Tax on Stock Units

holaquetal

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The company I work for has awarded me stock units at a given price. They all have a vesting schedule, meaning I can't sell them before a specific date. Now the vesting date has come, so it means that I can already sell them. Whatever the current price, I cash number of stock units x stock units.

1. I want to understand what tax I need to pay and when. My understanding is that I need to file a form within 30 days and attached a check. Which brings me to my second question.

2. I may or may not sell these stock units right now. If I don't, I still have to pay tax on these stock units because tax has to be paid within 30 days (unless I am wrong, of course). But then I am asked to pay tax before I even cash any money whatsoever, which doesn't make sense to me: because I haven't sold them yet I may not have the money to pay the tax yet.

3. What's the tax rate for the above?

4. I understand that CGT (capital gain tax) needs to be paid on the difference between vesting price and sale price, and that there is an exemption of 1.2K per person. Is that tax still at 33%, as per this post.

Thank you,
 
The company I work for has awarded me stock units at a given price. They all have a vesting schedule, meaning I can't sell them before a specific date. Now the vesting date has come, so it means that I can already sell them. Whatever the current price, I cash number of stock units x stock units.

1. I want to understand what tax I need to pay and when. My understanding is that I need to file a form within 30 days and attached a check. Which brings me to my second question.

2. I may or may not sell these stock units right now. If I don't, I still have to pay tax on these stock units because tax has to be paid within 30 days (unless I am wrong, of course). But then I am asked to pay tax before I even cash any money whatsoever, which doesn't make sense to me: because I haven't sold them yet I may not have the money to pay the tax yet.

3. What's the tax rate for the above?

4. I understand that CGT (capital gain tax) needs to be paid on the difference between vesting price and sale price, and that there is an exemption of 1.2K per person. Is that tax still at 33%, as per this post.

Thank you,

This sounds like a stock option scheme, which for income tax purposes would be treated the same as a share option scheme.

How it is treated depends upon whether it is an approved or an unapproved scheme and whether the option is a short or long option.

Your employer should be able to supply you with this information or you may have already received informational material from your employer.

Open leaflet IT 72 and come back if you have questions.
 
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