Total Compensation Calculator: AI Breakdown of Offer Value
Published: 2026-06-07
GPT-4 / Claude Opus 4
When evaluating competing offers or trying to understand the full value of an offer beyond base salary.
📋 Prompt Template
Analyze the following job offer and calculate the total annual and 4-year compensation value. Include: 1. Base salary: $[AMOUNT] 2. Annual bonus: [PERCENT]% target (range: [RANGE]%) 3. Equity: [NUMBER] [TYPE — RSUs, ISOs, NSOs] vesting over [SCHEDULE — 4 years with 1-year cliff, etc.] 4. Signing bonus: $[AMOUNT] 5. Benefits value estimate: 401(k) match, health insurance, PTO, etc. 6. Perks value: [LIST ANY PERKS] Calculate: - Year 1 total comp (base + pro-rated bonus + signing + 1 year equity + benefits) - Year 2-4 annual comp (excluding signing) - 4-year total - Effective annual average For equity: assume the current valuation is $[VALUATION OR STRIKE PRICE]. Note that private company equity is illiquid and should be risk-discounted.Copied!
Job offers are deliberately structured to make total compensation hard to compare — base salary, bonus percentages, equity with vesting schedules, benefits packages. This prompt breaks down the full financial picture, including the realistic (risk-discounted) value of private company equity that recruiters love to overstate.
💡 Pro Tips
- Private company equity should be discounted 50-80% from the stated value — it's not cash until the company exits
- Signing bonuses are one-time — don't include them in your 'annual comp' mental model
- Benefits value can add $10K-25K/year to total comp — health insurance alone is worth $6K-12K/year
🔗 Related in Salary Negotiation Prompts
Counter-Offer Script Generator: Exact Words to Negotiate...
The single most expensive career mistake is not negotiating salary. A $10,000 increase on your...
Competing Offer Leverage Script: Use Multiple Offers Ethically
Having multiple offers is the strongest negotiating position — but only if you handle the...
Internal Raise & Promotion Request: AI-Prepared Business Case
Internal raises and promotions require a fundamentally different approach than external offer...
Startup Equity Negotiation: AI Guidance on ISOs, NSOs, RSUs & Vesting
Startup equity is the most misunderstood component of compensation. The number of shares, strike...
References & Sources
- OpenAI GPT-4 Prompt Engineering Best Practices
- Anthropic Claude Prompt Design Guide
- Google Gemini Prompting Strategies
- ATS Resume Parsing Standards (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever)
- LinkedIn Recruiter Search Algorithm