2026 · return to office
Return-to-office cost calculator
A back-to-the-office mandate is a pay cut nobody put in writing. Put a number on it, in dollars, in hours, and in the raise it would take to break even.
Going back to the office costs money your remote colleagues keep: the drive or the fare, parking, lunch bought out, a work wardrobe, sometimes extra childcare. Plus hours of unpaid commute. This calculator adds it all up for your specific mandate, then shows the pre-tax raise that would cancel it out. Every default is sourced and editable, and time is kept separate from money so you can decide how much your hours are worth.
2026 IRS standard rate, 76¢/mi. Edit to your own cost.
Sets the value of your commute time ($43/hr).
Only the days in-office adds.
Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere, it runs in your browser.
Worked example: 25 miles, 3 days a week
A $90,000 earner, driving 25 miles each way three days a week, $12 parking, $8 lunch:
| Out of pocket per year | $8,652 |
| Hours per year commuting | 216 hours |
| Those hours valued at their wage | $9,346 |
| Money + time combined | $17,998 |
| Pre-tax raise to break even on cash | $12,360 |
| Full 5-day version | $14,220 · 360 hrs |
Three days a week already runs $8,652 out of pocket and 216 hours a year. At five days it's $14,220 and 360 hours.
Why money and hours stay separate
The honest disagreement about RTO is whether commute time "counts." Roll it into one dollar figure and half the room stops trusting the number. So this tool leads with two headline figures, cash out of pocket and hours a year. And only combines them into a money-plus-time total if you opt into valuing your time at your wage. Both numbers are on the share card, because both win different arguments.
Questions
Is a return-to-office mandate really a pay cut?
In cash terms, yes, every office day carries commute, parking, and food costs you don't pay working from home. This tool shows the annual figure and the pre-tax raise that would offset it. It's not a formal pay cut, but the effect on your take-home is real and measurable.
Should commute time count as a cost?
That's the argument people have, so the tool refuses to settle it for you: it shows hours per year and dollars out of pocket as separate figures, then a combined number only if you choose to value your time at your wage. Decide which framing you believe.
What mileage rate does the car calculation use?
The 2026 IRS standard mileage rate, 76¢ per mile for the second half of the year (Announcement 2026-11), as an editable default. It approximates fuel plus wear, not just gas. Enter your own per-mile cost if you track it.
Does this store my salary or commute details?
No. Every figure runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere or saved. Reload the page and it's gone.
Related
- Is RTO a pay cut? the argument, with numbers
- Hybrid vs remote what each day back really adds
- Should I change jobs over RTO?
- Salary negotiation script ask for the offsetting raise
- Layoff runway if it pushes you to quit, know your runway first
An estimate on your own numbers. Defaults are sourced (IRS mileage rate, BLS food data) and editable; nothing you enter is stored. Not financial advice.