Job Change P&L Calculator

The Job Change P&L Calculator systematically quantifies the financial gains and costs of a job change. Gains include the salary difference between the offer and your current pay, unused leave compensation, and signing bonus. Costs include income lost during the employment gap, self-paid 4 major insurances premiums, and RSU vesting loss. The goal is to provide a data-driven basis for the decision rather than relying on intuition alone.

Enter the current value of unvested RSUs that would be forfeited. For example, on a 4-year vesting schedule, leaving after 2 years forfeits 2 years of RSUs. Negotiate new RSU grants separately from the base offer salary.

You are entitled to a payout for unused leave at your ordinary daily wage. The daily rate is calculated based on your company's prescribed working days, so confirm the exact amount with HR as policies vary by company.

Yes, a signing bonus is reflected as a gain item in the job change calculation, which has the effect of lowering the break-even salary. However, if there is a clawback clause, you may be required to repay all or part of it if you resign voluntarily within a certain period, so it is important to review the repayment conditions when calculating the true gain. If a clawback clause applies, always confirm the terms and duration in the contract.

The job change break-even is based on the time needed to recover the total costs associated with the change (gap income loss, self-paid insurance, RSU loss, etc.) through the annual difference between the new and current salary. Even if the offer salary is equal to or lower than the current salary, a large signing bonus or leave compensation can bring the break-even point forward. The scenario cards in the calculator let you compare how the break-even shifts as you adjust the offer salary.

A stock option grants the right to purchase shares at a predetermined exercise price; it generates economic value only when the market price exceeds that exercise price. An RSU (Restricted Stock Unit) delivers actual shares at market value upon vesting — there is no exercise price, so the full market value is received as long as vesting conditions are met. For tax purposes, stock option gains are generally treated as earned income or other income at exercise, while RSU value is taxed as earned income at the time of vesting. When negotiating a job change, compare the vesting schedules and after-tax value of both instruments.

A vesting cliff means RSUs are granted only after a certain period has passed — for example, on a 4-year schedule with a 1-year cliff, leaving before the one-year mark forfeits the entire first year of RSUs. Timing your departure just after the cliff can significantly reduce your RSU loss. RSUs delivered at vesting are generally taxed as earned income, so evaluate your loss on an after-tax basis when negotiating your job change.