Give the number in your contract, then say what you can realistically do about it. That is the whole answer, and almost everyone who gets it wrong gets it wrong by saying only the first half.
"My notice period is 90 days" is accurate and it often ends the conversation, because the recruiter has a hiring manager who wants someone in five weeks. "My notice period is 90 days. I've spoken to my manager and I can likely be released in 45 to 60, and I'm open to a buyout if that helps" is also accurate, and it keeps you in the process.
Why recruiters ask it so early
In India the notice period question often comes before anything about your skills, on the very first call or in a mandatory dropdown on the application form. It feels like a filter, and it is one.
The reason is simple. A team that has an open headcount has usually been short-staffed for a while. A candidate who can join in 30 days and a candidate who can join in 90 days are not equal to them, even with identical skills, because the second one means another quarter of the team covering the gap. Some roles are tagged "immediate joiners preferred" or "notice period under 30 days" for exactly this reason, and some recruiters are told to screen out anyone above a certain number.
So the question is partly about your contract and partly about whether you are going to be a scheduling headache. Answer both.
What to say if your notice is 30 days
Just say it. "30 days." There is nothing to manage here, and over-explaining makes it sound like there is a catch.
If you have already resigned, say that too, with the date: "I've resigned; my last working day is 14 October." That makes you close to an immediate joiner, which helps.
What to say if your notice is 60 or 90 days
This is the common case at large IT services firms and many big product companies, and the case where a good answer matters most.
Three things are worth knowing before the call:
- Whether your company allows early release. Many do if your manager signs off and your work is handed over. Some are strict. Ask a colleague who has left recently what actually happened to them, because the policy document and the practice often differ.
- Whether a buyout is possible. A buyout means paying your employer (or having the new employer pay) the salary for the days you don't serve. Not every company accepts it, and not every hiring company will fund it. Some do, especially for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
- Your leave balance. Some companies let you adjust unused earned leave against the notice period. Check your HR policy; don't assume.
Then answer with the contract number plus your best honest estimate:
My contractual notice period is 90 days. Based on how releases have worked on my team, I expect to be able to join in around 60. If the timeline is tight, I'm open to discussing a buyout for part of it.
Do not say "negotiable" unless you have reason to believe it is. Recruiters hear "notice period is negotiable" from almost everyone, and they have learned that it often means "I haven't checked". If you say 45 days and turn up at 90, that is a much worse outcome than saying 90 up front.
Should you resign before you have an offer?
Some people serving 90-day notices resign first, so they can tell recruiters "I'm serving notice, last day is X". It does make you more attractive to hiring teams. It is also a real risk: if nothing comes through, you are out of a job on a fixed date.
I wouldn't do it unless you have savings for a few months without salary and you are confident about your market. If you do, be honest about it in interviews. Nobody penalises you for having resigned; they penalise surprises.
The form field version
On Workday, Greenhouse, Lever or a company's own form, notice period is usually a dropdown (Immediate, 15 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, More than 90) or a number field. Pick the contractual value. The field has no room for nuance, so put the nuance somewhere it will be read: a line in the cover note if there is one, or the first recruiter call.
Don't pick a shorter value in the dropdown to get past the filter. The number is checked against your offer letter and relieving letter later, and starting a relationship by being caught on something this small is a bad trade.
If you apply to a lot of roles, you will type this answer dozens of times. It is worth writing it once, carefully, and reusing it; OpenRoles keeps saved answers for questions like this so the wording stays the same across every form you fill.
When to actually negotiate the notice period
Two different negotiations get mixed up here.
With your current employer, the negotiation is about release. That conversation goes best after you have a written offer, not before. Go to your manager with a handover plan: what you will finish, who takes over what, which documents you will write. A manager who can see the work covered is far more likely to support an early release than one who is just told you want to leave sooner.
With the new employer, the negotiation is about whether they will wait or pay. If they want you badly and your notice is long, you can ask whether they will cover a buyout. Raise it once you are at the offer stage, not on the first call. Something like:
I'm keen to join, and I know 90 days is longer than you'd like. My company does accept buyouts. Would you be open to covering the buyout for the last 30 days so I can start by early December?
That is a reasonable request and many companies have handled it before. The worst they can say is no, in which case you serve the notice.
The counter-offer trap
A long notice period gives your current employer three months to counter-offer, and many will. If you have already accepted the new role, think hard before taking the counter. You will have told one company yes and then walked away, and recruiters in the same city talk more than you would expect. The reasons you started looking usually haven't changed because the salary did.
This also connects to the CTC conversation, which tends to come right after notice period on the same call. There is a separate post on answering the expected CTC question.