Job Offer Comparison Calculator
See what each job offer really pays: take-home pay after 2026 federal and state taxes, total compensation with bonus and stock, and what time off, your commute and the cost of living change.
- Free, no sign-up
- 2026 taxes for all 50 states
- Saved only in your browser
Start with Pay for each offer. Every other section is optional: open one when an offer includes stock, benefits, time off or a commute. Tap the info icon next to any term for a plain-English definition. Your numbers are saved on this device only and never sent to us.
| Your offers | Add pay to see results | Add pay to see results |
|---|---|---|
| Paid by | ||
| Base salaryper year | ||
| Bonus or commissionper year | ||
| Job locationfor taxes | ||
Your comparison
Add the pay for each offer above and your comparison appears here.
Not sure where to start? Load an example and change the numbers.
Estimates for comparing offers, not tax advice. Based on 2026 US federal and state tax rules for one job's pay with the standard deduction. See how we estimate taxes.
Picked a winner? Here is what to do next
Most employers expect a counteroffer. The gap between your offers is the number to bring to that conversation.
How to compare job offers, step by step
- Write down every number in each offer.Base pay, bonus target, stock grant and vesting, sign-on bonus, 401(k) match, health insurance cost and paid time off. If something is missing, ask the recruiter. It is a normal question.
- Compare take-home pay first.Taxes vary a lot by state, and a bigger salary in a high-tax state can leave you with less. Take-home pay is the money you will actually live on.
- Then compare total compensation.Add stock, the 401(k) match and benefits. Public company RSUs are close to cash; startup options are a long shot, so weigh them with care.
- Count your time and your costs.A long commute, more office days or fewer days off are real costs. Real pay per hour puts them all on one scale.
- Adjust for where you will live.If the jobs are in different cities, compare spending power, not just pay. Rent usually decides it.
- Use the gap to negotiate.Once you know which offer you prefer and by how much the other one wins, ask your favorite to close the gap.
What this job offer calculator counts
Take-home pay after taxes
2026 federal brackets and standard deduction, all 50 states and Washington DC, New York City, Social Security and Medicare.
Total compensation
Base salary or hourly pay, bonus or commission, overtime, RSUs or stock options, 401(k) match and other benefits.
First-year money
Sign-on bonuses and relocation, counted in year one only, with the extra tax they bring.
Startup equity what-if
What options or a percent of the company could be worth at an exit, after dilution.
Time and commute
Paid days off, weekly hours, office days and commute time and cost, rolled into your real pay per hour.
Cost of living
Turns take-home pay into spending power so offers in different cities compare fairly.
Job offer terms, explained
- Take-home pay
- What lands in your bank account in a year: cash pay minus income taxes, Social Security, Medicare, your 401(k) savings and health premiums. Stock and one-time bonuses are not included.
- Total compensation (TC)
- Everything the job is worth in a year before taxes: base pay, bonus, overtime, the stock that vests that year, the 401(k) match and other benefits. Recruiters call this total comp or TC.
- Base salary
- Your yearly pay before taxes and before any bonus. It is the main number on the offer letter, like $85,000.
- Bonus or commission
- Money on top of base pay each year: an annual bonus, commission or profit sharing. Use the target the employer gave you, and remember most bonuses are not guaranteed.
- Effective tax rate
- All taxes as a share of cash pay. It is lower than your tax bracket because only the top slice of your pay is taxed at the top rate.
- Marginal tax rate
- Your marginal tax rate: how much of your next dollar of pay goes to taxes. Handy when negotiating, because it shows how much of a raise you would actually keep.
- Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
- Payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare. Employees pay 6.2% of pay for Social Security, up to $184,500 in 2026, and 1.45% for Medicare, plus 0.9% on pay over $200,000. Your employer pays a matching share.
- RSUs (restricted stock units)
- The full dollar value of the stock grant, which vests over several years. Example: $100,000 over 4 years adds about $25,000 a year.
- Stock options
- How many stock options you are offered.
- Strike price
- What you would pay per share to buy (exercise) your options. Also called the exercise price.
- Vesting and the 1-year cliff
- How many years until the whole grant is yours. Most grants vest over 4 years, often with a 1-year cliff (nothing vests before your first anniversary). We spread the grant evenly.
- Dilution
- When a company raises more money it issues new shares, so your slice shrinks. 20% dilution turns a 0.5% stake into 0.4%.
