Vesting Schedule Calculator

Last updated: August 5, 2026  ·  Reviewed by the DoCalc team

What Is a Vesting Schedule Calculator?

Equity grants — for founders or employees — almost never hand over shares all at once. Instead, they vest gradually over time, with a cliff period before anything vests at all. This calculator shows exactly how many shares are vested at any point in the schedule, based on the standard 4-year-with-1-year-cliff structure (fully adjustable).

The Formula

Before the cliff, nothing is vested — it's all-or-nothing. Once you pass the cliff, vesting is calculated as a straight-line percentage of time elapsed against the total vesting period (the cliff month's worth vests as a lump sum at the cliff, then continues monthly).

Worked Example

A 40,000-share grant, standard 4-year vesting (48 months) with a 12-month cliff, 18 months in:

Because 18 months is past the 12-month cliff, vesting is already underway — this person has cleared the cliff and is partway through the standard monthly vesting that follows it.

Before vs. After the Cliff

Timing	What's vested
Before the cliff (e.g., month 6 of a 12-month cliff)	Nothing — 0 shares, regardless of time elapsed
Exactly at the cliff (month 12)	The full cliff-period's worth vests at once (e.g., 25% for a 1-year cliff on 4-year vesting)
After the cliff	Continues vesting monthly (1/48th per month for standard 4-year vesting)

Pros and Cons of the Cliff Structure

Pros: protects the company from granting meaningful equity to someone who leaves within the first year; standard and well-understood by both founders and employees.

Cons: an all-or-nothing cliff means leaving even one day before the 1-year mark forfeits everything — a real risk employees should understand when evaluating an offer or a departure date.

Who Should Use This Calculator

Use it if you're a founder or employee who wants to know exactly how much equity is vested at a specific point in time — for planning a departure, evaluating an offer, or understanding your current position.

Check your specific grant agreement for any acceleration clauses or non-standard terms this calculator's standard-schedule assumption doesn't capture.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is assuming a proportional amount is vested before the cliff — it's genuinely zero until the cliff date, then jumps. A second mistake is forgetting that unvested shares are typically forfeited entirely upon departure, not paid out or prorated further. A third is not checking for acceleration clauses that could change the standard schedule in specific situations like an acquisition.

Expert Recommendation

If you're timing a departure around a vesting milestone, confirm your exact vesting start date and cliff terms with HR or your equity agreement in writing — informal assumptions about "close enough" dates have real financial consequences given the all-or-nothing nature of the cliff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Vesting schedules are simple math with a hard edge at the cliff — know exactly where you stand before making a decision that depends on it. Adjust the months-elapsed slider above to see your position at any point in the schedule.

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