Salary Calculator Inputs
Example Data Table
| Role Scenario | Base Salary | Equity % | Location Multiplier | Bonus % | Estimated Total Comp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed Startup Backend Engineer | $105,000 | 0.20% | 1.00 | 5% | $142,300 |
| Series A Full-Stack Engineer | $135,000 | 0.12% | 1.10 | 10% | $186,850 |
| Growth Stage Platform Engineer | $165,000 | 0.05% | 1.20 | 12% | $223,900 |
Formula Used
Adjusted Base Salary = Base Salary × Location Multiplier
Annual Bonus Value = Adjusted Base Salary × Bonus %
Benefits Value = Adjusted Base Salary × Benefits %
Retirement Match Value = Adjusted Base Salary × Retirement Match %
Gross Equity Value = Company Valuation × Equity %
Diluted Equity Value = Gross Equity Value × (1 − Dilution %)
Annualized Equity Value = Diluted Equity Value ÷ Vesting Years
Risk-Adjusted Equity Value = Annualized Equity Value × Liquidity Probability %
Cash Compensation = Adjusted Base Salary + Annual Bonus + Sign-on Bonus + Annual Remote Stipend
Estimated Net Cash = Cash Compensation × (1 − Tax Rate %)
Total Compensation = Cash Compensation + Benefits Value + Retirement Match Value + Risk-Adjusted Equity Value
Effective Hourly Net = Estimated Net Cash ÷ (Weekly Hours × 52)
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the offered base salary and your expected annual bonus percentage.
- Add any sign-on payment, remote stipend, and employer benefit percentages.
- Enter the startup valuation and your offered equity percentage.
- Adjust dilution, vesting years, and liquidity probability for realistic equity value.
- Set your location multiplier to reflect a stronger or weaker pay market.
- Enter your effective tax rate and weekly hours for net pay analysis.
- Choose forecast years and raise rate to project longer-term compensation.
- Click the calculate button to see salary outputs, compensation mix, and charted forecasts.
- Use the CSV and PDF buttons to save the result summary.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does total compensation include?
Total compensation includes adjusted base salary, annual bonus, sign-on bonus, remote stipend, benefits value, retirement match value, and risk-adjusted equity value. It gives a broader package view than salary alone.
2. Why is a location multiplier useful?
Startups often pay differently across cities and remote markets. A location multiplier helps model how compensation changes when you work in a higher-cost or lower-cost region.
3. Why is equity risk-adjusted?
Startup equity may never become liquid. Risk-adjusting equity with a probability factor produces a more realistic planning figure for comparing offers and building income expectations.
4. Is estimated net cash the same as take-home pay?
Not exactly. It is a planning estimate based on one effective tax rate. Actual take-home pay depends on payroll timing, deductions, local taxes, and pre-tax contributions.
5. How should I choose the liquidity probability?
Use a lower percentage for very early startups and a higher percentage for later-stage firms with stronger traction. This input reflects your own confidence in a future liquidity event.
6. Can this help compare multiple offers?
Yes. Enter one offer, note the outputs, then replace the inputs with another package. Compare total compensation, estimated net cash, and hourly net value side by side.
7. Why does weekly hours matter?
Many startup roles demand long hours. Weekly hours convert net annual cash into an effective hourly value, making intense offers easier to compare against balanced ones.
8. Who should use this calculator?
It fits software engineers, platform engineers, founding engineers, and candidates reviewing startup offers. Recruiters and career planners can also use it to frame compensation discussions realistically.