By Haseeb Kamran, Founder of VeloApply, 8+ years in recruiting · Updated October 2026
Compare a salary offer
Enter annual amounts before tax. The calculator runs in your browser and does not estimate market pay.
Figures are gross estimates using 52 working weeks. Bonus is counted at the amount you enter; equity, benefits, taxes, and unpaid time off are excluded.
Overview
This calculator converts an offer you enter into comparable gross figures. For a market range, research recent listings for your role and location, then compare the full offer, including benefits and working hours.
How it works
Enter base pay, a cash bonus, and expected weekly hours. The tool adds the cash amounts, divides the total by 12 months and 52 working weeks, and compares offered base pay with your current base pay if supplied.
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What this is for
Salary questions arrive early in the process, often on the application form itself. Having a researched range ready is the difference between negotiating and guessing.
Why a range beats a number
A single figure gives you nowhere to move and can price you out before a conversation starts. A range shows you have researched the market and leaves room for the discussion that follows. Choose a range you can explain using comparable roles, location, scope, and your own minimum acceptable pay.
What actually moves the number
- Location, and whether the role is remote at a national rate or tied to a city.
- Company size and stage, since large employers pay differently from early stage ones.
- Whether the total package includes bonus, equity or benefits that carry real value.
- Your evidence, meaning what you can show you delivered rather than years served.
Answering the salary field on an application
If the form allows text, a range with a short qualifier works well: your figure, based on the scope described, open to discussing the full package. If it demands one number, choose an amount you would genuinely consider and clarify later whether it refers to base pay or total compensation.
When the posting already states a range
Engage with it rather than ignoring it. Naming a figure inside their published range, positioned according to your experience, reads as informed. Naming something far above it without explanation usually ends the conversation.
Frequently asked
Should I put my salary expectations on an application form?
If the field is required, follow its format and use an amount or range you have researched. If it is optional, a range still signals preparation.
What if I state a number that is too low?
It becomes the anchor and is difficult to move later. This is the main reason to research before you answer rather than picking a comfortable figure.
Should I include bonus and equity in my expectations?
State base salary unless asked for total compensation, and mention that you are open to discussing the full package. Mixing them without saying so causes confusion later.
Free to use, no account needed
Part of the free VeloApply toolkit for job seekers.
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