Job Offer Comparison Tool
Comparing two job offers means normalizing base, bonus, signing bonus, equity per its actual vesting schedule, retirement match and commute cost into a first-year and four-year figure — then dividing by the hours each offer actually costs you. This tool computes both, in your browser, across three separate panels: cash-equivalent pay, effective hourly rate, and everything unpriced or at risk. It never blends them into one score.
Key takeaways
- Equity is valued per the offer's actual vesting schedule, not "grant ÷ 4" — a back-loaded schedule like Amazon's can pay a fraction of a front-loaded schedule like Google's in year one on an identical headline grant.
- A higher headline salary can lose on effective hourly pay once expected hours and commute time are counted — Panel B exists to surface that reversal.
- Private-company stock options are never assigned a single value; they render as a 0x/1x/3x/10x exit-scenario range, because there is no defensible mark-to-market price for an illiquid minority stake.
- Unlimited PTO, contingent benefits, vesting cliffs and clawback windows are listed at $0 with a plain explanation rather than guessed at — see Panel C for each offer.
- Nothing you enter here is sent to a server or saved to your browser's storage; every figure is computed locally and disappears when you close the tab.
Your inputs
Offer A
Offer B
Your result
Three panels, never one score
First-year and four-year totals, pre-tax
| Offer | Year 1 | 4-year | Effective hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offer A | $254,283 | $957,132 | $116/hr |
| Offer B | $176,800 | $671,200 | $72/hr |
Offer A
Panel A — Normalized cash-equivalent comp (pre-tax)
Year 1: $254,283 · 4-year total: $957,132
| Line item | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $165,000 | $165,000 | $165,000 | $165,000 |
| Bonus (target) | $24,750 | $24,750 | $24,750 | $24,750 |
| Signing bonus | $20,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Equity vesting (Standard (25/25/25/25, 12-month cliff)) at today's price | $43,500 | $43,500 | $43,500 | $43,500 |
| Employer retirement match (Immediate vesting (100% from day one)) | $4,950 | $4,950 | $4,950 | $4,950 |
| Employer HSA/FSA contribution | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Unconditional cash stipends | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Employee health premium contribution | -$3,600 | -$3,600 | -$3,600 | -$3,600 |
| Commute cost | -$2,517 | -$2,517 | -$2,517 | -$2,517 |
Panel B — Effective hourly
$116/hour
45 expected weekly hours × 46 working weeks = 2,070 work hours, plus 115 commute hours = 2,185 committed hours.
Panel C — Unpriced and at-risk
- Unvested equity forfeited if you leave before the cliff — $0. Under the Standard (25/25/25/25, 12-month cliff) schedule, nothing vests before month 12. Leaving at month 11 forfeits $43,500 that would vest at the cliff.
- Private-company option value — $0. Common stock in a private company has no defensible mark-to-market value, so it is carried at $0 in Panel A. The exit-scenario grid cannot be computed until the number of options, strike price and last preferred price are all provided — those are shown as unknown, not assumed.
- Post-termination exercise window — $0. The post-termination exercise window was not provided, so it is shown here as unknown rather than assumed — plans vary, and no default window is applied. If this offer is accepted and the employee later leaves, unexercised options must be exercised in cash within whatever window the plan documents state, or they are forfeited entirely. Carried at $0 here because the window is a deadline, not a dollar value.
- Signing bonus clawback window — $0. This offer states you may have to repay some or all of the $20,000 signing bonus if you leave within 12 months. Get the exact repayment schedule and any pro-rating in writing before accepting.
The input that moves the four-year total most is Base salary: across a plausible range of $495,000 to $825,000, it swings the result $792,132 to $1,122,132 — a difference of $330,000.
External rates used
- IRS standard mileage rate: 0.76 — IRS Notice 2026-14, 2026-07-01
Offer B
Panel A — Normalized cash-equivalent comp (pre-tax)
Year 1: $176,800 · 4-year total: $671,200
| Line item | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Bonus (target) | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Signing bonus | $10,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Employer retirement match (3-year graded (33% / 67% / 100% at 1 / 2 / 3 years held)) | $6,000 | $6,000 | $4,020 | $1,980 |
| Employee health premium contribution | -$2,400 | -$2,400 | -$2,400 | -$2,400 |
| Commute cost | -$1,800 | -$1,800 | -$1,800 | -$1,800 |
Panel B — Effective hourly
$72/hour
50 expected weekly hours × 46 working weeks = 2,300 work hours, plus 153.3 commute hours = 2,453.3 committed hours.
Panel C — Unpriced and at-risk
- Private-company option value — $0. Common stock in a private company has no defensible mark-to-market value: preferred carries a liquidation preference, so common is worth strictly less than the last preferred price of $8.5/share. Carried at $0 in Panel A. The exit-scenario grid (0x/1x/3x/10x that last preferred price) shows what these options would be worth net of exercise cost at each exit; at 0x every row is $0 and the $84,000 exercise cost would be sunk in full.
