How to find the values for this calculator

Total shares granted

Look for the number of RSUs or options in your offer letter, grant agreement, or cap table platform (Carta, Shareworks, Equity Edge). This is typically labeled as "Number of Restricted Stock Units" or "Shares subject to the award."

Vesting schedule

Your vesting schedule is usually in the award agreement. It may be listed as a cliff and a cadence (for example, 1 year cliff, then monthly for 36 months).

409A per share

You can usually find the 409A price in your onboarding packet or your equity grant documents. If it is missing, ask finance or HR for the most recent 409A valuation date and the common share price. In many companies, the 409A value is the same number used as the common share price, and it sets the fair market value for common stock awards. ^{[1] [20]}

Lookahead share price

This number is not official. It is a made-up, hopes-and-dreams estimate that is still useful for modeling.

Forward lookahead years

Set the horizon to the number of years you want to model. Many people use 2 to 4 years, but you can set a longer timeline if you expect a slow path to liquidity.

Clawback percent

Look for clawback or forfeiture language in your award agreement or equity plan. Some companies tie it to voluntary departure or termination for cause.

To check if you have clawback clauses using Carta:

1. Log in to Carta and open your grant details from the employee dashboard (use the Grant details button in the Your grants section) or your portfolio view.
   Tap to enlarge
2. Click on Documents and notes.
   Tap to enlarge
3. There will be one or more documents in this section. Read each one and look for phrases like "Termination of Service Relationship," "forfeiture," "clawback," or "Cause."

RSU expiration months

This is the time between your grant date and the Expiration Date. Check the award agreement for "Expiration Date" or "Term." If your RSUs are double trigger, the expiration date is the latest possible date for the IPO or Sale Event trigger.

Carta walkthrough

1. Log in to Carta and open your grant details from the employee dashboard (use the Grant details button in the Your grants section) or your portfolio view.
   Tap to enlarge
2. In the left navigation for the grant, open Details and look for an "Expires on" or "Expiration date" field (if shown). That date is the deadline for the liquidity trigger to occur.
   Tap to enlarge
3. Count the months from the grant date to that expiration date and enter that number in this field.

How to find vesting terms in Carta

1. Follow step 1 from above (Carta walkthrough) and then: Open the Vesting schedule tab in the left navigation for the grant.
   Tap to enlarge
2. Look for the vesting type or schedule name. Carta uses time-based, custom, and performance-based vesting types.
   Tap to enlarge
3. If your vesting type includes additional conditions, open any Additional condition or Vesting conditions section and read the text. Look for phrases like "Sale Event" or "Initial Public Offering."
4. If those liquidity-event terms appear, it likely means the RSUs do not fully vest until the company is sold or goes public, and that event must happen before the expiration date above. You must read this carefully and if you don't fully understand it, you should ask a professional to simplify the language for you. This could be the difference between walking away with all the stock you earned vs walking away with nothing simply because the company didn't IPO within the timeframe listed above.