Should you actually switch jobs?
A bigger CTC on a new offer letter isn't the same question as "will I actually be better off." This walks through both jobs — tax, notice-period buyout, relocation, equity — and ends with the number that matters: what switching is really worth, in year one and every year after, against the alternative of just staying put.
Current job
How this is calculated
Each offer runs through the same engine independently: gross salary is derived from CTC, employee PF is deducted, then tax is computed under both the old and new regime — whichever gives more take-home is used automatically for that offer, so a job that happens to suit one regime better doesn't get unfairly penalised in the comparison. Notice-period buyout uses the (monthly salary ÷ 30) × shortfall-days convention most Indian employers use; equity is a simplified straight-line estimate, taxed at a flat 30% marginal rate on the spread.
Worked example
Say your current CTC is ₹18L with a 60-day notice period you can only serve 30 days of, and a new offer comes in at ₹24L in a different city with a ₹1L relocation cost. The tool nets the higher take-home against the notice buyout and relocation in year one — often landing on a first-year number noticeably smaller than "₹6L more CTC" would suggest — while year two onward reflects the full ongoing benefit, since the one-time costs don't repeat.
Limitations
- Equity is a simplified estimate — real vesting cliffs and liquidity events aren't modelled.
- Salary breakup defaults to a typical private-sector split unless you enter your exact figures.
- The stay-vs-switch projection assumes the same future hike rate at both jobs, since there's no real basis to guess otherwise.
- This is a calculation, not personalised financial advice — see our assumptions page for the full list.
Questions people actually ask
- Why does the first-year number differ from the recurring number?
- Notice-period buyout, relocation cost, and a joining bonus only happen once — in year one. From year two onward, only the ongoing pay, tax, and equity differences apply. Use the first-year figure to judge whether the switch is worth the short-term hit, and the recurring figure for the long-term trade.
- What does the stay-vs-switch comparison actually assume?
- That your current job would give you the same annual hike rate you'd get at the new one, so neither side is favoured by guessing whose raises are more generous. It isolates the actual effect of switching now versus later — the one-time jump and the one-time cost — from an unknowable difference in future raise policy.
- What if I don't know my exact salary breakup?
- Leave the exact-breakup toggle off and we'll estimate Basic and HRA using a typical private-sector structure. It's a reasonable starting point, not a substitute for your real offer letter once you have one.
- Is my salary data sent anywhere?
- No. Every calculation runs in your browser. The only thing that leaves your device is the URL if you use the share button — and that only goes wherever you send it.