$9,000 is not necessarily the better-paid offer
Consider these two fictional offers. Both pay the full stated amount, every listed hour is paid, and neither includes additional support or overtime.
| Measure | Offer A: hourly | Offer B: stipend |
|---|---|---|
| Published payment | $24 per hour | $9,000 for the placement |
| Schedule | 35 hours × 10 weeks | 40 hours × 12 weeks |
| Total paid hours | 350 | 480 |
| Total gross pay | $8,400 | $9,000 |
| Gross pay divided by hours | $24.00 | $18.75 |
Offer B pays $600 more but requires 130 more hours and ends two weeks later. Its stipend works out to $18.75 per hour, versus $24 for A. That comparison rate describes the arithmetic; it does not establish the stipend's legal wage treatment.
Price the extra weeks, not just the hourly difference
Suppose B also requires $300 of additional living expenses in each of its two extra weeks. Those $600 of costs absorb its entire $600 gross-pay advantage, before tax differences. If those expenses would occur anyway, however, they are not an extra cost of choosing B. Compare what actually changes between the offers.
A also releases two weeks that you could use for another paid job, classes, travel, or rest. Count extra earnings only when the work is realistic. Do not treat an unconfirmed job as guaranteed income.
For each offer, write: gross pay + confirmed support − costs caused by accepting this offer. Keep refundable deposits in a separate cash-timing calculation. This is a before-tax comparison, not the amount you will have left in your bank account.
Convert an annual figure only after confirming the pay basis
A listing that says $52,000 a year is not offering $52,000 for the summer. Ask payroll how that figure is prorated for your dates and whether the internship is paid hourly or on another basis.
For example, if the employer confirms $52,000 divided across 52 paid weeks, ten full paid weeks would be $10,000 gross. If it instead confirms a $25 hourly rate and 350 paid hours, the total is $8,750. The annual headline alone does not tell you which schedule applies.
For a pay range, use your actual offered rate. For an hourly placement, check whether the advertised weekly hours are guaranteed, expected, or a maximum; missed hours and unpaid holidays can change the total.
Keep gross pay, take-home pay, and support separate
Gross pay is before payroll deductions. Use the expected net deposit, not gross wages, when deciding whether a paycheck covers rent. U.S. federal income-tax withholding depends on earnings and Form W-4 information; a flat percentage taken from another intern's paycheck is not a reliable estimate for yours.
A $1,500 reimbursement cap is not a $1,500 cash bonus. Ask which expenses qualify, whether approval is required, when payment arrives, and whether any amount must be repaid if the placement ends early. Employer-booked housing can solve a different problem from reimbursement paid after you move.
Send this when the posting does not give enough information
“Could you confirm the pay basis and my rate for [role], the expected paid hours and exact dates, and which pay period the first paycheck covers? The posting also mentions [support]; what amount is approved for me, and when is it paid?”
Use the answers to fill the comparison, leaving unresolved amounts blank. That is more useful than a precise-looking summer total built on an assumed 40-hour week.