Job Offer Comparison (2026)

Compare offers on net cash, not headline salary

A $180,000 San Francisco offer and $165,000 Austin offer flip order after California state tax, FICA, 401(k) match differences, and RSU vest schedules. Job comparison tools aggregate base, bonus, equity, benefits, and tax geography into estimated take-home and first-year tax burden for 2026.

Enter both offers’ components, filing status, and state locations. See federal income tax, FICA, state tax, and optional benefit values side by side.

2026 tax stack on wages

Federal brackets and $16,100/$32,200 standard deductions (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), Social Security base $184,500, Medicare and Additional Medicare Tax on high earners. State tax from selected states—compare geography in state tax comparison.

Equity compensation layer

RSU vests taxed as ordinary—RSU tax calculator. Options: stock options calculator. ESPP: ESPP tax calculator. Include only expected first-year vest value in comparison unless comparing multi-year NPV manually.

How to use the calculator

Step 1 — Enter Offer A and Offer B cash

Base, signing bonus, expected annual bonus.

Step 2 — Add equity and benefits

Vest value, 401(k) match percent, HSA contributions.

Step 3 — Select states and filing status

Read net after tax and payroll estimates.

Worked example sketch

Offer A $140,000 NYC vs Offer B $130,000 Florida: B may win net after NY state and city tax despite lower gross. Add $20,000 RSU vest to A and withholding gap widens—run full inputs.

Contractor offers

Compare contractor gross via W-2 vs 1099 before accepting 1099 rate that matches W-2 salary.

Moving for offer

Mid-year move tax: moving states tax calculator.

Common mistakes

• Ignoring 401(k) match and health premium subsidy
• Using gross RSU grant instead of vest schedule
• Forgetting two-earner household tax if only one offer modeled

Related tools

Paycheck detail: paycheck calculator. State rank: state tax ranking. Refund gap: tax refund estimator.

Two-earner household modeling

Compare offers using combined marginal state and federal stack when spouse income is stable—second earner often faces higher marginal bracket on entire offer delta. Childcare FSA and dependent care credit differ by state conformity; enter childcare costs if comparing return-to-office vs remote offer with commute savings.

Total rewards beyond tax

Stock refresh grants, promotion velocity, and health plan network value differ by employer—enter dollar equivalents for HSA seed, 401(k) match true-up, and parental leave paid weeks when comparing otherwise equal salaries.

Cost of living indices are not tax indices—higher salary in high-COL city may net lower after housing even when state tax equal; this tool isolates tax not rent differential.

Reading your results for job offer comparison

The interactive panel above shows a transparent calculation trace in cents—use it to sanity-check inputs before you rely on any number for decisions. Tax software at filing time may differ when every credit, limitation, and state conformity rule is applied in full. Treat output here as structured planning math aligned to 2026 federal reference data where noted, not as e-file output or professional advice.

When your situation includes items this specialized tool simplifies—multiple entities, prior-year carryforwards, treaty elections, or state nonconformity—layer those facts manually or with a preparer. The goal is to narrow uncertainty enough to ask better questions, not to eliminate the need for review when dollars are material.

Recordkeeping that survives scrutiny

Keep source documents (forms, statements, logs, confirmations) that support every input you typed. IRS and state audits often start from third-party reporting; your job is to reconcile 1099s, K-1s, and broker exports to the story you file. Digital backups with dates beat reconstructed spreadsheets created after an notice arrives.

For job offer comparison, retain worksheets year to year when carryforwards exist—loss carryovers, credit carryforwards, passive loss suspensions, and basis schedules die silently if you change preparers and lose history.

Related tools on this site

Paycheck: paycheck calculator. State compare: state tax comparison. RSU: RSU tax calculator.

2026 federal brackets and payroll context

Ordinary income tax brackets and standard deductions for 2026 follow IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 ($16,100 single / $32,200 joint standard deduction; seven marginal rates from 10% to 37%). Social Security tax applies at 6.2% on wages up to the $184,500 wage base; Medicare continues at 1.45% with Additional Medicare Tax above threshold wages. These layers stack independently from specialized rules modeled in this job offer comparison tool—run the federal income tax calculator when you need the full return picture.

Quarterly estimated tax may be required when withholding does not cover liability—see the quarterly estimated tax calculator. Year-end refund or balance due comparisons belong in the tax refund estimator once withholding and payments are known.

Before filing season

Reconcile this job offer comparison calculator estimate against draft Form 1040 lines and attached schedules your software produces. Look for mismatches in basis, carryforwards, and state add-backs—the first pass with a specialized calculator often misses secondary limits that full return software catches. Update inputs when you receive final 1099s, K-1s, and corrected broker statements; January revisions are normal.

If results imply large balance due, adjust withholding or estimated payments before December 31 when possible—penalties accrue on underpayment even when you file timely in April. If results imply large refund, you may be over-withholding or overpaying estimates; tune W-4 or voucher amounts for better cash flow without chasing refunds as a savings strategy.

State returns often piggyback federal logic but diverge on conformity items. Re-run state tools when federal inputs change materially so you do not pay state estimates based on federal-only planning from this job offer comparison calculator page.

Sources and methodology

Rev. Proc. 2025-32; SSA 2026 wage base. Educational career planning—not compensation negotiation advice.