See what the numbers mean. Learn how the comparison works. Leave with a wider view of the decision.
Enter both offers. We adjust for tax, cost of living, and commute time to estimate what each offer may be worth.
⚠ Estimates only, not tax advice — see the note below the results for details.
Estimate only — not financial, legal, or investment advice.
Each line already includes every adjustment above it — this isn't a list to add up. Compare using the bottom line only.
Estimates only, not tax advice. Uses 2026 federal brackets (single filer) plus an approximate flat state rate — it doesn't model state-specific deductions, credits, or progressive state brackets. Stock/RSU is treated as its entered dollar value; actual value and tax treatment depend on your vesting schedule, share price at vesting, and withholding, so treat this field as your best estimate. Cost-of-living index from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, 2024 (national average = 100). Commute cost values time at each offer's own cost-of-living-adjusted hourly rate, assuming 220 working days/year, so the deduction stays in the same real-terms scale as the rest of the comparison.
Offer Ledger takes two job offers and adjusts each one through four stages to estimate its real-terms value, in your pocket, per year.
We add base salary, annual bonus, and the annual value of stock or RSUs. A one-time signing bonus is spread evenly over an assumed four-year stay, since a $10,000 signing bonus isn't really worth $10,000 a year if you're comparing annual value.
We apply the current federal income tax brackets plus an approximate state income tax rate for the offer's city — several states, including Texas, Florida, and Washington, charge no state income tax at all.
After-tax income is divided by the offer city's regional price parity, using the US national average as the baseline (index 100). A salary that looks larger on paper can be worth less once local prices are factored in, and vice versa.
Time is worth something. We estimate annual commute hours from your one-way commute time (assuming 220 working days a year) and value each hour at the offer's own cost-of-living-adjusted hourly rate, then subtract that from the total — keeping the deduction in the same real-terms scale as the rest of the comparison. Fully remote offers skip this step entirely.
A few terms worth knowing before you compare — this site is built to help you see the fuller picture, not just crunch numbers.
Quick check
Think you've got these 3 terms down?
A few more angles worth exploring — the numbers above are only part of the full picture.
No. Offer Ledger gives you a directional estimate to help you think through a decision, not a substitute for a tax professional or financial advisor. Tax situations vary by filing status, deductions, and personal circumstances that a general calculator can't capture.
We currently support a set of major US cities. Use the "View supported cities" button at the top of the page to see the full list — we add more based on demand.
Cost-of-living indices are based on the US Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities (RPP), a federal statistic measuring price-level differences across US metro areas relative to the national average (100). BEA publishes an updated RPP annually, typically with about a one-year lag.
Two offers with identical take-home pay aren't equal if one costs you an extra hour a day in traffic. We convert commute time into a dollar cost using your own cost-of-living-adjusted hourly rate, so the deduction stays on the same real-terms scale as the rest of the comparison, reflecting your time, not just your paycheck.
Tax brackets are reviewed annually each January, covering the new US federal brackets. This tool currently reflects 2026 tax-year figures.
Your inputs are only used in your browser to calculate a result. If you use the "Copy shareable link" button, your inputs are encoded directly into that URL — nothing is stored on a server.
Tax-year data: 2026