Equity Vesting & Cliff Calculator
Map an equity grant's vesting schedule: shares vested at the cliff, monthly vesting after, the cliff date, and the fully-vested date. Runs in your browser.
Vesting schedule
- Cliff date (12 mo)
- Jan 1, 2026 → 1200 shares
- Then vesting per month
- 100.00 shares
- Fully vested
- Jan 1, 2029
| Date | Vested | % |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2026 | 1200 | 25% |
| Jan 1, 2027 | 2400 | 50% |
| Jan 1, 2028 | 3600 | 75% |
| Jan 1, 2029 | 4800 | 100% |
Standard cliff vesting: nothing vests until the cliff, when the accrued portion (cliff ÷ total) vests at once; thereafter shares vest monthly. A classic grant is 4 years with a 1-year cliff (25% at month 12, then monthly). Check your grant for exact terms (monthly vs quarterly, acceleration). Not tax or financial advice.
About this tool
Equity grants — stock options or RSUs — almost always vest on a schedule with a cliff: you earn nothing until you reach the cliff date, at which point the portion accrued up to then vests all at once, and after that shares vest incrementally (usually monthly). The classic structure is four years with a one-year cliff: 25% vests at month 12, then the rest vests monthly over the remaining 36 months. This calculator takes your total grant, the vesting length, the cliff length, and your start date, and computes the shares that vest at the cliff, the per-month vesting amount afterward, the exact cliff and fully-vested dates, and a milestone table. It is useful for understanding when your equity actually becomes yours, planning a job change around a cliff or vesting date, or valuing an offer. Leaving before the cliff means forfeiting everything; leaving after means you keep the vested portion. Check your specific grant agreement for details like monthly versus quarterly vesting and any acceleration clauses. It is informational, not tax or financial advice. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use it
- Enter the total shares or units granted and the start date.
- Enter the total vesting period and the cliff, both in months.
- Read the cliff date, shares at the cliff, monthly vesting, and full-vest date.
- Use the milestone table to plan around vesting dates.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a vesting cliff?
- A period at the start during which nothing vests. If you leave before the cliff date you forfeit the entire grant; on the cliff date, the portion earned up to then (cliff months ÷ total months) vests in one lump, and vesting continues incrementally after.
- How does the standard 4-year/1-year cliff work?
- Over 48 months with a 12-month cliff: 25% (12/48) vests at month 12, then 1/48 of the grant vests each month for the remaining 36 months, reaching 100% at month 48. This is the most common startup structure.
- What happens if I leave before the cliff?
- You typically forfeit the whole grant — none of it has vested. That is the cliff's purpose: to ensure employees stay at least through the cliff (usually a year) before earning any equity.
- Does vesting trigger taxes?
- For RSUs, vesting is usually a taxable event (the value vested is ordinary income). For stock options, vesting itself is generally not taxed — taxes arise at exercise (and sale). This tool tracks the schedule; see the ISO/NSO tax calculator for option taxes.
- What is vesting acceleration?
- A clause that vests some or all of your equity early on certain events — commonly a company acquisition (single-trigger) or acquisition plus termination (double-trigger). It is grant-specific; check your agreement, as this calculator models a standard schedule without acceleration.
- Is this tax or financial advice?
- No. It is an informational schedule based on the terms you enter. Consult your grant documents and a financial or tax advisor for decisions.