Salary Calculator

Estimated take-home (rough guide)

Estimates only. Actual net pay depends on tax bracket, filing status, deductions, and state taxes.

US salary benchmarks by role (2024)

Median annual salaries for common occupations — see where your income sits relative to typical ranges.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics & industry surveys. US national medians, 2024.

Base salary vs. total compensation

Your paycheck is only part of what a job is worth. Benefits and perks add substantial value.

When comparing job offers, base salary is the starting point — not the ending one. Employer-sponsored benefits are effectively pre-tax income. A company covering 100% of health insurance premiums saves an employee $7,000–$22,000 per year in costs they would otherwise pay themselves. A 5% 401(k) match on a $70,000 salary is $3,500 in free compensation annually — money you can't replicate by choosing the higher-paying offer that doesn't match.

Equity (RSUs and stock options) can be the most significant component of total compensation at tech companies, often matching or exceeding base salary over a 4-year vesting period. RSUs are taxed as ordinary income when they vest; stock options have more complex tax implications (AMT risk for ISOs, immediate income for NQSOs). Always model the realistic, not best-case, equity value when comparing offers.

Location and remote work fundamentally change salary comparisons. A $130,000 salary in San Francisco has less purchasing power than $90,000 in Austin. If a role offers full remote work, you gain both flexibility and the ability to arbitrage geographic cost-of-living differences — which can be worth $20,000–$40,000 in effective spending power per year.

How to negotiate your salary

Most people leave significant money on the table by not negotiating. Here's what the data says.

Research consistently shows that not negotiating is the most expensive salary mistake most people make. A single successful negotiation that adds $5,000 to a starting salary compounds over a career — if future raises are percentage-based, that $5,000 difference grows with every increase. Over a 30-year career, not negotiating one job offer can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in cumulative earnings.

The most effective strategy is to anchor high and justify with data. Research market rates using Glassdoor, Levels.fyi (for tech), LinkedIn Salary, and the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics before any negotiation. Name a specific number rather than a range — ranges signal flexibility and employers will anchor to the lower end. If the employer offers $80,000, counter at $90,000 with a reason: "Based on my research and X years of experience in [specific skill], I was targeting $90,000."

The best time to get a large raise is when changing jobs. Internal promotions average 3–10%; external moves average 10–20%. If your salary has stagnated, a competing offer — even one you don't intend to take — is the most effective tool for resetting your compensation to market rate.

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