Key Points
- Equity-based compensation refers to a type of employee compensation where an employee receives ownership in the company in the form of stocks, options, or restricted stock units (RSUs).
- The purpose of equity-based compensation is to align the interests of the employees with those of the company’s shareholders, as well as to incentivize employees to work towards the company’s success.
- Equity-based compensation can come in the form of non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options, or RSUs, each with its own tax implications and vesting schedules.
- Non-qualified stock options are taxed at the ordinary income tax rate, while incentive stock options have special tax treatment and are subject to alternative minimum tax (AMT).
- RSUs are a form of restricted stock that vest over time, and are taxed at the ordinary income tax rate when they vest.
Before reading this article, keep in mind that no two financial plans are the same and what you do with your ISOs, ESPP, RSUs (etc) may be completely different than what someone else should do. Also remember that this article is explicitly education and not a recommendation of what you should do. Before taking any actions, contact a fiduciary that specializes in helping people like you. Progress Wealth Management is accepting new clients at this point. Click here to contact us.
Equity-based compensation includes any compensation paid to an employee, director, or independent contractor that is either in the form of stock, a stock purchase plan, or stock options. This article discusses the more common equity-based compensation awards: incentive stock options (ISOs), employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs), non-statutory (nonqualified) stock options (NQSOs), and restricted stock awards (RSAs), and restricted stock units (RSUs).
Why do employers prefer to pay us in company stock as opposed to cash?
Every time employers pay their employees with stock, they get a deduction on their taxes equal to the amount included in the gross income of the employee they paid with equity.
If the corporation paying you in equity files the proper forms, the employee has to report the value as income when it vests.
It’s more affordable for the company to pay using equity as opposed to cold hard cash because the value of that equity isn’t guaranteed and (typically) there’s a vesting period that forces the recipient employee to stay on longer rather than leave for a competitor.
Important Tax Implications for ISOs and ESPPs
ISOs and ESPPs may be granted to employees only. Generally, the employer corporation does not receive a tax deduction at grant, exercise, or sale. The employee will not recognize ordinary income at grant or exercise. However, in the year of exercise, the excess of the fair market value of the option over the exercise price is income to the employee for alternative minimum tax (AMT) purposes.
Provided that the employee sells shares after the ISO holding period requirements have been met, the employee will recognize long-term capital gains, taxed at preferential rates. To receive this favorable tax treatment, ISOs and ESPPs must be held the later of two years after grant date and one year after exercise.
For regular tax purposes, the tax basis in the stock is equal to the exercise price. For AMT purposes, the tax basis is increased by the income recognized upon exercise.
Note: if all of this seems a little foreign to you, we provide free consultations on your employer equity to help you make the right decision on what to do with this potentially life-changing amount of stock. Do yourself a favor and get professional help with this big of a decision by clicking here.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU EXERCISE YOUR ISOS TOO EARLY?
When you exercise your ISOs and sell the stock you receive afterward plays a major role in how large of a tax bill you’ll have to pay.
To qualify for lower tax rates upon the sale of the stock, you’ll have to wait at least a year following the grant of your ISOs to exercise them and no less than 2 years following the year you were granted them to sell the stock.
OTHER IMPORTANT TAX CONSIDERATIONS SURROUNDING ISOs
This compensation income will be added to the ISO stock’s basis for determining the gain or loss on the sale or disposition of the ISO stock, thus making the stock basis equal to the fair market value at the time of exercise. This gain or loss is treated as short-term or long-term capital if applicable holding periods have been satisfied.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
ISOs must be exercised within three months of the end of your employment (including vested ISOs). This term is extended to one year for disability, with no time limit in the case of death. If the ISO is not exercised within three months of termination, the option is no longer an ISO and will be taxed as a NQSO which typically results in a much larger tax bill. As a result, many companies will typically provide for a 90-day post-termination exercise period. This rule may have an impact to the corporation’s deferred tax asset for stock-based compensation.
There is a limit on the amount of ISO’s that can be exercised. An ISO will fail to be considered an ISO to the extent the aggregate fair market value of the stock with respect to an ISO exceeds $100,000. If the FMV (of the underlying stock) exceeds $100,000, the option is treated as a NQSO. This rule may also have an impact on the corporation’s deferred tax asset for stock-based compensation. Special rules additionally apply to a 10% shareholder.
For options granted under an ESPP, there is a $25,000 yearly limitation on the amount that an employee can purchase.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Compensation resulting from the exercise of an ISO or an ESPP, or from the disposition of stock acquired by exercising the option, is not considered compensation for social security, Medicare or FUTA tax purposes, and no federal income tax withholding is required.
