Compensation Elements
Total cash compensation (TCC)
Also called: TCC, total cash
Base salary plus any short-term cash bonus or commission earned in the same period.
Total cash compensation is base salary plus any bonus or commission paid in cash, typically over a 12-month period. It's the most common benchmarking metric for sales roles and any role with meaningful variable cash pay.
TCC excludes equity (RSUs, options, ESPP), benefits, and any long-term incentive. Some surveys distinguish between "TCC at target" (base + target bonus) and "TCC actual" (base + actual bonus paid).
Use TCC when comparing roles where cash incentives are a meaningful piece of total pay — sales, executive, investment management.
Example
A sales rep earns $80,000 base + $40,000 commission. Their TCC is $120,000.