Total Compensation Calculator

How it is calculated

The tool adds four annual amounts, all in dollars for the same year: total = base_salary + bonus + benefits_value + equity. It also splits the total into cash = base_salary + bonus and non-cash = benefits_value + equity. All four fields are required, so type 0 for a component you do not have, as a blank field returns no result. A negative amount in any field also shows no result, since no pay component is negative. The tool is a plain sum with no tax, no discounting and no vesting schedule, so every figure is taken at the value you enter. Equity and benefits are your own estimates: for stock, use the value that vests in that year, not the full grant. Amounts are before tax.

Common mistakes

• Counting the full multi-year equity grant as one year of pay. Enter only the part that vests in that year, otherwise the total is inflated.
• Leaving a field blank when there is no bonus or equity. The tool needs all four values and gives no result for an empty field, so enter 0.
• Putting a company's cost of benefits, such as the employer's share of insurance premiums, in place of what the benefits are worth to you. The two can differ a lot.
• Treating the total as take-home pay. All amounts are before tax, and equity is not cash you can spend until it is sold.
• Entering a deduction, such as an unpaid-leave cut or a clawback, as a negative number. Negative amounts show no result, so subtract it from the relevant figure yourself first.