Should I Take This Job?
Compare two offers across salary, bonus, benefits, commute, and the value of your time. The result is an annual financial equivalent—not just a paycheck comparison.
Offer A
Add annual cash and employer-paid value.
Offer B
Use realistic expected—not maximum—bonus value.
Your priorities
This converts extra working time into a comparable annual cost.
About the Should I Take This Job?
Comparing two job offers by salary alone misses most of what actually determines their value — bonus structure, retirement matching, health benefits, commute costs, and how many hours each role expects from you all shift the real economic picture. This calculator converts every major component of two offers into one comparable annual figure, so a lower-salary offer with a shorter commute and stronger benefits can be weighed fairly against a higher-salary offer that demands more hours and a longer commute. It's built for anyone actively comparing two live offers, evaluating a counteroffer against an outside offer, or simply trying to understand what an existing job is really worth once every component is accounted for.
How this calculator works
The recommendation is only as useful as its assumptions. Here is the exact framework used on this page.
Adjusted annual value = salary + expected bonus + employer retirement contribution + employer-paid benefit value − commute cost − value of extra weekly work hours.
Calculation steps
- Cash compensation and employer-paid benefits are added at their expected annual value.
- Commute spending is treated as an annual cost. Only the hours above the lower-hours offer receive a time-value adjustment, preventing both offers from being charged for the same baseline workweek.
- The decision score measures the size of the modeled advantage relative to the average value of both offers. It is a sensitivity indicator, not a probability or professional rating.
Important assumptions
- All inputs are annual gross economic values.
- Bonus input is an expected value, not the maximum opportunity.
- Taxes and vesting risk are not modeled unless reflected in the values entered.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about inputs, assumptions, and interpreting the result.
01What counts as total financial value?+
The calculator includes base salary, expected bonus, employer retirement contributions, employer-paid health and other benefits, commute expense, and the entered value of additional work hours. Equity, pension value, paid leave, or signing bonuses should be converted to a realistic annual expected value before adding them to a benefit field.
02Should I enter the target bonus or the bonus I expect to receive?+
Use a probability-weighted expected bonus. If the target is $20,000 but you believe there is a 60% chance of earning it, an approximate expected value is $12,000. This avoids giving uncertain compensation the same weight as guaranteed salary.
03How should I value health insurance?+
Use the amount one employer pays above what the other employer pays for reasonably comparable coverage, or the extra annual premium and out-of-pocket cost you would otherwise bear. Do not enter the full sticker value if both offers provide similar coverage.
04How does the free-time adjustment work?+
The tool compares weekly hours and charges only the offer with more hours. Extra weekly hours are multiplied by 52 and by your chosen value per hour. This is a personal opportunity-cost estimate, not taxable income.
05Does the calculator account for taxes?+
No. Results are gross annual economic values because marginal tax treatment depends on filing status, location, benefit type, and vesting. If offers are in different locations, use the relocation salary calculator alongside this tool.
06How should I value stock or options?+
Use a conservative annual expected value adjusted for vesting, the probability of remaining employed, liquidity, and the possibility the award becomes worthless. Public-company restricted stock is usually easier to value than private-company options.
07What does the decision score mean?+
It shows how large the calculated advantage is relative to the value of both offers. A high score means the financial result is less likely to flip after a small input change. It does not measure culture, career growth, job security, or personal happiness.
08Can the lower-paying offer still win?+
Yes. A lower salary can be offset by a stronger retirement match, lower health costs, a smaller commute, fewer hours, or other employer-paid value. The breakdown shows exactly which inputs create the difference.