it plainly: “Based on the scope we’ve discussed, I’d expect this role to sit at the Staff level. What would it take to get there?”
Sign-on bonus
This is your bridge, not your opener. Don’t name a sign-on in your first counter, because the recruiter will latch onto it and stop working on base. Anchor on base, let them come back, and then bring the sign-on in to close the gap: “I can make that base work if we can close the difference with a sign-on bonus.” Also use it to cover anything you’re walking away from, like an unvested bonus or a retention payment.
Equity
Equity isn’t capped by the salary band the recruiter uses for base, so it’s a separate place to find money. However, a bigger grant is worthless if you don’t understand the vesting, the refreshers, or what happens if you leave. I cover those in the six equity questions to ask before you sign.
Start date
This one’s almost free for the company, yet most people take the first date offered. A two- or three-week gap between jobs is the only real break most professionals get in a decade. Ask for it. If they push back, offer to join one planning meeting before you officially start.
Paid time off
Many companies have fixed PTO policies, but “fixed” sometimes bends for senior hires. Coming from a company where you’d built up four weeks? Say so, and ask them to match it. Also ask about pre-booked time: if you’ve got a trip planned in month two, get it approved in writing now.
Remote and flexibility terms
A verbal “we’re pretty flexible” is worth nothing after a reorg or a new CEO. If remote or hybrid work matters to you, get the actual terms written into the offer: which days, which location, and whether relocation will ever be required. Remote promises are exactly the kind of thing that gets revisited after a reorg.
Severance
Few candidates ask for it, which is exactly why you should when the risk is real. If you’re leaving a stable job for a startup, or taking a role the company has never hired for before, ask for a defined severance if they let you go without cause in the first year. Name a specific number of months rather than asking for “something.” Even a “no” tells you something about how much confidence they have in the role.
An early comp review
If they genuinely can’t move today, ask for a review at six months tied to specific deliverables, with the target number named in writing. That’s a third-tier lever, so don’t lead with it. Also skip the professional-development budget as a bargaining chip. Asking them to pay to make you better at the job is something a good employer should do anyway.
How to ask without sounding greedy
The biggest mistake is negotiating these one at a time. Each separate ask feels like you’re coming back for more. Instead, put everything in one message, anchored on a single total number:
“Thank you for the offer. Based on the scope of the role, I’m looking for total compensation of $X. I’m flexible on how we get there, whether that’s base, equity, or bonus. I’d also like to confirm the start date of [date] and get the remote terms in writing.”
Notice what’s missing. There’s no “I wanted to ask,” no “I’m so grateful,” and no “I’ll do whatever it takes.” Each of those weakens your position, because it tells them you’ve already decided. For the full sequence, including when to stop, read how to negotiate a job offer without leaving money behind.
If they’ve already moved once and you still have a gap, keep the second ask small and tie it to a real cost. For example: “I appreciate you going to bat for me. The one gap left is the 401(k) match I’m giving up. If we can cover that with a $10K sign-on, I can sign today.” Make that ask by phone, not email, since email invites a written no.
For a broader playbook, Harvard Business School professor Deepak Malhotra’s 15 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer is still one of the best short reads on the subject.
Get it all in writing
Anything that isn’t in the offer letter doesn’t exist. Recruiters change jobs, hiring managers leave, and “we agreed to that on the call” won’t hold up. Before you sign, check that the level, title, sign-on, equity, start date, PTO, remote terms and any severance are all in the document. If one’s missing, ask for a revised letter. It’s a normal request, and any company that fights it has told you what the next few years will look like.
Weighing more than one offer at once? These levers are how you compare them fairly, so pair this with how to evaluate a job offer.
FAQ
Can negotiating perks get my offer pulled?
It’s rare when you ask once, politely, in a single message. Companies have spent weeks choosing you, and a reasonable counter doesn’t undo that.
Should I ask for a sign-on bonus or a higher base?
Base first, since every future raise builds on it. Use the sign-on to close whatever gap remains after they’ve moved on base.
What if they say benefits aren’t negotiable?
Some aren’t, like the health plan. So move to the levers that cost them little or nothing: start date, level, sign-on, and written remote terms.
What to do next
If you want to see what a slow search is costing you while you wait for the right offer, run the job search cost assessment. It takes ninety seconds and gives you a monthly dollar figure.
If equity is the part of your offer you understand least, read Equity Negotiation: The 6 Questions to Ask Before You Sign next.
If you’ve got an offer on the table and want someone to build the counter with you, line by line, book a free strategy call.