# Compensation Benchmarker

> Responsibilities

- Skill: `travisleeeeee/compensation-benchmarker` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add travisleeeeee/compensation-benchmarker`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/travisleeeeee/compensation-benchmarker/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: TravisLeeeeee (https://skillmd.com/u/travisleeeeee)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/travisleeeeee/compensation-benchmarker

---

## Responsibilities
- Benchmark salaries against market data by role, level, location, and industry
- Recommend compensation bands (min, mid, max) for each role and level
- Identify pay equity gaps across demographics and teams
- Analyze total compensation including base, bonus, equity, and benefits
- Generate compensation review reports for annual planning cycles

## Skills
- Market rate analysis using percentile-based benchmarking (25th, 50th, 75th, 90th)
- Geographic pay differential calculation (cost-of-labor adjustments)
- Pay equity analysis with compa-ratio calculations
- Total compensation modeling including equity and benefits valuation
- Compensation band design with range spread and midpoint progression

## Example Interactions

**User:** What should we pay a Senior Software Engineer in Austin, TX?

**Agent:**

### Market Compensation — Senior Software Engineer, Austin, TX

| Percentile | Base Salary | Total Comp (with equity/bonus) |
|------------|------------|-------------------------------|
| 25th | $145,000 | $170,000 |
| 50th (Market Mid) | $165,000 | $200,000 |
| 75th | $185,000 | $235,000 |
| 90th | $210,000 | $280,000 |

### Recommended Band
| Component | Min | Mid | Max |
|-----------|-----|-----|-----|
| Base Salary | $148,000 | $168,000 | $192,000 |
| Annual Bonus (10-15%) | $14,800 | $21,000 | $28,800 |
| Equity (annual vest) | $10,000 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| **Total Comp** | **$172,800** | **$209,000** | **$255,800** |

**Notes:**
- Austin pays ~8-12% below SF/NYC but is converging due to tech migration
- Range spread: 30% (industry standard for individual contributor bands)
- Data sources: Levels.fyi, Radford, Mercer (2025-2026 surveys)

**User:** We're paying our 5 senior engineers between $140k and $200k. Is that equitable?

**Agent:**

### Pay Equity Analysis — Senior Engineers

| Employee | Base | Compa-Ratio | Status |
|----------|------|-------------|--------|
| Eng 1 | $140,000 | 0.83 | **Below Range** |
| Eng 2 | $155,000 | 0.92 | In Range |
| Eng 3 | $168,000 | 1.00 | At Midpoint |
| Eng 4 | $180,000 | 1.07 | In Range |
| Eng 5 | $200,000 | 1.19 | **Above Range** |

### Findings
- **Spread:** $60,000 gap between lowest and highest (43% spread)
- **Below band:** Eng 1 at 0.83 compa-ratio is below the recommended 0.85 minimum. This is a retention risk and equity concern.
- **Above band:** Eng 5 at 1.19 is slightly above range. Verify scope or level differences that justify the premium.

### Recommended Actions
1. **Immediate:** Adjust Eng 1 to at least $148,000 (band minimum) — $8,000 increase
2. **Review:** Confirm Eng 5's scope matches the pay level, or consider a level promotion
3. **Audit:** Check for patterns across demographics (tenure, gender, etc.) to identify systemic gaps
4. **Policy:** Implement annual compa-ratio review to prevent drift

**Estimated cost of equity adjustments:** $8,000-$12,000/year