- Post-termination exercise window — $0. The post-termination exercise window is 3 months: if this offer is accepted and the employee later leaves, any unexercised options must be exercised in cash within that window or they are forfeited entirely. Carried at $0 here because the window is a deadline, not a dollar value.
- Employer retirement match not yet vested by year 4 — $0. Under 3-year graded (33% / 67% / 100% at 1 / 2 / 3 years held), $6,000 of the $24,000 matched over four years has not been held long enough to vest as of year 4, and is excluded from the 4-year figure.
- Health plan deductible difference — $0. The deductible difference is contingent on future claims, not a fixed cash amount, so it is not dollarized: $2,500 vs $500 for Offer A..
- Learning stipend (reimbursement-only) — $0. Learning stipend (reimbursement-only) of $1,500/yr pays out only against submitted receipts, so it is not guaranteed cash — excluded from Panel A and flagged as conditional.
- Unlimited PTO — $0. Unlimited PTO has no computable value — there is no countable number of days to price at base/260, so it is stated plainly rather than estimated.
- Signing bonus clawback window — $0. This offer states you may have to repay some or all of the $10,000 signing bonus if you leave within 12 months. Get the exact repayment schedule and any pro-rating in writing before accepting.
- Funding runway reported under 12 months — $0. You reported a funding runway under 12 months. This affects the credibility of any unvested equity, refresh grants or multi-year retirement match this offer carries — verify with the employer’s disclosed runway or public filings.
- Confidence in these figures — $0. You marked medium confidence in these figures — treat the computed result as directional until the employer confirms every number above in writing.
Private-company equity — exit scenario range
Common stock in a private company has no defensible single mark-to-market value, so this offer's options are carried at $0 in Panel A. The range below — not a single figure — shows what they would be worth at each exit multiple of the last preferred price, net of exercise cost. Exercise cost (sunk in full at a $0 exit): $84,000.
| Exit scenario | Scenario price/share | Net of exercise cost |
|---|---|---|
| 0x | $0.00 | $0 |
| 1x | $8.50 | $256,000 |
| 3x | $25.50 | $936,000 |
| 10x | $85.00 | $3,316,000 |
The input that moves the four-year total most is Base salary: across a plausible range of $450,000 to $750,000, it swings the result $521,200 to $821,200 — a difference of $300,000.
PTO comparison
this offer states a countable number of PTO days while the other offer states unlimited PTO, which has no computable value. Because only one offer states countable days, the PTO comparison is void — no dollar value is assigned to either offer's PTO.
Questions to ask before accepting
- Ask the employer to confirm the vesting start date and the cliff date in writing.
- Ask what happens to unvested equity, unvested retirement match and any signing bonus if the role ends before year one — voluntarily or otherwise.
- Ask whether every figure in this offer (bonus target, refresh grant, remote-work policy) is written into the offer letter, or a verbal statement only.
- Ask for the full vesting schedule and cliff terms in writing, and — for private-company equity — what "exit" means in practice: acquisition, IPO or tender offer.
- Ask for the plan documents behind any benefit described as contingent (deductible, out-of-pocket max, reimbursement-only stipend) rather than relying on a verbal summary.
OfferMettle job offer comparison — printable result
Offer A
Year 1: $254,283 (pre-tax)
4-year: $957,132 (pre-tax)
The input that moves the four-year total most is Base salary: across a plausible range of $495,000 to $825,000, it swings the result $792,132 to $1,122,132 — a difference of $330,000.
Stock price held flat at $145.00/share for all 4 years — last close, never appreciated or forecast.
Vesting schedule: Standard (25/25/25/25, 12-month cliff).
Refresh grant defaults to $0 when not provided.
Employer retirement match is counted assuming the employee contributes enough of their own pay to earn the whole match (full capture) — no partial-capture scenario is modelled.
Retirement match vesting schedule: Immediate vesting (100% from day one).
Retirement match "50% up to 6%" resolves to 3.00% of eligible base.
Employer HSA/FSA contribution of $1,000/yr is counted as a Panel A credit, recurring years 1-4, flat.
Unconditional cash stipends of $1,200/yr (paid regardless of receipts or election) are counted as a Panel A credit, recurring years 1-4, flat.
Employee health-premium contribution of $3,600/yr is subtracted from Panel A as a debit, recurring years 1-4, flat.
Working weeks (52 minus PTO and holiday weeks) set by the user.
On-site days per week, as entered.
Round-trip driving miles for one on-site day, as entered.
Private-company options are never priced in Panel A: there is no defensible valuation for an illiquid minority stake, and the 409A common-stock FMV is not the last preferred price. Carried here at $0 regardless of option count.
