Stock Options Vesting Schedule Calculator
Model a standard cliff-plus-monthly equity vesting schedule and see how much has vested and its value at several stock prices.
Result
- Monthly vesting (after cliff)100.0 shares/mo
- Cliff12 months → 1,200 shares vest at once
- Vested now1,800 shares (37.5%)
- Unvested3,000 shares
- Vested value (now)$36,000.00
- Full-grant value at current/2×/3× price$96,000.00 / $192,000.00 / $288,000.00
Step-by-step
- Monthly vesting = 4,800 ÷ 48 = 100.0 shares/month.
- At 18 months: 1,800 shares vested (37.5%).
- Value per share = max(0, price − strike) = $20.00; vested value = $36,000.00.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the total grant size, vesting period, and cliff length.
- Enter how many months have elapsed since the vesting start.
- Enter the current share price; set strike to 0 for RSUs or the exercise price for options.
- Read vested shares, the percentage vested, and the value at several prices.
About this calculator
Equity grants — stock options or RSUs — almost always vest over time rather than all at once, so you earn ownership gradually as you stay with the company. The most common arrangement is a four-year schedule with a one-year cliff: nothing vests for the first year, then 25% vests on the cliff date, and the rest vests monthly over the remaining three years. This calculator models that cliff-plus-monthly pattern for any grant size, vesting period, and cliff length, telling you how many shares have vested at a given number of months and what they are worth. For stock options it values each vested share as the price minus the strike (the gain from exercising); for RSUs, set the strike to zero to use the full share price. It also projects the full grant’s value at the current price and at 2× and 3×, to illustrate the upside.
How it works — the formula
Monthly vesting = Total shares ÷ (years × 12)
Vested = 0 (before cliff); Total × elapsed/period (after cliff); capped at Total
Value/share = max(0, price − strike)Vesting accrues linearly after the cliff; options are valued at intrinsic value (price minus strike), RSUs at full price.
Worked examples
- Inputs:
- shares=4800, years=4, cliff=12, elapsed=18, price=20, strike=0
- Output:
- 1,800 vested (37.5%), $36,000
- Inputs:
- shares=4800, years=4, cliff=12, elapsed=6
- Output:
- 0 vested (before cliff)
- Inputs:
- shares=4800, years=4, cliff=12, elapsed=48, price=20, strike=10
- Output:
- 4,800 vested, value $48,000
Limitations
- Assumes linear monthly vesting after the cliff.
- Pre-tax; ignores option time value and exercise windows.
- Does not model performance-based or accelerated vesting.
Illustrative model; refer to your grant agreement and a tax advisor.