Free tool · No signup
Vesting Schedule Calculator
Enter a grant, a vesting length and a cliff. See exactly how much equity has vested at the cliff, at each anniversary, and today.
Months elapsed
20
Vested today
416,667
Unvested today
583,333
Schedule
| Milestone | Date | Vested | % vested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff (month 12) | Jan 1, 2026 | 250,000 | 25.0% |
| Year 1 | Jan 1, 2026 | 250,000 | 25.0% |
| Year 2 | Jan 1, 2027 | 500,000 | 50.0% |
| Year 3 | Jan 1, 2028 | 750,000 | 75.0% |
| Year 4 | Jan 1, 2029 | 1,000,000 | 100.0% |
How a vesting schedule is calculated
Every standard startup vesting schedule is the same straight line: vested shares = total grant × (months served ÷ total vesting months), with a hard zero before the cliff. On a 1,000,000-share grant vesting over 48 months with a 12-month cliff, nothing vests for a year, 250,000 shares land on the cliff date, and 20,833 shares vest every month after that until month 48.
What does 4 year vesting with a 1 year cliff mean?
It means the grant is earned over 48 months, and the first 12 of those months are all-or-nothing. The cliff is a binary: leaving at month 11 leaves you with nothing; crossing month 12 vests 25% of the grant in a single day, and roughly 1/48th vests every month after that. That single month is the most expensive month in a startup career, and it is why founders and early employees negotiate the vesting commencement date to include time already served rather than the date the paperwork got signed.
What does vesting mean — and what is "fully vested"?
Vesting means you earn your equity by staying, not by signing. Shares or options are granted up front but only become yours over time. You are fully vested when the whole grant has been earned — month 48 on a standard schedule — at which point nothing can be clawed back if you leave. Anything not yet vested returns to the company, and vested options usually carry a 90-day post-termination exercise window.
Common vesting schedules compared
| Schedule | Who uses it | At month 12 |
|---|---|---|
| 48 months, 12-month cliff | Founders, employees — the market default | 25% |
| 48 months, no cliff, monthly | Cofounders with credit for prior work | 25% |
| 36 months, 6-month cliff | Advisors and fractional hires | 33% |
| 48 months, back-weighted | Late-stage retention grants | 10–15% |
Vesting for YC founders
YC expects founder stock to be on a vesting schedule before you take outside money, usually 4 years with credit for time already worked on the company. Investors read unvested founder stock as insurance: if one cofounder walks in month 8, the equity comes back instead of sitting dead on the cap table. See how founders handle the split itself in the YC equity split guide, and what the round does to it in the dilution calculator.
YC Insights Pro
Found the number? Now see how funded founders got theirs.
46 databases and 100+ founder stories on YC applications, valuations, equity splits and first customers — unlimited access for $49/year.
Cancel anytime · 5 free stories a month, no account needed · Secure checkout by Dodo Payments
Next step
Vesting is the other half of the equity split
A fair split with no vesting is not a split — it is a promise. See how YC founders structure both together.
Read the founder equity guideRelated tools
Free tool
Cofounder Equity Split Calculator
Decide the split before you set the schedule.
Open toolFree tool
Cap Table Calculator
Put vested and unvested shares in a full cap table.
Open toolFree tool
Startup Dilution Calculator
See what future rounds do to the stake you are vesting.
Open toolBrowse all free YC tools.
How to use this tool
Step 1
Enter the grant
Total shares granted and the vesting commencement date from the stock agreement.
Step 2
Set length and cliff
The standard is 48 months of vesting with a 12-month cliff.
Step 3
Check the milestones
Compare vested equity at the cliff, at each year, and as of today.
Free YC databases
Everything behind this page is in our open databases
Batch lists, rejection case studies, RFS playbooks and launch guides — all free to read, no signup.
Index
List of YC Companies →
Searchable index of YC alumni by batch, from Airbnb (W09) to the newest AI startups.
Database
YC Rejection Database →
Airbnb, Stripe, Reddit — founders who got rejected first, with every source linked.
Playbook
RFS Playbook 2026 →
All 15 YC Request for Startups ideas, each turned into a customer, wedge and 90-day plan.
Browse all free YC databases → · or start on the YCInsight homepage
FAQ
What is a standard vesting schedule?
Four years with a one-year cliff. Nothing vests for the first 12 months, then 25% vests at the cliff date and the rest vests monthly over the remaining 36 months.
What does 4 year vesting with a 1 year cliff mean?
It means your grant vests over 48 months, but the first 12 months are held back. Work 11 months and you leave with zero. Cross month 12 and 25% lands at once, then roughly 1/48th of the grant vests every month until month 48.
How are vesting schedules calculated?
Vesting is a straight-line fraction of time served. Vested = total shares × (months worked ÷ total vesting months), with everything before the cliff forced to zero and everything after the final month capped at the total. Most schedules vest monthly; some vest quarterly or annually, which only changes when the steps land, not the end result.
How do you calculate vested shares?
Before the cliff, vested = 0. After the cliff, vested = total × (months worked ÷ total vesting months), capped at the total. With 1,000,000 shares over 48 months, 30 months of work vests 625,000 shares.
How do you calculate a vesting schedule in Excel?
Put the grant in one cell and the vesting start date in another, then build a column of month numbers 1–48. In the vested column use =IF(month<cliff, 0, MIN(total, total*month/48)). Add a date column with =EDATE(start, month). That is exactly what this calculator does, without the spreadsheet.
Should founders vest their own shares?
Yes. YC and almost every investor expect founder stock to be on a 4-year schedule, often with credit for time already served. It protects the founders who stay.
What is a vesting acceleration clause?
Single-trigger accelerates vesting on an acquisition. Double-trigger accelerates only if you are also terminated after the acquisition. Double-trigger is the market standard for founders and executives.
What happens to unvested shares if I leave?
They return to the company. Vested shares are yours, though options usually carry a 90-day post-termination exercise window — miss it and you lose them, unless the company offers an extended window.
What does it mean to be fully vested?
You are fully vested when the entire grant has been earned — month 48 on a standard four-year schedule. From that point nothing can be clawed back if you leave, though options still need to be exercised within the window in your grant agreement.
What does vesting mean?
Vesting means you earn equity by staying, not by signing. Shares or options are granted up front but only become yours over time, on a schedule — most commonly four years with a one-year cliff.
Is this vesting schedule calculator free?
Yes. No signup, nothing stored — the whole schedule is generated in your browser.
Keep reading
Playbook
YC Equity Split for Co-Founders →
Why YC pushes 50/50 splits, when to deviate, and vesting basics.
Deep dive
The YC SAFE, Explained →
Post-money SAFE mechanics, cap tables, and what founders actually sign.
Deep dive
The $500K YC Deal →
How the standard $125K + $375K SAFE actually works.
Database
List of YC Companies →
Searchable database of YC alumni by batch — Airbnb to Cursor.
New here? Start on the YCInsight homepage — every YC database, founder story and Q&A in one place. Or jump straight to the free YC databases.