Compare two offers

Two gross salaries on one scale — weighed after tax, where offers are actually felt.

Offer A
Offer B

striped lines are estimates

Comparison Receipt TAX-YEAR WEIGHTED
Offer A Offer B
Gross pay $65,000 $70,000
Pre-tax deductions 401(k) deferrals $3,250 − $3,500 −
Federal income tax $5,230 − $5,800 −
FICA Social Security + Medicare $4,973 − $5,355 −
State income tax $0 $617 −
Net pay · year $51,548 $54,728

Net difference, B − A · year

+$3,181

≈ $265 / month

The headline number lies by omission

A salary is a pre-tax figure; a life is paid for post-tax. Moving between states shifts the state line, changing your deferral rate shifts the federal line, and the same gross lands as a different net. This receipt runs both offers through the same tax-year engine used by the take-home calculator, so the difference you see is the difference you keep.

Assumptions on the counter

  • Base salary only — no bonus, equity, or benefits valued.
  • Both offers share a filing status; other inputs set per offer.
  • Other pre-tax deductions held at zero to isolate salary and state.

Questions people ask

Why compare take-home instead of salary?

Two identical salaries can land differently once federal brackets, state tax, and deferrals act on them — and a $5,000 raise can shrink further than expected after tax. Comparing net puts both offers on the same scale: what actually reaches your account.

What about bonuses, equity, and benefits?

Not modeled here — this compares base salary only. Health premiums, employer retirement matches, RSUs, and bonuses all change the real picture; treat the net difference as one large input, not the verdict.

Why does one column carry a striped line?

Striped figures are estimates. Graduated states without a published flat rate are modeled as an effective-rate estimate; the assumption behind every striped number is shown so you can judge it.