Hybrid Work Net Benefit Simulator
☆Commute cost, gear amortization, the internet and power you pay for at home, minus whatever your employer actually puts in your pocket. One honest monthly ledger — with three ready-to-copy scripts to ask for reimbursement.
Your inputs are saved on this device
Pre-filled at the $55/day benchmark (lunch + commuting + coffee + parking, Owl Labs). Change it to your real number.
Laptop stand, second monitor, headphones, chair spread over ~12 months of use.
The slice of your home bill attributable to work.
What you actually receive. Many companies frame support as "discretionary."
Advanced ▾
Default 46.
Your monthly ledger
Commute (monthly)—
$/day × office days/week × 4.33.
Gear amortization—
Self-paid internet & power—
Employer stipend—
—
Total cost minus your stipend. Positive = you are subsidizing hybrid work out of pocket.
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Annual ledger, multi-scenario comparison and a ready-to-share benefits review.
Why this matters
Hybrid work is rarely free for the employee. You pay to commute into the office (the Owl Labs benchmark is about $55 a day in lunch, commuting, coffee and parking). You pay to be productive at home — a stand, a monitor, a decent headset. And because you work from home some days, you also pay a slice of your internet and electricity. Yet when workers ask HR to cover any of this, they are often told support is "discretionary" — a polite way of saying the company would rather not. Meanwhile, WFH stipends across a 100+ employer survey range from roughly $200 up to about $1,800 a year; the gap is enormous. If you are a W-2 employee, your self-paid home internet and power generally are not federally deductible, so the realistic lever is asking your employer to reimburse you directly.
How it works
Enter your per-office-day commute cost (pre-filled at $55), your office days per week, the monthly cost of gear you bought for this arrangement, the home internet and power you cover yourself, and any stipend or reimbursement you actually receive. Monthly commute = cost/day × days/week × 4.33. Total monthly cost = commute + gear + utilities. Net = stipend − total cost. Every field recalcuates the ledger instantly, and three copy-ready scripts target the three most common asks: a discretionary support review, a WFH stipend benchmark, and a direct internet/utility reimbursement.
What the results mean
A positive net means you are quietly paying thousands a year to work in a hybrid model your employer mandated. The scripts are written to open a benefits conversation with your actual number attached, not a grievance. Bring the ledger, note that the WFH stipend range in the market is wide, and ask where your company wants to sit on that spectrum — that framing tends to get a number rather than a "discretionary" brush-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "discretionary" mean when HR says it?
It means support exists at the company's option, not as an entitlement. A specific, numbers-based ask (like the scripts here) is more likely to get a real answer than a general request.
How big are WFH stipends in 2026?
Across a 100+ employer survey, they span a wide range — from roughly $200 up to about $1,800 a year/setup. Use that spread as your benchmark when you negotiate.
Can I deduct my home internet on my taxes?
For W-2 employees, unreimbursed home-office costs including internet and power are generally not federally deductible since the TCJA. Asking your employer to reimburse them directly is the practical route.