Vesting Schedule Calculator
Build a share or option vesting schedule with a cliff, see exactly how much is vested on any date, and value the spread between fair market value and strike.
Next vesting date: 2026-09-01 — a further 1,000 shares, taking you to 32,000.
| Date | Month | Vests | Cumulative | % vested | Value at today's spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-01 | 12 (cliff) | 12,000 | 12,000 | 25.0% | $114,000 |
| 2025-02-01 | 13 | 1,000 | 13,000 | 27.1% | $123,500 |
| 2025-03-01 | 14 | 1,000 | 14,000 | 29.2% | $133,000 |
| 2025-04-01 | 15 | 1,000 | 15,000 | 31.3% | $142,500 |
| 2025-05-01 | 16 | 1,000 | 16,000 | 33.3% | $152,000 |
| 2025-06-01 | 17 | 1,000 | 17,000 | 35.4% | $161,500 |
| 2025-07-01 | 18 | 1,000 | 18,000 | 37.5% | $171,000 |
| 2025-08-01 | 19 | 1,000 | 19,000 | 39.6% | $180,500 |
| 2025-09-01 | 20 | 1,000 | 20,000 | 41.7% | $190,000 |
| 2025-10-01 | 21 | 1,000 | 21,000 | 43.8% | $199,500 |
| 2025-11-01 | 22 | 1,000 | 22,000 | 45.8% | $209,000 |
| 2025-12-01 | 23 | 1,000 | 23,000 | 47.9% | $218,500 |
| 2026-01-01 | 24 | 1,000 | 24,000 | 50.0% | $228,000 |
| 2026-02-01 | 25 | 1,000 | 25,000 | 52.1% | $237,500 |
| 2026-03-01 | 26 | 1,000 | 26,000 | 54.2% | $247,000 |
| 2026-04-01 | 27 | 1,000 | 27,000 | 56.3% | $256,500 |
| 2026-05-01 | 28 | 1,000 | 28,000 | 58.3% | $266,000 |
| 2026-06-01 | 29 | 1,000 | 29,000 | 60.4% | $275,500 |
| 2026-07-01 | 30 | 1,000 | 30,000 | 62.5% | $285,000 |
| 2026-08-01 | 31 | 1,000 | 31,000 | 64.6% | $294,500 |
| 2026-09-01 | 32 | 1,000 | 32,000 | 66.7% | $304,000 |
| 2026-10-01 | 33 | 1,000 | 33,000 | 68.8% | $313,500 |
| 2026-11-01 | 34 | 1,000 | 34,000 | 70.8% | $323,000 |
| 2026-12-01 | 35 | 1,000 | 35,000 | 72.9% | $332,500 |
| 2027-01-01 | 36 | 1,000 | 36,000 | 75.0% | $342,000 |
| 2027-02-01 | 37 | 1,000 | 37,000 | 77.1% | $351,500 |
| 2027-03-01 | 38 | 1,000 | 38,000 | 79.2% | $361,000 |
| 2027-04-01 | 39 | 1,000 | 39,000 | 81.3% | $370,500 |
| 2027-05-01 | 40 | 1,000 | 40,000 | 83.3% | $380,000 |
| 2027-06-01 | 41 | 1,000 | 41,000 | 85.4% | $389,500 |
| 2027-07-01 | 42 | 1,000 | 42,000 | 87.5% | $399,000 |
| 2027-08-01 | 43 | 1,000 | 43,000 | 89.6% | $408,500 |
| 2027-09-01 | 44 | 1,000 | 44,000 | 91.7% | $418,000 |
| 2027-10-01 | 45 | 1,000 | 45,000 | 93.8% | $427,500 |
| 2027-11-01 | 46 | 1,000 | 46,000 | 95.8% | $437,000 |
| 2027-12-01 | 47 | 1,000 | 47,000 | 97.9% | $446,500 |
| 2028-01-01 | 48 | 1,000 | 48,000 | 100.0% | $456,000 |
per tranche = total ÷ (vesting months ÷ frequency) · nothing vests before the cliff, then the whole pre-cliff amount vests at once · intrinsic value = (FMV − strike) × vested shares
Worked example: 48,000 options over 4 years with a 12-month cliff, vesting monthly. Nothing vests for 11 months; on the first anniversary 12,000 vest in one lump, then 1,000 vest every month until 48,000 at month 48. With a $12.00 fair market value and a $2.50 strike, the $9.50 spread makes those 12,000 cliff shares worth $114,000 on paper.