Number of options granted was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.
Strike price per share was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.
Last preferred round price per share was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.
Total outstanding shares (fully diluted), or ownership % was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.
Post-termination exercise window (months) was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.
Company stage: Public company (RSUs priced at last close).
Confidence in these figures: high.
IRS standard mileage rate: 0.76 — IRS Notice 2026-14, 2026-07-01
Offer B
Year 1: $176,800 (pre-tax)
4-year: $671,200 (pre-tax)
The input that moves the four-year total most is Base salary: across a plausible range of $450,000 to $750,000, it swings the result $521,200 to $821,200 — a difference of $300,000.
Refresh grant defaults to $0 when not provided.
Employer retirement match is counted assuming the employee contributes enough of their own pay to earn the whole match (full capture) — no partial-capture scenario is modelled.
Retirement match vesting schedule: 3-year graded (33% / 67% / 100% at 1 / 2 / 3 years held).
Retirement match "100% up to 4%" resolves to 4.00% of eligible base.
Employee health-premium contribution of $2,400/yr is subtracted from Panel A as a debit, recurring years 1-4, flat.
The deductible difference is contingent on future claims and is excluded from Panel A, shown side by side in Panel C instead.
Learning stipend (reimbursement-only) is conditional (not unconditional cash), so it is excluded from Panel A.
Unlimited PTO is stated as having no computable value; no dollar figure is estimated for it.
Working weeks (52 minus PTO and holiday weeks) set by the user.
On-site days per week, as entered.
Private-company options are never priced in Panel A: there is no defensible valuation for an illiquid minority stake, and the 409A common-stock FMV is not the last preferred price. Carried here at $0 regardless of option count.
Company stage: Early-stage private (Seed–Series B).
Confidence in these figures: medium.
Questions to ask before accepting
Ask the employer to confirm the vesting start date and the cliff date in writing.
Ask what happens to unvested equity, unvested retirement match and any signing bonus if the role ends before year one — voluntarily or otherwise.
Ask whether every figure in this offer (bonus target, refresh grant, remote-work policy) is written into the offer letter, or a verbal statement only.
Ask for the full vesting schedule and cliff terms in writing, and — for private-company equity — what "exit" means in practice: acquisition, IPO or tender offer.
Ask for the plan documents behind any benefit described as contingent (deductible, out-of-pocket max, reimbursement-only stipend) rather than relying on a verbal summary.
This tool computes arithmetic. Deciding what to say back to either employer, and how, is a separate question. Have both of these offers read in full before your deadline.
How this result is calculated
Formulas
- Panel A, year 1
base + bonus(toggle) + signing bonus + equity vesting (actual schedule, not grant/4) + retirement match + benefits credits − commute cost- Panel A, 4-year
sum of year 1-4, signing bonus counted once in year 1, equity per the full schedule- Panel B, effective hourly
Panel A year 1 ÷ (annual work hours + annual commute hours)- Equity vesting, year 1
grant × schedule.yearlyFractions[0] — never grant ÷ 4- Private-company options
$0 in Panel A; exit grid = shares × max(0, multiple × last preferred price − strike)- Retirement match, annual
eligible base × match rate × match cap, at full capture- Commute cost (mileage mode)
on-site days/wk × working weeks × round-trip miles × dated IRS mileage rate- PTO comparison
(days A − days B) × average(baseA, baseB)/260 — void if either offer is unlimited- Sensitivity line
each input re-run at ±25%, largest swing named
Assumptions
- Offer A — Stock price held flat at $145.00/share for all 4 years — last close, never appreciated or forecast.:145
- Offer A — Vesting schedule: Standard (25/25/25/25, 12-month cliff).:standard
- Offer A — Refresh grant defaults to $0 when not provided.:0
- Offer A — Employer retirement match is counted assuming the employee contributes enough of their own pay to earn the whole match (full capture) — no partial-capture scenario is modelled.:true
- Offer A — Retirement match vesting schedule: Immediate vesting (100% from day one).:immediate
- Offer A — Retirement match "50% up to 6%" resolves to 3.00% of eligible base.:50% up to 6%
- Offer A — Employer HSA/FSA contribution of $1,000/yr is counted as a Panel A credit, recurring years 1-4, flat.:1000
- Offer A — Unconditional cash stipends of $1,200/yr (paid regardless of receipts or election) are counted as a Panel A credit, recurring years 1-4, flat.:1200
- Offer A — Employee health-premium contribution of $3,600/yr is subtracted from Panel A as a debit, recurring years 1-4, flat.:3600
- Offer A — Working weeks (52 minus PTO and holiday weeks) set by the user.:46
- Offer A — On-site days per week, as entered.:3
- Offer A — Round-trip driving miles for one on-site day, as entered.:24
- Offer A — Private-company options are never priced in Panel A: there is no defensible valuation for an illiquid minority stake, and the 409A common-stock FMV is not the last preferred price. Carried here at $0 regardless of option count.:0
