Quick answer
Use this equity calculator to model your full equity stack in one place — RSUs, stock options, ESPP, restricted stock awards, and SAR, phantom, or performance share units. Enter every grant you hold or have been offered, set one share-price path, and the tool plots vested value, unvested value, and after-tax cash year by year so you can see what your equity is actually worth.
How to use this calculator
This calculator treats your equity as a portfolio rather than a single grant. Most people accumulate several overlapping awards over a career: an initial new-hire grant, annual refreshers, an ESPP enrollment, and sometimes options or performance units. Looking at each one in isolation hides the real picture. Here you enter them all and project them against one consistent price path and tax profile.
The workflow is simple. Set your assumptions once, add each holding, and read the chart and tables. Iterate on the price growth and tax inputs to see how sensitive your outcome is.
1. Set the shared assumptions
Enter today's price per share, your expected annual growth rate, and how many years to project. A single price path is built from those two numbers and applied to every holding, so all grants are valued consistently. Then pick a tax profile and filing status. These drive the after-tax figures throughout the model.
2. Add your RSUs
For restricted stock units, enter the shares still unvested and any shares already vested and held. Set the vesting schedule with vest years, cliff months, and frequency. RSUs are taxed as ordinary income at fair market value when they vest, and later appreciation above that value is treated as long-term capital gains.
3. Add stock options
Choose ISO or NSO, enter the strike price, and split your grant into vested and unvested options. Options only have value when the price is above the strike, so the model values them on that spread. NSOs are taxed as ordinary income on the spread; ISOs held long enough qualify for capital gains treatment, and QSBS-eligible ISOs approximate the federal exemption.
4. Add ESPP, restricted stock, and performance units
ESPP contributions buy discounted shares each period using the discount and optional lookback. Restricted stock awards support an 83(b) election, which recognizes ordinary income at grant so future gains become long-term capital gains. The SAR option covers stock appreciation rights and phantom stock when set to appreciation, and performance share units when set to full value with a performance multiplier.
5. Read the results
The summary cards show vested value today, net cash if sold today, projected total value at your horizon, and net cash if liquidated then. The chart traces total value, vested value, and after-tax value over time. The tables break the projection down by year and by individual grant so you can see which holdings drive your outcome.
High-impact assumptions
A few inputs move your projected outcome far more than the rest. Spend your iteration time on these before drawing conclusions.
Expected price growth
For private companies and concentrated single-stock positions, the assumed growth rate dominates everything. A flat path keeps value near today's level; an aggressive path compounds quickly. Run at least three cases: a flat scenario, a modest scenario, and an optimistic one. The spread between them is usually wider than the difference between any two individual grants, which tells you how much uncertainty you are really carrying.
Vesting schedule and cliffs
Unvested shares are not yours yet. The cliff and vest frequency determine how quickly value converts from unvested to vested, and only vested holdings can be liquidated. A one-year cliff means nothing vests until month twelve, which materially changes the early years of your projection and the amount you could actually access if you left.
Tax profile and filing status
The model applies ordinary rates to vesting full-value grants and to option and SAR spreads, and capital gains rates to later appreciation. A high-tax city profile can reduce after-tax proceeds by a large margin versus a no-income-tax state. Confirm the preset matches your real situation before anchoring on any net number.
Option strike and option type
The strike sets how much of the price is yours. Deep-in-the-money options behave almost like shares; near-the-money options are far more sensitive to growth. The ISO versus NSO choice and whether you hold for long-term capital gains can shift the after-tax result by a quarter or more on a successful outcome.
Common mistakes to avoid
These errors show up repeatedly when people try to value their own equity without a structured model.
Counting unvested shares as money you have
Unvested equity is a future expectation, not a current asset. The calculator separates vested from unvested precisely so you do not over-rely on shares that depend on you staying and on the company performing. Make spending and borrowing decisions against vested, after-tax value.
Ignoring the tax drag at vest
Full-value grants like RSUs and performance units generate an ordinary-income tax bill when they vest, often handled through sell-to-cover. People routinely quote the gross grant value and forget that a large slice goes to taxes. Always compare the after-tax line, not the headline number.
Assuming one growth rate is certain
A single optimistic growth assumption produces a single optimistic answer. Treat the growth input as a dial, not a fact. If your decision flips between a flat case and a modest case, that fragility is the most important thing the model is telling you.
Forgetting concentration risk
A large position in one employer's stock ties your paycheck and your savings to the same outcome. Even when the projection looks strong, diversification has value. Use the vested, after-tax figure as the amount you could redeploy into a broader portfolio.
Treating ESPP and 83(b) timing casually
ESPP qualifying dispositions and 83(b) elections have specific holding-period and filing requirements that change the tax result. The model approximates them, but the real deadlines are strict. Missing an 83(b) window or selling ESPP shares too early can quietly cost you the favorable treatment you were counting on.
What this calculator does and does not model
Use the tool for what it is strong at and pair it with a professional for the rest.
Strong at
- A combined view of RSUs, options, ESPP, restricted stock, and SAR, phantom, or PSU grants on one timeline.
- Separating vested from unvested value and showing after-tax cash alongside gross value.
- A per-grant breakdown so you can see which holdings drive the result.
- Quick sensitivity testing by adjusting the shared price growth and tax inputs.
Not designed for
- Country-specific tax regimes outside the United States federal and state preset set.
- Alternative minimum tax timing, sell-to-cover share reduction, and large QSBS cap edge cases, which are approximated rather than modeled exactly.
- Replacing a CPA or financial planner for material decisions with filing deadlines.
- Personalized investment allocation of the diversified, after-tax proceeds.
For downstream planning once you understand your equity, use the paired Job Offer Comparison Calculator, Paycheck Calculator, and FIRE Calculator to turn equity and salary into a sustainable long-term plan.
Frequently asked questions
How is unvested equity different from vested equity here?
Vested shares are ones you already own and could sell; unvested shares still depend on continued service and the vesting schedule. The calculator shows them as separate lines so you never confuse a future expectation with current, accessible value. Only vested holdings feed the after-tax cash figures.
Why does the after-tax number look so much lower than the gross value?
Full-value grants are taxed as ordinary income when they vest, and that rate can be high in expensive states and cities. Options and appreciation awards are taxed on their spread. The after-tax line subtracts those taxes so you see what would actually reach your bank account, which is usually well below the headline grant value.
How should I set the growth rate for a private company?
Use a range, not a single guess. Try a flat case where the price holds, a modest case at one and a half to two times today's price, and an optimistic case higher than that. Compare how your vested, after-tax value changes across them. If your conclusion depends heavily on the optimistic case, treat the position as high risk.
Is the share link safe to send?
Yes. All of your inputs are encoded into the link on your own device and never sent to a server. You can share a snapshot with a partner or advisor without exposing any account or personal information, and the page is excluded from search indexing.
Educational use note
This content is educational and planning-oriented. It is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Equity compensation involves alternative minimum tax, QSBS, 83(b) elections, ESPP disposition rules, and state-specific treatment, all with hard deadlines and documentation requirements. Use conservative assumptions, compare multiple scenarios, and consult qualified tax and financial professionals before making decisions about exercising, selling, or accepting equity.