Airbnb Salary Negotiation - How to Negotiate an Airbnb Job Offer
If you’re currently interviewing with Airbnb or have just received an offer from them, then this guide is for you.
From engineering to data science and product management, working for Airbnb can be a great step forward in your career journey—and you definitely want to make sure you make the most of it by successfully negotiating an Airbnb job offer.
If you’ve never negotiated a salary before, we understand how intimidating it might feel at first. However, you can rest assured knowing that Airbnb salary negotiations are both incredibly common and if done right are very effective.
Over the years, career professionals have used our salary negotiation strategies to secure significantly improved Airbnb compensation packages, and we want to share these insights and tips with you. This guide is designed to walk you through exactly how to prepare for and execute your Airbnb salary negotiation with confidence. By the end, you’ll have the tools you need to secure an improved Airbnb offer with success.
Don’t want to go through the Airbnb salary negotiation alone? We can help you navigate the Airbnb job offer negotiation process.
Get offer-specific advice from an Airbnb Salary Negotiation Coach to guarantee success in your salary negotiation with Airbnb.
Take our Salary Negotiation Courses or download our Salary Negotiation Templates to receive our strategies, preparing you for how to negotiate Airbnb salary.
Understanding the Compensation Components of an Airbnb Salary
So you’ve officially received your Airbnb offer letter. Now what?
Before you’ll be ready to negotiate, you first need to make sure you understand exactly what’s included in your compensation package.
When evaluating any job offer, you need to look beyond your base salary and take into consideration all of the elements that contribute to your total compensation at Airbnb. For example, most job offers in the tech space include a wide range of compensation components, including annual target bonuses, equity packages, and sign-on bonuses.
When it comes to Airbnb job offers in particular, the total compensation that you receive will be split across the following compensation components:
Airbnb base salary
Airbnb bonus
Airbnb employee equity
Airbnb sign-on bonus
For example, here’s what the total compensation may look like in an initial offer for an Airbnb software engineer salary (G9):
Airbnb Software Engineer Salary
Evaluating the different elements of your Airbnb compensation package allows you to calculate your total annual take home pay so that you can then negotiate each component effectively.
If you’re still a little unsure how each of these components work, don’t worry. In the following sections, we are going to break down the most common elements of an Airbnb compensation and benefits package and explain them each in detail.
Airbnb Base Salary
Let’s start with the basics: your Airbnb base salary.
As you probably know, your Airbnb base salary is the guaranteed fixed pay you receive in exchange for the work you do. The only time your Airbnb base salary would change is if you receive merit increases or a promotion—otherwise, your base salary will always stay the same.
Here’s where things get a bit more interesting: figuring out how your Airbnb base salary is decided.
Like most large tech companies, Airbnb has fixed base salary ranges for each of their specific roles. Your base salary can fall anywhere between the minimum and maximum amounts associated with these ranges. For example, the base salary ranges for an Airbnb senior software engineer salary will look different from the ranges for a Airbnb staff software engineer salary. Even Airbnb job offers at the same level will have different ranges depending on their specific roles (i.e., an Airbnb program manager salary vs. Airbnb product manager salary).
Here’s why these pay ranges matter so much: It’s very possible that the base salary you’re initially offered during your Airbnb job offer process falls at the lower- to mid-end of the pay range for your role. If you know this and you’re able to identify what the range is, you then know that you can negotiate for a higher Airbnb base pay.
Airbnb Performance Bonus
Similar to what you might see in other large tech company job offers, like the salary at Meta or salary at Google, Airbnb offers an annual target bonus that is based on both personal and company performance and is a percentage of your Airbnb base salary.
These performance bonuses can range between 10-30% depending on Airbnb salary levels, role types, and departments (i.e., the bonus for an Airbnb engineering manager salary could be higher than that for an Airbnb data science salary). We see this compensation component as a major win since a Netflix salary and Nvidia salary would not include performance bonuses as part of their compensation packages.
