Quick answer
Compare job offers in three separate layers: dependable pay, costs and benefits, and the working arrangements you can realistically sustain. Start with written base pay—not a target bonus—then check hours, employee benefit costs, commuting expenses and contract conditions. Keep unanswered questions visible rather than treating them as favorable terms.
The worksheet below works across locations, but the benefit explanations and overtime guidance labeled U.S. apply to the United States. Elsewhere, use your local employment authority and the employer’s actual plan documents. This is a decision framework, not individualized legal or financial advice.
1. Start with written terms and your non-negotiables
Before calculating anything, identify what would make an offer unacceptable to you. That might be an unpredictable closing shift, a commute you cannot manage, insufficient dependable pay, or a start date that conflicts with existing responsibilities.
Separate these requirements from preferences. “Must finish by a particular time” is different from “would prefer fewer office days.”
For each offer, request:
- The written offer and any documents it incorporates.
- The job description, reporting line and work location.
- The expected schedule and any travel or on-call duties.
- Benefit summaries, employee costs and eligibility dates.
- The acceptance deadline, start date and outstanding conditions.
Use three labels in your notes: documented, estimated and unanswered. A recruiter’s description of “flexible hours” belongs in the unanswered column until you know what flexibility means.
Keep the first year separate from a normal later year. Ask whether a midyear start changes bonus eligibility, leave availability or benefit timing. Do not fill gaps with assumptions.
2. Separate dependable pay from variable compensation
For comparison purposes, put the stated base salary or hourly rate in your dependable-pay column. Here, “dependable” means the agreed rate for work performed—not a promise that employment will continue for a full year.
For hourly work, calculate:
Hourly rate × confirmed paid hours per week × paid weeks in the comparison period
If hours are not confirmed, create a lower-hours scenario instead of assuming full-time earnings.
Keep other compensation separate:
| Pay item | How to compare it |
|---|---|
| Base salary or hourly pay | Record the written amount, currency, pay frequency and paid-hours assumptions. |
| Bonus or commission | Request the formula, eligibility rules, payment date and conditions. Use a zero-payment scenario alongside any target. |
| Signing bonus | List as a one-time payment; check payment timing and repayment wording. |
| Equity | Keep separate from money available for ordinary bills. Request the grant documents and vesting terms. |
| Reimbursements | Match them to the expenses they cover rather than adding them to salary. |
If an offer quotes “total compensation,” ask for its components. Your worksheet should distinguish recurring base pay, conditional incentives, one-time payments and benefits.
A useful question is: “What is payable without meeting a performance target, and what depends on additional conditions?” If the answer is unclear, leave the uncertain amount out of your baseline.
3. Compare hours, location and the cost of getting to work
Write down the weekly arrangement, not just the label “full-time,” “hybrid” or “remote.”
Ask about:
- Normal start and finish times, including unpaid breaks.
- Expected hours during busy periods.
- Weekend work, travel and on-call responsibilities.
- How far ahead schedules are published.
- Required office days and whether those requirements can change.
- Equipment, internet, parking or travel reimbursement.
U.S. overtime check: Being paid a salary does not, by itself, establish an overtime exemption. The Department of Labor explains that job titles do not determine exempt status; the relevant duties and pay requirements must be satisfied. Ask how the role is classified and how additional hours are handled. Federal protections may also be exceeded by applicable state or local requirements. (dol.gov)
Estimate commuting costs using your actual route: fares, fuel, parking and tolls. Add any extra care costs caused by the schedule. Use expected attendance days rather than automatically multiplying by every weekday of the year.
Keep time separate from money. Record weekly commuting hours and unpaid breaks that extend your day. These figures help you compare the demands of each offer; they are not a legal calculation of paid working time.
4. Read benefits as rules and costs, not a perks list
Ask what you can use, when it starts and what you must pay. A benefit name alone is not enough to assess its usefulness.
U.S. health coverage: Request the Summary of Benefits and Coverage, or SBC, plus the employee premium schedule. HealthCare.gov explains that the SBC provides standardized information for comparing job-based health plans, including coverage examples. (healthcare.gov)
For the coverage tier you need—such as employee-only or family—record:
- Your premium per month or pay period.
- The coverage start date.
- The deductible, copayments and coinsurance.
- The out-of-pocket maximum.
- Whether your preferred clinicians and medications are covered.
Do not compare premiums alone. HealthCare.gov’s cost framework includes premiums and the amounts paid when receiving care. For your worksheet, compare a lower-use scenario and a higher-use scenario using the actual plans. (healthcare.gov)
The U.S. out-of-pocket maximum is not a ceiling on every health expense. HealthCare.gov notes that it excludes premiums, noncovered services, out-of-network care and certain charges above allowed amounts. Do not add the deductible to that maximum as though it were automatically another full expense. (healthcare.gov)
U.S. retirement benefits: Ask about eligibility, the contribution or matching formula, what you must contribute and vesting. Vesting means ownership: the IRS explains that employees’ own plan contributions are fully vested, while employer contributions can follow a plan-specific schedule. An advertised match is therefore not necessarily an amount you can retain immediately. (irs.gov)
For leave, request the rules on accrual, approval, holidays and carryover. Keep paid leave visible as time off; do not add its full salary value to annual salary and count the same pay twice.
