Toast Compensation & Benefits

How do you ensure pay and bonus plans are competitive? 

We want employees to feel confident that their compensation reflects the incredible value they bring to the table. To do this, we keep pay and bonus plans competitive through a disciplined, data-driven approach grounded in market benchmarking, transparency and ongoing governance. All roles are benchmarked at least annually against leading technology market datasets, with regular calibration using real-time offer and hiring data. This allows us to stay current with market movement, not just annual cycles.

Transparency is very important to us, as it helps ensure fairness and gives employees a clear understanding of their growth potential. We have clearly defined pay bands and we provide employees with personalized pay range visibility in regions where it aligns with local practices and regulatory norms. We also prioritize regular performance check-ins and two formal promotion cycles a year, ensuring there are timely moments to celebrate your success with merit increases, market adjustments and promotions.

Additionally, we conduct regular equity, gender and role-based pay gap analyses to proactively identify and fix any disparities. Our goal is to ensure our programs remain fair, competitive and meaningful. Ultimately, we want our total rewards package to feel like a genuine “thank you” to employees for their hard work and dedication.

Which benefit delivers the most value — and how do you know?

As we think about setting our employees up to thrive and forge their impact, we know a large part of that is caring for their overall well-being. Our benefits packages go beyond the traditional health care offerings because we know there is a lot more that goes into supporting the whole person. Our team evaluates benefits value through three lenses: quantitative metrics, alignment with our values as a company and direct employee feedback. 

Our health benefits programs consistently deliver the highest value. We see this through strong participation rates, plan selection patterns, preventive-care and claims utilization and employee satisfaction. We also track sentiment through internal surveys — including our annual engagement survey — and we’re proud that our benefits rank in the top quartile compared to peer companies. This confirms our plans aren’t just competitive; they’re truly valued.

Beyond core health benefits, we are proud to offer additional programs such as mental health support, family fertility support, leave policies and financial wellness offerings. We assess value by reviewing utilization, repeat usage and how these benefits correlate with overall engagement and retention.

Most importantly, we measure and iterate. If a benefit isn’t hitting the mark, we redesign or replace it. If a program is making a big impact, we expand it. This ensures we’re continuously investing in the offerings you actually use and value, thereby driving talent attraction and retention. 

Does the company offer stock or equity and is it considered competitive? 

Yes. We consider equity a core component of total compensation for eligible roles. It’s designed to be competitive and performance-aligned, allowing employees to share in the success they help build.

We offer equity across eligible roles and levels, carefully calibrating award values to market benchmarks using technology peer datasets. We review grant values, mix and eligibility at least annually to ensure we stay aligned with both external market practices and our internal philosophy.

Just like with our salary and bonus plans, we continuously assess competitiveness using real-time hiring and retention data alongside external benchmarking. This ensures our equity program remains a compelling tool for attracting and retaining talent, while maintaining responsible governance and strong alignment between pay and performance.