However, while the Airbnb bonus is a large component of your total yearly compensation, we have found that it’s not negotiable. This is why it’s so important to negotiate your Airbnb base salary since your Airbnb target bonus is a percentage of that number. The higher your Airbnb base salary, the higher your Airbnb bonus will be.
Airbnb Equity Package
When it comes to evaluating different compensation components, equity is a key differentiator that drives most career professionals to tech companies, including Airbnb.
Airbnb job offer letters will include an initial Airbnb employee equity grant, which comes in the form of restricted stock units (Airbnb RSUs), not Airbnb employee stock options. These Airbnb RSUs represent actual stock (i.e., you will receive shares of ABNB stock) that you will own when the Airbnb employee stock vest according to the Airbnb vesting schedule.
Airbnb RSUs have a four-year Airbnb vesting schedule which means your initial stock will vest in equal amounts (25%) annually over those four years. The great news is that this Airbnb equity package is fully negotiable. But it should be negotiated in tandem with the other compensation components and not as a one-off component. You don’t want to risk them just moving money from one bucket to the other and your total compensation at Airbnb not increasing as a result.
While Airbnb RSUs can make up a large portion of your future compensation, don’t forget that the value of the Airbnb employee equity will fluctuate based on the market value of Airbnb. If the ABNB stock is doing great, so will its employees. But the reverse is also true for Airbnb RSUs.
Airbnb Sign-on Bonus
Just because you don’t see an Airbnb signing bonus in your initial job offer doesn’t mean you won’t receive one—it just might take some negotiating.
An Airbnb sign-on bonus is a one-time hiring bonus you receive when you start your role. This bonus does two things:
It acts as an incentive to join Airbnb and depart your other company.
It can make up for any lost bonuses or unvested equity at your former company.
Most roles should be eligible for an Airbnb signing bonus, but unlike Amazon sign-on bonuses that are extended in every offer, you should be prepared to have to negotiate for an Airbnb sign-on bonus.
The good news is that we’ve had lots of success over the years helping clients negotiate for Airbnb sign-on bonuses even if they didn’t have a competing offer or weren’t walking away from money at their previous company.
Keep reading and we’ll share how you can negotiate for an Airbnb sign-on bonus effectively.
Airbnb Stock Refreshes
You will see an Airbnb stock refresher (more Airbnb RSUs) in most roles, but it’s difficult to know how much you’ll receive until you reach your first Airbnb equity refresher.
This is because most recruiters will not willingly share the expected yearly amount for an Airbnb stock refresher. While we encourage you to ask the recruiter about it, we don’t include the Airbnb stock refresher in our total compensation calculation because the unknowns on the Airbnb stock refresh make it hard to compare across offers.
Airbnb Employee Benefits and Perks
Your Airbnb compensation package will also include decent Airbnb employee benefits and perks, such as health and other core benefits (Airbnb 401k match, medical perks, generous PTO, etc.). Overall, Airbnb employee perks are what you’d expect from a leading tech company.
While Airbnb employee benefits are typically non-negotiable, we still suggest carefully evaluating and asking about them during the due diligence phase of the negotiation process. This is one of the ways you can build leverage in your Airbnb salary negotiation.
Five Key Steps for an Airbnb Salary Negotiation
Now that you have a better understanding of your total Airbnb compensation structure, it’s time to go over how you can negotiate for an even better salary package.
But before we do, we do want to highlight that these Airbnb salary negotiation strategies are only to be used after you’ve received the Airbnb job offer. Why?
You don’t want to jeopardize your chances of receiving a better compensation package by providing your salary expectations on application forms or to the recruiter. Despite the fact that Airbnb is known for trying to pry about your salary expectations before they extend an offer, remember that you’ll always have more leverage once the hiring team has chosen you as the ideal candidate for the role.
Once you’ve received an official offer letter, you can begin following our salary negotiation tips for a successful Airbnb salary negotiation that we’ve outlined below.
While these are the key steps to an Airbnb salary negotiation, we strongly recommend you work with an Airbnb Salary Negotiation Coach to ensure success in your Airbnb offer negotiation by getting all of our strategies.
