Salary Negotiation Calculator

Total compensation is the sum of base salary, bonus, equity (RSUs or options), benefits, and employer-paid taxes — not just the headline number on an offer letter. Two offers with the same base can differ 30%+ on total comp once equity vesting, retirement match, healthcare, and tax assumptions are loaded in.

Enter base, bonus target, equity grant and vest period, benefits, and tax brackets to see year-by-year and total comp side by side across multiple offers. The output highlights which lever (base vs equity vs bonus) drives the difference.

The model decomposes total comp into time-aligned cash flows. Year 1 cash: base salary + sign-on bonus + first-year bonus + first-year vested equity (if no cliff) or zero (if 1-year cliff). Year 2 onward: base + bonus target × historical achievement rate + that year's vested equity at the assumed share price. Benefits add an annual employer-paid component (healthcare premiums, 401(k) match, life insurance, etc.) plus PTO valued as base salary × PTO weeks / total work weeks. Equity is the trickiest line — RSUs are usually valued at grant price for comparison purposes, with the optimistic case using the projected share price at vest and the conservative case using a 15 to 25 percent volatility discount.

A worked example. Offer A: $180K base, 15 percent target bonus ($27K), $400K RSU grant vesting 25/25/25/25, $7K 401(k) match, $15K health benefits, 4 weeks PTO. Offer B: $160K base, 20 percent target bonus ($32K), $600K RSU grant on the same vest, $8K 401(k) match, $18K health benefits, 5 weeks PTO. Year 1 (B has a 1-year cliff): A pays 180 + 27 + 100 (year 1 RSU vest) + 7 + 15 + 14 (PTO value) = $343K. B pays 160 + 32 + 0 (cliff) + 8 + 18 + 15 = $233K. Year 2: A pays 180 + 27 + 100 + 7 + 15 + 14 = $343K. B pays 160 + 32 + 150 + 8 + 18 + 15 = $383K. Year 4 cumulative: A = $1.37M, B = $1.38M. Despite the lower base, B catches up by year 4 because of the larger equity grant. Whether to take A or B depends on liquidity needs and confidence in the company's stock.

Limitations and the assumptions that drive results. Equity valuation is the biggest swing factor and the easiest to mis-model. Public-company RSUs valued at grant price are a reasonable conservative baseline; private-company options or RSUs without an exit are essentially worthless until liquidity. Bonus achievement assumptions matter — healthy public companies pay near 100 percent of target most years, but startups sometimes pay zero in down years. Use both 50 and 100 percent achievement to bracket. Cost of living matters but is usually overstated by indexes that overweight rent and underweight childcare, healthcare, and taxes. State income tax (zero in TX, FL, WA, NV, TN, NH, AK, SD, WY versus 13.3 percent at top brackets in CA) creates 5 to 10 percent net comp differences for the same gross number. The calculator assumes you stay through the full vest period; equity is usually the biggest line item and is forfeited entirely if you leave before the cliff.