Compare two job options after estimated taxes, commute time, and work-related costs.
The salary line is the first number people compare and the easiest one to be fooled by. A higher offer can be worth less once you account for a longer commute, higher health premiums, a different state tax rate, or a smaller retirement match. This calculator compares what each offer is actually worth to you after those costs, not just the headline pay.
The main figure shows how far ahead or behind the second option lands per year, after estimated taxes, retirement contributions, health premiums, commute driving cost, and any other work costs you enter. The break-even line tells you what the second offer would need to pay to match the first. The commute-time value is the most misunderstood input: it isn't money you spend — it's what your commuting hours would be worth at your hourly rate, included to make the time trade-off visible. Switch it off and the comparison still works.
Bonuses, paid time off, employer match beyond what you enter, job security, career trajectory, and day-to-day stress. Commute driving cost uses the current IRS mileage rate as a practical benchmark, not your exact fuel bill. Use this for the quantifiable numbers, then weigh the rest yourself.
It applies your hourly rate to every commuting hour across a full work year, which adds up fast. It's a trade-off to see, not a bill you receive — turn it off to compare dollars only.
Only partly — the tax model assumes W-2 employment, so a self-employment option's taxes would be understated.