1) Understand the Components of Your Airbnb Salary
Step one of a successful negotiation requires digging into your offer and making sure you understand each of its components. Since we’ve already gone over the main Airbnb compensation components, this step should be simple.
Ultimately, you want to make sure you’re clear on your Airbnb total compensation before trying to negotiate your Airbnb job offer. If you need extra help, you can use our total compensation calculator to help you lay out all of the Airbnb salary components.
2) Complete Due Diligence on an Airbnb Job Offer Letter by Asking the Right Questions
After reviewing your offer and calculating your Airbnb compensation, your next step should be to begin asking questions about it to the recruiting team.
This due diligence helps you do two things at once:
Gain data and insights needed to develop an effective Airbnb counteroffer
Show the recruiting team how much you value the opportunity and how seriously you are considering the offer
Even though you might want to think it over, we recommend you start asking questions within the first 24-48 hours of receiving the Airbnb offer letter. You should still ask questions even if you’re confident you already know what they are going to say. If you’re not sure what to ask, you should use our list of Strategic Questions to Build Negotiation Leverage.
3) Research to Identify What Your Airbnb Compensation Should Look Like
For this next step, we recommend spending some time researching Airbnb compensation data so you can determine the strength of your Airbnb offer letter and how much you should counter for.
As we mentioned earlier, Airbnb compensation structures are typically based on predetermined salary ranges for each specific role, which is why your research needs to be specific to your exact level and position.
For example, you wouldn’t want to come to the table with data on a software engineer salary Airbnb if your offer was actually for a senior software engineer salary Airbnb.
So where can you go to uncover this pay data information?
Our salary negotiation course walks you through how to conduct compensation research, but sites like Comparably, BuiltIn, and Glassdoor are good starting points to find helpful insights into salaries and other compensation components at Airbnb. However, remember that the publicly recorded pay ranges you see on these sites may not reflect Airbnb compensation correctly, especially given changes in compensation from year to year (i.e., if you see Airbnb Levels fyi boasting high total comp it might be due to equity appreciation and not what they typically offer a new hire). Evaluating data from multiple sites and using our compensation tools should help you narrow in on the most accurate information.
You should also download our Total Compensation Research Comparison Tool to help you with your Airbnb compensation research. Ultimately, we recommend that you aim for the mid-to-top end of the Airbnb salary range you identified for your specific role, which leads us to our next step.
4) Send an Airbnb Counteroffer to the Recruiter
With your compensation research in hand, you should now be ready to develop an effective Airbnb counteroffer and present it to the recruiter. This step is all about taking a strategic data-based approach, and NOT just highlighting what you would bring to the team – that already took place in the interview and why you got the offer to work at Airbnb.
In your counter, respectfully communicate how the benefits in your initial offer differ from other companies and/or your current role, what leverage points you found by asking strategic questions before sending the Airbnb counter offer, and strategically highlighting the pay data insights you’ve gathered as well.
We recommend you do this by email as it both minimizes the risk of you going off topic and it gives the Airbnb recruiter something tangible (and accurate) to share with the hiring team.
Always keep in mind that you’re not an Airbnb employee yet, meaning this is your opportunity to highlight how you’d act once an official member of their team. Use our Salary Negotiation Counteroffer Drafts for examples to ensure you communicate correctly and send a strong and effective Airbnb counteroffer.
5) Handle Any Objections on the Airbnb Counteroffer From the Airbnb Recruiter
After sending over your Airbnb counteroffer, you should prepare for some pushback from the Airbnb recruiting team.
While it’s possible that you’ll receive an updated Airbnb offer letter immediately, the more likely scenario is that the Airbnb recruiter will return with a list of excuses as to why the hiring team cannot make any adjustments to your Airbnb compensation package.
There’s no need to panic if this happens—it’s a very typical part of the Airbnb salary negotiation process.
When you do receive a “No” to your Airbnb counteroffer you will need to handle it as an objection. Begin by respectfully acknowledging their limitations, but then reiterate your ask and desire for them to share your counteroffer with the Airbnb compensation team. Follow our Objection Handling Scripts to ensure you respond correctly when you encounter pushback.
