§ How it works · the long version
A guided walkthrough of the calculator, the funding approaches, and the supporting practice — custody, exchanges, and the small set of things you actually need to know to run Bitcoin compensation responsibly.
§ How to read this page
The calculator is the tool. This page is the vocabulary.
Three sections follow. The funding approaches describe how an award is shaped and unlocked. The exchanges are where the bitcoin comes from. The custody stack is where it lives afterward. Skim by § heading; skip what you already know.
§ The funding approaches · awards × unlock
§ Not sure where to start
Three questions. One suggested approach.
Answer three short questions and the tour will suggest a starting approach and pre-load the calculator.
A funding approach has two knobs: a funding shape (how the bitcoin enters the award over time) and an unlock horizon (when the team member can access it). Three funding shapes are common; any unlock horizon can attach to any funding shape. Total award in every case is 0.02 BTC.
I
§ Approach I
Maximum impact, day one
The full award lands upfront and unlocks over the chosen horizon. Highest signal to a new hire that the company is serious. Best when you are competing for senior talent against options-heavy offers.
→ Model the Pioneer approachII
§ Our default recommendation
Balanced growth, steady gains
A meaningful initial award paired with smaller annual additions. The recipient gets immediate ownership plus a continuing reason to stay. The default shape for most benefit programs — enough upfront to matter, enough ongoing to compound.
→ Model the Stacker approachIII
§ Approach III
Patient accumulation, long view
A small start and consistent annual additions. The slowest ramp and the longest commitment — but also the lowest first-year cash outlay. Useful when the program is being introduced gradually or when retention over a decade is the primary goal.
→ Model the Builder approachUnlock horizons · any approach × any award
Recruit
24 months
Signing-bonus equivalent; quick wins
Retain
60 months
Standard team stability
Reward
120 months
Career-long partnership
| Schedule | Horizon | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Recruit | 24 months | Signing-bonus equivalent; quick wins |
| Retain | 60 months | Standard team stability |
| Reward | 120 months | Career-long partnership |
Not sure which approach fits? The guided tour walks through three questions and suggests a starting point.
§ The exchanges · where the bitcoin comes from
Buying bitcoin takes five minutes. Set it up once, forget about it. All three of these are regulated US exchanges with clean track records; River is the one we use in-house because it's bitcoin-only, has zero recurring fees, and publishes proof of reserves monthly.
§ Disclosure — The links below are referral links. If you sign up through them, we may receive a small credit at no cost to you. We recommend these services because we use them; the referral arrangement does not determine the ranking.
§ Our default recommendation
Bitcoin-only, US-based, SOC 2 certified, publishes proof of reserves monthly. Zero recurring fees on the standard plan. The boring, reliable choice — which is what you want for payroll.
→ river.com/signupMobile-first. Lowest bar to entry for anyone already paying rent through Cash App. S&P 500 parent (Block). Not bitcoin-only — set up auto-buys and ignore the rest.
→ cash.appExchange-grade interface with full order-book access. More features than you need for payroll bitcoin, but rock-solid. 97% of customer funds kept in cold storage.
→ kraken.comRiver excels at bitcoin-only focus and institutional features. Cash App covers the mobile-first case where the person being paid may be new to all of this. Kraken is the trading-first option for anyone already comfortable with order books. All three are fully regulated, fully compliant, and fully capable of the routine "buy N dollars of bitcoin every Monday" use case this page is about.
§ The custody stack · your keys, your coins
A hardware wallet is a purpose-built device that holds the private keys to a bitcoin address offline. Transactions are signed on the device itself; the keys never touch a network-connected computer. For a benefits program this is the difference between the award being the team member's property and the award being a number in an exchange's database.
§ Our default recommendation
Air-gapped hardware wallet with a phone-like interface. Secure-element design, QR-code signing (no USB attack surface), and a companion app that stays in its lane. Assembled in the USA. Our default because the learning curve is effectively zero.
→ foundationdevices.comFrom the company whose engineers maintain Bitcoin Core contributions and operate Liquid. Strong cryptographic lineage, modern security model, and the lowest price point in this tier.
→ blockstream.com/jadeSwiss-engineered, bitcoin-only firmware edition. Sleek form factor, touch-based entry, companion app on desktop and mobile. A strong pick for teams that want a single-purpose device.
→ shiftcrypto.chHardware wallets keep the private keys offline and protected from network threats. The choice of device matters less than the act of owning the keys: any of the three above will do the job. Foundation Passport is the default recommendation because a new user can be signing transactions within ten minutes of opening the box; Blockstream Jade and BitBox02 are excellent alternatives for teams that already know what they want.