5. Use a side-by-side worksheet
Copy this table into a document or spreadsheet. Enter “unanswered” when a detail is missing, and note where each answer came from.
| Comparison item | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Role, duties and manager | ||
| Base pay and pay frequency | ||
| Confirmed paid hours | ||
| Bonus or commission conditions | ||
| One-time payments and repayment terms | ||
| Normal schedule; busy-period expectations | ||
| Office days, location and travel | ||
| Annual commuting and extra care costs | ||
| Weekly commuting time | ||
| Health premium for required coverage tier | ||
| Coverage start; deductible; out-of-pocket maximum | ||
| Retirement eligibility, contribution and vesting | ||
| Paid leave, holidays and approval rules | ||
| Employment status, duration and conditions | ||
| Acceptance deadline and start date | ||
| Important unanswered questions |
Underneath, make two lists: meets my requirements and needs clarification.
If you want to score preferences, choose your priorities before assigning scores. For example, you might emphasize dependable pay, schedule fit and learning opportunities. Do not let an attractive total score override a non-negotiable requirement or an unresolved essential detail.
6. Worked example: the higher salary is not the whole difference
These offers and every figure below are fictional. They illustrate the method, not typical salaries, benefits or working conditions.
Assume both are year-round salaried employee offers. The stated weekly hours are workload estimates, not guaranteed limits. Both provide the same paid leave and holidays.
| Detail | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Annual base salary | $60,000 | $56,000 |
| Target bonus | $3,000, conditional | None |
| Expected weekly work hours | 45 | 40 |
| Weekly commuting time | 5 hours | 2 hours |
| Estimated annual commuting costs | $3,600 | $1,200 |
| Employee-only health premium | $250/month | $100/month |
| Health coverage start | First day | First day |
| In-network deductible | $3,000 | $1,500 |
| In-network out-of-pocket maximum | $6,000 | $4,000 |
| Employer retirement contribution | Unanswered | Unanswered |
First, exclude the conditional bonus and compare base pay less the two listed recurring costs:
- Offer A: $60,000 − ($250 × 12) − $3,600 = $53,400
- Offer B: $56,000 − ($100 × 12) − $1,200 = $53,600
On this limited comparison, Offer B is $200 ahead despite its lower salary.
These totals are not take-home pay. They mix gross salary with selected expenses and omit taxes, retirement contributions, medical cost-sharing and other household costs. Payroll deductions may also receive different tax treatment. Use this as an initial comparison, not a spending budget.
Next, compare weekly time commitments:
- Offer A: 45 work hours + 5 commuting hours = 50 hours
- Offer B: 40 work hours + 2 commuting hours = 42 hours
Offer B requires eight fewer hours in this fictional weekly arrangement, before considering breaks or other responsibilities.
For a higher-use health scenario, annual premiums plus the stated in-network out-of-pocket maximum would be:
- Offer A: $3,000 + $6,000 = $9,000
- Offer B: $1,200 + $4,000 = $5,200
This is neither an expected medical bill nor a cap on all health spending; the exclusions described above still matter. (healthcare.gov)
Offer A could still be preferable if its duties, development opportunities or eventual incentive payments matter more to this applicant. But the salary alone does not settle the decision, and both retirement arrangements remain unanswered.
7. Confirm the terms before deciding
Review the offer alongside any agreement or policy it refers to. Flag unclear wording about probation, notice, fixed-term duration, outside work, confidentiality, repayment obligations or restrictions after leaving.
Do not assume a clause is enforceable—or unenforceable. For a consequential concern, seek guidance appropriate to the job’s jurisdiction before signing.
Use this final checklist:
- Base pay, currency, pay frequency and hours are clear.
- Variable pay is separate, with written eligibility and payment rules.
- Schedule, location, travel and additional-hours expectations are understood.
- Benefit costs, eligibility dates and plan documents have been reviewed.
- Important contract conditions and repayment wording are understood.
- Offer contingencies, start date and acceptance deadline are confirmed.
- Material changes discussed verbally appear in the revised documents.
- The offer meets your non-negotiables without relying on uncertain pay.
Avoid four common mistakes: treating targets as guaranteed money, converting every perk into cash, comparing different coverage tiers, and accepting vague assurances as settled terms.
Send one consolidated clarification request:
Thank you for the offer. Before deciding, could you confirm the expected weekly hours, required office days, employee health premium, benefit eligibility dates and incentive conditions? Please also provide the referenced plan documents and confirm the acceptance deadline.
Your next step is to resolve the questions that could change your choice. Then decide using the documented package—not the most appealing headline number.