Intrinsic value is the paper spread between the fair market value and your strike price — it is not cash, and it ignores exercise cost, tax on exercise, and the fact that private-company shares are often impossible to sell. Real grants can also include acceleration on a change of control, performance conditions, or a post-termination exercise window; none of those are modelled here, so treat this as an estimate rather than advice about your own equity. Read your grant agreement for the terms that actually bind. Nothing you enter is uploaded — the whole schedule is generated in your browser.
What is the Vesting Schedule Calculator?
The standard equity grant vests over four years with a one-year cliff, and almost nobody can work out from that sentence how many shares they hold today.
- Monthly, quarterly or annual vesting with any cliff length
- Cliff row highlighted in the schedule table, with the lump-sum amount
- Vested, unvested, percentage vested and months elapsed on any date
- Next vesting date with the shares attached to it
- Intrinsic value from the fair market value minus strike spread
- Month-end dates handled correctly, and everything runs offline in your browser
How to use the Vesting Schedule Calculator
- 1
Enter the number of shares or options granted and the vesting period in years.
- 2
Set the cliff in months — 12 for a standard grant, 0 for no cliff — and the vesting frequency.
- 3
Enter the vesting start date, which is usually your start date rather than the grant date.
- 4
Set the as-of date to see vested and unvested amounts on any day, past or future.
- 5
Add the fair market value and strike price to value the vested portion.
About the Vesting Schedule Calculator
The standard equity grant vests over four years with a one-year cliff, and almost nobody can work out from that sentence how many shares they hold today. This calculator builds the full schedule: nothing vests before the cliff, the whole pre-cliff amount lands in one lump on the cliff date, and the rest vests evenly monthly, quarterly or annually until the end of the term.
Set any as-of date and it tells you exactly how many shares are vested and unvested on that day, what percentage that represents, and the next vesting date with the amount attached. Add a fair market value and a strike price to see the intrinsic value of what you hold — the paper spread, not cash.
This is an estimate for your own planning rather than advice about your equity — acceleration clauses, performance conditions and post-termination exercise windows are not modelled, so read your grant agreement for the terms that actually bind. Everything is calculated in your browser, which means grant sizes, valuations and dates are never uploaded or stored.
Frequently asked questions
How does a one-year cliff work?
Nothing vests at all during the cliff period. On the cliff date, everything that would have vested up to that point vests in a single lump — a quarter of a four-year grant at twelve months — and normal periodic vesting continues from there. Leave before the cliff and you get nothing.
What is the difference between the grant date and the vesting start date?
The vesting start date is usually your employment start date, while the grant date is when the board formally approved the award, often months later. Vesting is almost always backdated to the start date, which is why this calculator asks for that one — check your grant agreement to be sure.
How is the value of vested options calculated?
The intrinsic value is the current fair market value per share minus your strike price, multiplied by the vested share count. That spread is paper value, not cash: it ignores what exercising will cost you, the tax due on exercise, and the fact that private company shares are frequently impossible to sell.
What happens to unvested shares if I leave?
In almost all standard plans unvested shares are forfeited on your last day, and vested options come with a post-termination exercise window — often only 90 days — after which they expire too. Neither of those is modelled here; both are in your grant agreement and both matter enormously.
Does vesting monthly or quarterly make a difference?
Over the full term the totals are identical, but the timing differs. Quarterly vesting means you can leave up to three months of accrued equity on the table by resigning at the wrong moment, whereas monthly vesting caps that exposure at one month. Compare the two by switching the frequency dropdown.
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