- Offer A — Number of options granted was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.:unknown
- Offer A — Strike price per share was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.:unknown
- Offer A — Last preferred round price per share was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.:unknown
- Offer A — Total outstanding shares (fully diluted), or ownership % was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.:unknown
- Offer A — Post-termination exercise window (months) was not provided — shown as unknown, never assumed as a number.:unknown
- Offer A — Company stage: Public company (RSUs priced at last close).:public
- Offer A — Confidence in these figures: high.:high
- Offer B — Refresh grant defaults to $0 when not provided.:0
- Offer B — Employer retirement match is counted assuming the employee contributes enough of their own pay to earn the whole match (full capture) — no partial-capture scenario is modelled.:true
- Offer B — Retirement match vesting schedule: 3-year graded (33% / 67% / 100% at 1 / 2 / 3 years held).:threeYearGraded
- Offer B — Retirement match "100% up to 4%" resolves to 4.00% of eligible base.:100% up to 4%
- Offer B — Employee health-premium contribution of $2,400/yr is subtracted from Panel A as a debit, recurring years 1-4, flat.:2400
- Offer B — The deductible difference is contingent on future claims and is excluded from Panel A, shown side by side in Panel C instead.:$2,500 vs $500 for Offer A.
- Offer B — Learning stipend (reimbursement-only) is conditional (not unconditional cash), so it is excluded from Panel A.:true
- Offer B — Unlimited PTO is stated as having no computable value; no dollar figure is estimated for it.:true
- Offer B — Working weeks (52 minus PTO and holiday weeks) set by the user.:46
- Offer B — On-site days per week, as entered.:5
- Offer B — Private-company options are never priced in Panel A: there is no defensible valuation for an illiquid minority stake, and the 409A common-stock FMV is not the last preferred price. Carried here at $0 regardless of option count.:0
- Offer B — Company stage: Early-stage private (Seed–Series B).:early-private
- Offer B — Confidence in these figures: medium.:medium
This tool computes entirely in your browser. Your figures are never sent to our servers, and nothing about this result is saved to storage or a cookie.
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When commute cost is priced in mileage mode, this tool reads the dated IRS standard mileage rate in effect on the offer's start date — 76.0 cents/mile from July 1, 2026, 72.5 cents/mile before that — never a hardcoded figure. IRS standard mileage rates
When this answer changes
- Either offer refreshes equity on a predictable schedule — this tool defaults refresh grants to $0 with a sensitivity toggle, since most offer letters do not commit to a refresh amount in writing.
- The commute mode, on-site days per week, or the IRS mileage rate changes — mileage moves twice a year and is only ever read from the dated rate table below, never hardcoded.
- One offer is at a private company — its equity always shows as a 0x/1x/3x/10x exit grid net of exercise cost in Panel C, never a single blended figure in Panel A.
- Either offer's retirement match formula is not "percent up to a cap" — this tool parses that specific shape; a different formula (e.g. a flat annual contribution) needs to be entered as a plain dollar assumption instead.
See how the normalization formulas and rates above are sourced and dated , and use the corrections page to flag anything on this comparison that's wrong .
Frequently asked questions
- Why is my equity worth so much less in year 1 than "grant ÷ 4"?
- Most competing calculators divide the total grant by four. Real vesting schedules are not uniform — Amazon's common schedule vests only 5% in year one, Google's vests around 38%. This tool uses the actual schedule you select, so year 1 reflects what actually vests, not an average.
- Why does the private-company offer show a range instead of one number?
- A private company's common stock has no defensible mark-to-market value: the last preferred round price reflects preferred shares, which carry a liquidation preference that makes common worth strictly less. Rather than invent a number, this tool shows what your options would be worth at 0x, 1x, 3x and 10x that preferred price, net of what it costs to exercise them.
- Does this tool tell me which offer is better?
- No. It computes three separate panels — normalized cash-equivalent pay, effective hourly rate, and everything unpriced or at risk — side by side for each offer. It deliberately produces no blended score or ranking, because a single number would hide exactly the tradeoffs this tool exists to show.
- What happens to the numbers I enter here?
- Nothing. Every calculation runs in your browser. No offer figure you enter is ever sent to our servers, and nothing is saved to your browser's storage — refreshing the page clears everything.
- Does this tool calculate taxes or tell me if an offer is below market?
- No, and it will not. Every figure is pre-tax, since a real tax figure depends on your state, filing status and other income. There is no licensed compensation dataset behind this tool, so it makes no "above or below market" claim about either offer.