How to compare an international offer without hiding the assumptions

Start with two approved compensation records

Create one record for the current package and one for the proposed package. The adviser should confirm every financially material value before calculation. A missing pension, employer-paid health plan or target bonus can easily matter more than a small tax difference.

Let software calculate only what it can defend

Income tax and compulsory payroll deductions should come from a versioned calculation engine with published source links. Language models can help locate a figure in a document or draft a plain-English explanation, but they should not invent a rate, choose a tax-residence position or silently fill a missing term.

Convert at one dated exchange rate

Show the rate and date next to the comparison. Do not mix rates from different days or present an exchange-rate conversion as a forecast. If currency risk matters, add clearly labelled stronger and weaker currency scenarios.

Show three answers

First, show spendable income after modelled payroll deductions. Second, subtract the household's entered recurring costs. Third, show retirement, benefits and equity alongside cash. This lets a client see whether a better total package actually improves monthly life.

• Take-home match: the destination gross that produces similar after-tax pay
• Cost-adjusted match: the gross needed after the client's entered household costs
• Package comparison: cash, retirement, benefits and equity shown separately

Make review limits part of the deliverable

List unresolved residence, filing, equity, social-security and benefit questions beside the result. This makes the report more useful to a client and gives the tax or immigration specialist a focused brief.