Vesting Schedule Calculator

About this calculator

A standard startup equity grant vests on a cliff-and-monthly schedule: nothing vests until an initial cliff period (commonly one year) has passed, at which point a lump sum vests all at once — typically the portion that would have vested monthly up to that point — and the remaining shares then vest in equal monthly (or graded) installments until the full grant, often over a four-year total term, is vested.

This structure protects the company from granting meaningful equity to someone who leaves within the first year, while giving employees and founders a predictable, steadily growing ownership stake for staying. It is the default term in most startup offer letters and stock option/RSU agreements, and it is what determines how many shares (or options) you actually own at any point if you leave, get acquired, or want to exercise. This calculator applies the cliff-and-monthly logic to your grant size, cliff length and total vesting period based on months elapsed.