Form W-2
The employing corporation must report as income in Box 1 of Form W-2 (a) the discount portion of stock acquired by the exercise of an ESPP option upon a qualifying disposition of the stock, and (b) the spread (between the exercise price and the fair market value of the stock at the time of exercise) upon a disqualifying disposition of stock acquired by the exercise of an ISO or ESPP option. Box 14 of Form W-2 may also include the amount of compensation related to ISO disqualifying dispositions with a code similar to “ISODD,” or for the amount related to the ESPP, as “ESPP.”
Form 3921 and 3922
In addition to issuing a Form W-2, an employer has an information reporting requirement following the exercise of either an ISO or ESPP. With respect to an ISO, IRC Section 6039 requires corporations to furnish Form 3921 to each employee on or before January 31 of the subsequent year. With respect to the exercise of an option under an ESPP, the transfer of stock to the employee is reported on Form 3922.
TAX IMPLICATIONS FOR NQSOS
NQSOs may be granted to employees, directors, and other service providers such as contractors and consultants. The employer corporation does not receive a tax deduction at grant but is entitled to a tax deduction upon exercise, equal to the amount of ordinary income included in the service provider’s income. The ordinary income to the service provider is the excess of the fair market value of the option over the option price.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
The income tax treatment of NQSOs is governed by IRC Section 83 rules for property transferred in connection with the performance of services. If a NQSO has a readily ascertainable fair market value when it is granted, then that value (less any amount that must be paid for the option) is included by the service provider as compensation income at the grant. In the more typical situation where an option does not have a readily ascertainable FMV, then its value, less any amount that must be paid for the option, is taxed to the service provider at the time it is exercised, or as soon after exercise as the options property is transferable or not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. The employer corporation has a corresponding compensation deduction for the amount included by the service provider, in the same year that the service provider includes it in income.
IRC Section 83(b) and Treas. Reg. Section 1.83-2(a) permit a service provider to elect to include in gross income the excess (if any) of the fair market value of the property at the time of transfer, over the amount (if any) paid for the property, as compensation for services. IRC Section 83(b) election is allowed for NQSOs but not ISOs.
With the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), new Section 83(i) allows qualified employees of a privately held company to elect to defer the income from the exercise of an NQSO or vesting of an RSU received in connection with the performance of services for up to five years if the corporation’s stock is an eligible corporation. An eligible corporation cannot have any stock readily tradable on an established securities market during any preceding calendar year.
A detailed discussion of IRC Section 83(b) and 83(i) is beyond the scope of this article.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
An employer must report to an employee the excess of the fair market value of stock received upon exercise of a NQSO, over the amount paid for the stock option, on Form W-2 in boxes 1, 3 (up to the social security wage base), and 5, and in Box 12 using the code “V.” For any non-employee service provider, the employer must report this income on Form 1099-NEC.
OTHER TYPES OF EQUITY-BASED COMPENSATION
RESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS
An RSA is a grant of company stock in which the grant holder’s rights in the stock are restricted until the shares vest (or lapse in restrictions). Once the vesting requirements are met, the holder owns the shares outright and may treat them as any other share of stock in the employee’s account. Vesting periods for RSAs may be time-based (a stated period from the grant date) or performance-based (often tied to the achievement of corporate goals).
Upon granting of RSAs to employees or service providers, there is no tax unless the shares are vested at grant or the employee elects under Section 83(b) to be taxed at grant. Once vested, the fair market value of the vested shares, over the amount paid for the restricted stock, is compensation income to the holder (unless a Section 83(b) election was made at grant) and a deductible expense to the company. Generally, the amount paid for the restricted stock is $0. Federal income tax withholding and proper reporting by the corporation on Form W-2 or Form 1099 are required.
RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS
An RSU is a form of compensation issued by an employer to an employee in the form of company shares subject to a vesting plan and distribution schedule, after reaching certain performance goals or working for a particular length of time. The units are restricted because they are subject to a vesting schedule. Shares of the stock are issued after the vesting date.
Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income to a service provider upon vesting. The employer corporation is entitled to a deduction for the year in which the income is included in the income of the service provider. Federal tax withholding and proper reporting by the corporation on Form W-2 or Form 1099 are required, where appropriate.
RSUs are not considered property for purposes of Section 83 since no actual property has been transferred, and therefore, an IRC Section 83(b) election cannot be made with respect to the grant of an RSU, but a Section 83(i) election is allowed.
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SUMMARY
Employer equity compensation, the taxes surrounding them, and the reporting requirements can get really complicated and confusing for many people. If you aren’t sure what to do, that’s okay. There’s a reason why people hire a doctor to help them overcome illness, a tax professional to help them avoid an audit, and a financial planner to help them plan for the future. Scroll down to schedule an appointment and get started.
