Total Compensation Calculator (After-Tax Offer Value)
Add up base salary, bonus, equity, 401(k) match, and benefits, then see what a job offer is really worth after 2026 federal, state, and FICA taxes.
Total Compensation Calculator (After-Tax Offer Value)
Offer details
Enter the parts of the package, then set a state and filing status.
Estimated effective state rate, adjust for your situation. No-income-tax states set this to 0.
Take-home per paycheck counts the cash stream only (base plus recurring bonus, plus the signing bonus in year one). The 401(k) match, benefits, and equity are excluded because they do not hit a normal paycheck. 2026 estimate. Not filing-grade, and it excludes pre-tax deductions, local taxes, and credits.
Offer 2 details
Fill in the second offer to compare after-tax value.
Estimated effective state rate, adjust for your situation. No-income-tax states set this to 0.
What counts as total compensation (and what the offer letter leaves out)
Total compensation is more than base salary. A full package can include a target annual bonus, an equity grant, an employer 401(k) match, a one-time signing bonus, and the dollar value of benefits such as health coverage and an HSA contribution. For a lot of salaried and technical roles, base pay is only about half to two-thirds of the whole, so judging an offer on salary alone can leave real money on the table, or hide the fact that a flashy total leans on stock you may never see.
The calculator above adds each piece into one figure, then splits it into cash, equity, and benefits so you can see how the package is weighted. An offer with strong benefits and a good match pays off differently from one that is mostly equity, and the split makes that clear.
How to annualize equity and value a 401(k) match
An equity grant usually vests over several years, so the whole number does not arrive in year one. To compare it against annual cash, divide the grant by its vesting period: a $200,000 grant over four years is about $50,000 a year while it vests. Because private-company equity can be illiquid or never convert to cash, the tool lets you apply a conservative or skeptical haircut so paper value does not dominate the comparison.
The 401(k) match is the quiet winner in most packages. Employer contributions are not your taxable wages, so they owe no income tax and no FICA when they are made, which makes them worth close to their full dollar value. A 4 percent match on a $120,000 base is roughly $4,800 of untaxed pay each year. Benefits work the same way in this model: added to gross, kept out of the taxed amount.
Why after-tax value is the number that matters
Two offers with the same headline total can leave you with very different amounts. The taxable parts of a package (base, bonus, and vested equity) owe progressive 2026 federal income tax after the standard deduction, an effective state income tax rate, 6.2 percent Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base, and 1.45 percent Medicare (plus 0.9 percent above the surtax threshold). State tax is where two identical salaries diverge most: a no-income-tax state and a high-tax state can be thousands apart on the same pay. To dig into the state question, use the State Relocation Take-Home Comparison Calculator or the Cost of Living Salary Comparison Calculator.
Comparing two offers the right way
Turn on the two-offer view to line offers up side by side. Watch the gap between year one and steady state: year one includes the full signing bonus, while steady state shows the recurring package you actually live on from year two onward. A big signing bonus can make an offer look better than it is over the long run, and this split keeps that honest. If a second income is part of the picture, the Two-Income Household Take-Home Pay Calculator and the Second Job Take-Home Calculator handle those cases. To save each offer as a profile and switch between them, download the Stub44 Salary Calculator app. All results here are estimates for planning and negotiation, not tax advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about total compensation calculator (after-tax offer value)
Is total compensation before or after tax?
The total compensation number on most offer letters is before tax. It adds up base salary, bonus, annualized equity, benefits, and sometimes a 401(k) match at their gross value. What actually reaches your bank account is smaller, because base, bonus, and vested equity are taxable wages that owe federal income tax, state income tax, and FICA. This tool shows you both numbers: the headline gross package and the after-tax value once those taxes come out.
Should I compare job offers by base salary or total compensation?
Compare on after-tax total compensation, not base alone. Base salary can be only 50 to 70 percent of a senior package, so an offer with a lower base but a large equity grant or bonus can come out ahead once you count everything. It works the other way too: a headline total that leans on illiquid equity is worth less than the same number paid in cash. Enter both offers above to see which one nets more after 2026 taxes.
How do you calculate the annual value of an equity or RSU grant?
Divide the total grant value by the vesting period. A $200,000 grant that vests over four years is worth about $50,000 a year while it vests. That annualized figure is the one that belongs in an apples-to-apples annual comparison, since the whole grant does not land in year one. For private-company or pre-IPO equity, apply a haircut (this tool offers a conservative and a skeptical option) because the paper value may never turn into cash.
How much is a 401(k) match really worth, and is it taxed?
An employer 401(k) match is about as close to a dollar-for-dollar raise as you will find. Employer contributions do not count as your taxable wages, so they owe no federal income tax and no FICA when they are made (the tax comes later, when you withdraw from a traditional balance). A 4 percent match on a $120,000 base is about $4,800 of untaxed value each year. This tool adds the match to your gross package but leaves it out of the taxed amount.
What percentage of total compensation is usually not base salary?
For a lot of salaried and technical roles, base is somewhere between half and two-thirds of the package, with bonus, equity, the 401(k) match, and benefits making up the rest. The share of non-base pay tends to climb with seniority and is highest at equity-heavy employers. Enter your numbers above and the cash vs. equity vs. benefits split shows exactly how front-loaded or equity-weighted your offer is.
How do I compare two job offers in different states after taxes?
Federal tax and FICA are the same wherever you work, so the gap between two offers in different states comes down to state income tax. Two identical salaries can net thousands apart between a no-tax state and a high-tax one. Turn on the two-offer view above and set a state (and effective rate) for each. For a deeper state-by-state take-home comparison, use the State Relocation Take-Home Comparison Calculator.
Should I count a signing bonus in my annual total compensation?
Only in year one. A signing bonus is a one-time payment, so folding it into your steady-state annual number overstates what you earn from year two onward. This calculator handles it with two views: year one includes the full signing bonus, and steady state shows the recurring package without it. Compare the two so a big signing bonus does not make an offer look better than it really is over the long run.
Why is my after-tax offer value so much lower than the headline number?
Because the headline is gross and stacks taxable and untaxed items together. Your base, bonus, and vested equity owe progressive federal tax, state tax, 6.2 percent Social Security up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, and 1.45 percent Medicare (plus 0.9 percent above the surtax threshold). Only the 401(k) match and benefits escape those taxes. To see the same math on a single salary, try the Net to Gross Salary Calculator.