BonusPayCalc
Home›About
About BonusPayCalc

BonusPayCalc is built to make variable pay easier to model and harder to misread

The site focuses on bonus, incentive, commission, OTE, quota, STIP, STI, and related compensation math. Every calculator is paired with an explanation of the formula it uses and a clear statement of what the result can and cannot be used for. Variable pay is where most people lose money to a misunderstanding, not to arithmetic.

Purpose
Translate compensation terms into practical planning tools and decision-ready formulas.
Scope
Bonus, incentive, commission, quota, OTE, retention, proration, and salary-based bonus math.
Limit
Not payroll, legal, tax, or HR advice. Users still need to confirm results against real plan documents and policy.

Review standards

  • Use the narrowest formula that fits the plan language.
  • Keep general bonus maths separate from STIP scorecards, commission plans and OTE, because they do not share a formula.
  • Show assumptions instead of hiding them in a result box.
  • Point users to methodology and source context when the topic is sensitive.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-17

What changed in the site architecture

Calculator layer

Dedicated calculators for bonus payout, STIP / STI, commission, OTE, proration and year-end bonus.

Guide layer

Guides explain the mechanics behind the tools: payout curves, proration rules, quota attainment and plan terminology. Each one links to the calculator it supports.

Trust layer

Methodology, source notes and a clear statement of scope so you can see where an estimate stops being reliable.

How BonusPayCalc reviews pages

1
Clarify the intent
A page should answer a real plan type or a real decision, not just restate the same maths under a different name.
2
Define the formula inputs
The biggest payout variables should be visible on-page and explained in plain English.
3
Add support paths
Each important calculator should link to a guide, a methodology note, and other relevant cluster pages.
Deeper detail: read the full methodology page for formula scope, update cadence, and what kinds of source notes are used.

Official-source notes used for sensitive topics

BonusPayCalc stays vendor-neutral, but some topics are sensitive enough that official context matters. This is especially true for overtime treatment, payroll withholding assumptions, and the difference between a gross estimate and a real paycheck.

U.S. Department of Labor — bonuses under the FLSA
Helpful when users assume every bonus is treated the same for overtime purposes.
U.S. Department of Labor — regular rate overview
Useful context for overtime calculations involving commissions or nondiscretionary bonuses.
IRS Publication 15
Useful when readers confuse a gross bonus estimate with payroll withholding or net pay.

What the tools do well and where they stop

Good fit: planning, scenario testing, compensation conversations, bonus sanity checks, and formula walkthroughs.
Bad fit: legal interpretation, payroll sign-off, tax filing, country-specific compliance advice, or contract disputes.
Best workflow: run the estimate, read the guide, then verify the final rules against the employer’s plan document, payroll team, or qualified advisor.

Editorial standards

BonusPayCalc is an independent publisher. It is not owned by, funded by, or affiliated with any compensation software vendor, payroll provider, consultancy or employer. These are the rules the site holds itself to.

1
The formula is always on the page. Every calculator shows the arithmetic it applies, next to the result. If you cannot check a number against your own plan document, the tool has failed.
2
Gross is labelled gross. Nothing on this site models payroll withholding, national insurance, social contributions or net pay. Every result says so.
3
Where plans differ, we say so. Proration by days or by whole months, caps before or after modifiers, thresholds as cliffs or slopes — these genuinely vary. Pages name the variation rather than silently choosing one.
4
Ranges are labelled as ranges. Benchmark figures such as “10–20% target bonus for managers” are broad market observations, not survey data about your employer, and are presented that way.
5
No vendor placement. No company pays to appear on this site. There are no sponsored reviews and no “best tools” lists sold to the tools in them.
6
Advertising is separate from content. Adverts are supplied by third-party networks, are labelled, and have no influence on what any page says. Legal pages carry no advertising at all.
7
Corrections are made, not hidden. A reported formula error is fixed and the page’s review date updated. Report one here.

Last reviewed 20 August 2026

How a page gets written and reviewed

1
Identify the actual question. “What is a STIP bonus?” and “what will my STIP pay?” are different questions, and a page that answers only the second frustrates most of the people who arrive at it.
2
Establish the formula from plan language. The narrowest formula that fits how compensation plans actually word the calculation, rather than a broad formula stretched to cover plans it does not fit.
3
Work an example with real numbers. If the example cannot be reproduced by hand from the stated formula, the formula is wrong or incompletely described.
4
State the limits. What the estimate excludes, where employers differ, and when the reader needs their plan document or a professional rather than a calculator.
5
Link to the adjacent decision. Someone calculating a prorated bonus usually needs the proration guide next, not a random other calculator.

Pages carry a review date. Formulas are checked when a page is substantially revised, and whenever a reader reports a discrepancy. The most recent site-wide review was 20 August 2026.

What this site is not

Not a payroll systemIt does not calculate withholding, net pay or statutory deductions, and it has no connection to your employer’s payroll.
Not legal or tax adviceEmployment and tax law is jurisdiction-specific and changes. Where a page touches on it — overtime, supplemental withholding, clawbacks — it describes general principles and says to check locally.
Not a substitute for your plan documentYour plan document beats every benchmark and every calculator on this site, every time.
Not a data collectorNothing you type into a calculator is transmitted anywhere. See the privacy policy.

Contact: hello@bonuspaycalc.com · Methodology · Contact form and reporting guide