Work & income · Salary & job offer calculator

Is that higher salary actually a better offer?

Compare spendable cash, benefits, commuting, living costs and the cost of changing jobs.

No email or phone. Inputs stay in this tab. Amounts are USD.

Scenario / listing name

Keep up to three named scenarios, then change the calculator for the next one. Saved comparisons stay in this tab and disappear when you leave. To save a file, choose “Save as PDF” in your browser’s print dialog.

Offer A

Annual base salary ($)

Expected annual bonus ($)

Effective combined income & payroll tax rate (%)Your estimate, not a marginal bracket. Includes relevant federal, state, local and payroll taxes.

Annual employee benefit premiums / deductions ($)

Annual value of employer-paid benefits ($)Exclude benefits already in salary; noncash value is shown separately.

Monthly commuting cost ($)

Monthly housing, childcare & other living costs ($)

Work hours per week

Weeks worked per year

Commute hours per week

Offer B

Annual base salary ($)

Expected annual bonus ($)

Effective combined income & payroll tax rate (%)Your estimate, not a marginal bracket. Includes relevant federal, state, local and payroll taxes.

Annual employee benefit premiums / deductions ($)

Annual value of employer-paid benefits ($)Exclude benefits already in salary; noncash value is shown separately.

Monthly commuting cost ($)

Monthly housing, childcare & other living costs ($)

Work hours per week

Weeks worked per year

Commute hours per week

Changing jobs

One-time unreimbursed moving / transition cost for B ($)

Example result

Offer B leaves more spendable cash

Offer A: monthly cash after entered costs$1,700

Offer B: monthly cash after entered costs$2,083

B minus A: annual cash$4,600

B first-year cash after moving cost$22,000

Estimates update as you change the numbers. Review the assumptions below.

See the breakdown

A: annual taxes (assumed effective rate): $20,000
B: annual taxes (assumed effective rate): $27,000
A: annual noncash employer benefits: $5,000
B: annual noncash employer benefits: $5,000
B minus A: cash + valued benefits: $4,600
A: spendable cash per work + commute hour: $10
B: spendable cash per work + commute hour: $12
Months of extra cash to recoup moving: 7.8 months

How to read this estimate

Taxes use your estimated effective combined income and payroll tax rate, not your marginal bracket. This is not a tax-return or withholding calculation. Benefit premiums are deducted after estimated taxes; reflect pretax deductions in your effective rate.

Noncash employer benefits are shown separately from spendable cash. Value only benefits you expect to receive, accounting for vesting and eligibility. Bonus amounts are assumptions, not guaranteed pay.

Enter comparable housing, childcare and other living costs for both locations. Hourly comparisons include work and commute time; they do not put a value on lifestyle or job security.

Worked example · fictional, not a real listing

A raise can come with higher everyday costs

The fictional Offer A pays $80,000. Offer B pays $95,000 plus an assumed $5,000 bonus, but has a higher assumed tax rate, commute cost and living costs. Employer benefits are shown separately from spendable cash.

What to look for: Compare the first-year moving cost and the cash per work-plus-commute hour. Do not count a retirement match as money available for this month’s rent.

The example figures above stay fixed while you edit your own scenario. Use “Load example” to restore default inputs where available.

Your next steps

Compare written benefit summaries, premiums and retirement vesting.
Estimate your combined effective tax rate for each job and location.
Consider commute time, schedule, stability and career growth alongside cash.

Sources & assumptions

Linked sources explain the methods and considerations. Example rates, costs and future growth assumptions are editable illustrations, not current market quotes. Reviewed September 7, 2026.

IRS: tax withholding estimator ↗

These tools provide educational estimates. Confirm terms and inputs before making a financial commitment.