Comparing Two Job Offers: The 7 Questions Everyone Asks

For public-company RSUs, divide the total grant by the vesting period (usually 4 years).

For startup options, be conservative — most are worth $0 at exit. If there's no real valuation, enter $0.

If you'll likely leave before the 1-year cliff, set equity to $0.

Example: $80,000 RSU grant ÷ 4 years = $20,000/year equity.

The percentage of your salary the company contributes to your 401k (e.g. a '6% match' usually means up to 6% of base).

Matches often vest over time — leave early and you may forfeit part of it.

Example: $100,000 base × 6% match = $6,000/year of free money.

We use the IRS rate of $0.67/mile (2026), covering gas, depreciation, insurance, and maintenance.

Round trip × 250 days for full in-office, or × (days in office × 50 weeks) for hybrid. Tolls, parking, and time aren't included.

Example: 15 miles one-way × 2 × 250 days × $0.67 ≈ $5,025/year.

Multiple 2026 studies (WFH Research, Stanford, Owl Labs) find workers value full remote at ~8% of salary.

We use a flat $8,000 for full remote and $4,000 for hybrid — covering time saved, lunch, and wardrobe. If it's not worth that to you, mentally subtract it.

Target is what's on the offer letter. Realistic payout is what the company actually pays — usually 70–90% of target.

Ask the recruiter for the last 2–3 years of payout history. If they refuse, treat the bonus as upside, not base comp.

PTO is already paid by your salary — adding it would double-count. We show it for context only.

Cost of living, state taxes, healthcare quality beyond premium, career trajectory, manager, and layoff risk.

These often matter more than the dollar delta — use the calculator to settle comp, then judge the rest qualitatively.