If handled correctly, they should eventually agree to take your Airbnb counteroffer back to their team, and once they do, they should come back with an improved Airbnb offer letter.
If the new offer falls within the Airbnb salary ranges you researched and meets your personal needs, you should be ready to send over our offer acceptance letter. Congratulations on a successful Airbnb salary negotiation!
Negotiation Mistakes to Avoid During an Airbnb Salary Negotiation
As we wrap up, we want to leave you with a few additional tips for effectively negotiating a job offer with Airbnb. However, rather than reiterating what you should do during your Airbnb job offer negotiation, we are going to share a few things you shouldn’t do during your Airbnb salary negotiation.
Here are some mistakes you should avoid while negotiating Airbnb salary:
Avoid Sharing Airbnb Salary Expectations Before You Get an Airbnb Job Offer
Be prepared for the Airbnb recruiters to try their best to uncover your salary expectations during the Airbnb interview process. However, like we’ve said before, do not share your salary expectations before you get the Airbnb job offer.
In almost all cases, sharing your salary expectations before you have an offer in hand actually makes it more difficult to receive a better compensation package.
Here’s why: Imagine you share a lower Airbnb director salary expectation with the recruiter than what they could offer. They will then be motivated to offer you that lower compensation or down level you. On the other hand, if you answer with a number higher than what they are able to realistically offer for an Airbnb director salary, they could become disinterested and decide to go with a different candidate.
The Airbnb recruiters might even try to convince you that knowing your compensation expectations can help them find a deal that works well for both you and their team. That might sound reasonable at first, but remember that they are ultimately working for Airbnb, not you.
Practically speaking, it also doesn’t make much sense to go over your salary expectations before you learn more about the specific role, its benefits, and whether an Airbnb career feels like the right fit to you.
However, we do understand that avoiding giving in to the recruiter’s questioning can be a challenge. We’ve developed salary expectations scripts to help.
Don't Be Afraid of an Airbnb Salary Negotiation
The biggest mistake job seekers make is not negotiating at all. This is usually due to misplaced fear—especially if you’ve never negotiated before.
However, we can assure you: you’re not going to lose out on your Airbnb offer because of an attempted Airbnb salary negotiation. We’ve helped facilitate hundreds of successful tech salary negotiations and we’ve never seen a company take back a job offer because a candidate tried to negotiate by following our strategies.
Regardless of the role level—whether it’s an Airbnb data scientist salary, Airbnb L5 salary, Airbnb L6 salary, or an Airbnb SWE salary—you should negotiate your Airbnb job offer.
Don’t ever let salary negotiation fears keep you from advocating for competitive compensation during an Airbnb salary negotiation.
Be Realistic by Doing Your Research When Evaluating Airbnb Careers
Airbnb careers do pay well. With that being said, you never want to push for unreasonable compensation.
That’s why taking the time to understand each element of your Airbnb compensation package and researching the Airbnb pay ranges for your specific role is so important. With the right data and insights, you should be able to come up with an appropriate and effective Airbnb counteroffer that results in an improved Airbnb offer letter.
The Bottom Line: Airbnb Salary Negotiation Is Key
We believe that anyone with a job offer from Airbnb—whether it’s an Airbnb salary software engineer, data scientist salary Airbnb, product manager salary Airbnb, or anything in between—should make an effort to negotiate for better Airbnb compensation and benefits.
If you want to guarantee success in your Airbnb salary negotiation, get Airbnb Salary Negotiation Coaching from us. Our experience helping clients successfully negotiate Airbnb job offers will ensure you negotiate competitive compensation.
If you prefer self-paced learning, we also have our How to Negotiate a Job Offer and How to Negotiate Your Current Salary courses and Salary Negotiation Templates. These tools should provide you with the confidence needed to negotiate a job offer Airbnb salary effectively. With downloadable email templates and comprehensive job offer negotiation resources, you'll be fully prepared to handle all aspects of the Airbnb negotiation process.