- 401(k) match
- Money your employer adds to your retirement account. If they match 50% of the first 6% you save, enter 3.
- Health insurance premium
- What you would pay each month for health insurance through this job: your share of the premium, not the employer's. It comes out of your paycheck before taxes.
- Sign-on bonus
- A one-time payment for accepting the offer. It is taxed like regular pay, and many employers make you pay it back if you leave within a year. We count it in your first year only.
- Paid time off (PTO)
- Paid vacation and personal days per year, not counting holidays. If PTO is unlimited, enter what people there really take, often 15 to 20 days.
- Cost of living
- How much more or less it costs to live near this job than where you live now. Housing is usually the biggest part. We use it to compare what your pay can actually buy.
- Real pay per hour
- Take-home pay after commute costs, divided by hours worked plus hours commuting. A good gut check for long hours or long commutes.
How we estimate taxes
Federal income tax uses the 2026 brackets and standard deduction from the IRS for your filing status, including the deduction for overtime pay that runs through 2028. State income tax uses each state's 2026 brackets, standard deduction and personal exemptions, including the rate cuts Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina, West Virginia and Utah passed during 2026. New York City's income tax and California's disability insurance are built in, and you can add any other city or county tax yourself.
Social Security is 6.2% of pay up to $184,500 and Medicare is 1.45%, plus 0.9% on high earnings. Pre-tax 401(k) savings lower income tax but not Social Security or Medicare; health premiums lower both. If you file jointly, enter your spouse's income so we can count only the extra tax each job adds.
These are estimates for comparing offers, not tax advice. Tax credits, itemized deductions, other income and some local taxes are not included, and your real paycheck depends on your W-4 withholding.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare two job offers?
Start with take-home pay, the money that actually reaches your bank account after taxes and paycheck deductions. Then compare total compensation, which adds stock, the 401(k) match and benefits. Finally weigh the things that cost you time or money: commute, office days, paid time off and cost of living. Put each offer in its own column above and the calculator does the math for you.
Is the higher salary always the better offer?
No. Taxes, benefits and living costs can erase a raise. A single person earning $100,000 in Texas keeps about $79,200 a year after taxes, while the same person in California needs a salary of about $111,000 to take home as much, before any difference in rent. A bigger 401(k) match, cheaper health insurance or a shorter commute can tip the balance the other way too.
How is take-home pay calculated?
We start with your cash pay (base, bonus and overtime) and subtract 2026 federal income tax using the standard deduction for your filing status, state and local income tax for the job location, Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500), Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on high earnings), your pre-tax 401(k) savings and your health insurance premiums. It is an estimate: tax credits, itemized deductions and other income are not included.
How do I value RSUs and stock options in a job offer?
For RSUs, divide the total grant value by the vesting years to get a yearly amount. For stock options, multiply the number of options by the value per share minus the strike price, then spread it over the vesting period. Private company stock is risky and usually cannot be sold until the company is sold or goes public, so many people compare offers on cash first and treat startup equity as a bonus. Use the exit what-if to see a hopeful case.
How much is a 401(k) match worth?
A match is part of your pay. A 4% match on an $80,000 salary is $3,200 a year added to your retirement savings, as long as you contribute enough to get it. The calculator counts the match in total compensation but not in take-home pay, because you cannot spend it today.
How do I factor in commute time and remote work?
Enter your round-trip commute and how many days a week you would go in. The calculator adds up the yearly hours and cost, subtracts the cost from your take-home pay and shows your real pay per hour including the time you spend commuting. A fully remote job with a slightly lower salary often wins on this measure.
How do I compare offers in cities with different costs of living?
Enter how much more or less expensive each city is than where you live now, for example 30 for a city that costs 30% more. The calculator turns take-home pay into spending power so you can see what each paycheck really buys. Housing is usually the biggest difference, so compare rents for the kind of place you would actually live in.
Should I tell an employer I have another offer?
Usually yes, as long as you are honest and polite. A competing offer is the strongest reason a company has to raise its numbers. Use the gap this calculator shows to ask for something specific, like a higher base or a sign-on bonus that covers the difference.
Is my information saved or shared?
Everything is calculated in your browser and saved only on this device. Nothing you type is sent to Sheets Resume. If you use Copy share link, your numbers are packed into the link itself, so only people you send it to can see them.