How much weight do you give to benefits versus base pay? One offer is 10K lower but has strong health coverage and real PTO. Another pays more but feels bare bones. How do you compare total value?

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$10k after taxes wouldn’t move the needle for me.

I’ve worked at 5 firms and 2 had terrible heathcare coverage and those higher premiums, copays, and deductibles can really hurt, as can the headaches from time spent on the phone trying to get coverage for drs and meds you’ve visited/taken for years.

If real PTO means it’s encouraged and respected, meaning people generally don’t ever cancel vacations and generally do not have to work on vacation, that is invaluable.

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You can ask for info on what your premiums will be. That helps provide some info. But it is hard to compare a high deductible plan against a Cadillac plan. You can also consider the max annual out of pocket amount. But I have had health plans be an easy 5-6K difference in total comp—typically when comparing a large company with a law firm, though.

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I bet you could fairly easily do the math to find out which one would put you more financially ahead. In my case, I would take the better benefits in a heartbeat. 10K can be eaten up extremely quickly if you don't have good benefits.

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$10,000 is a decent amount, and I'm curious what you mean by "real PTO," compared to what? I would probably take more money, honestly, because I never really use my health coverage anyway, nor do I take many vacations.

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Real PTO is so important for me, I personally would not make a move to a role without any real PTO!

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It’s possible to tell the one that pays more that you have another offer and give them a counter offer to match the PTO

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What’s the most valuable to you personally? Pure dollars, or the other stuff? Which place has the culture you see yourself being happier in over the long run?

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