A lot of tech pay comes as company stock, and the rules are easy to get wrong. These posts each explain one part of stock pay in plain words.
When your RSUs vest, the value counts as income and tax is withheld. Many companies withhold a flat 22% on that income. If your tax bracket is higher, you may owe more in April. Check your last vest against your bracket, and talk with your tax professional about whether to set more aside.
An employee stock purchase plan can let you buy company stock at a discount of up to 15%. How long you hold the shares afterward changes how the gain is taxed. Selling right away and holding longer each have trade-offs. Read your plan's details before your next purchase date.
Type your website. In about a minute Watt writes 3 posts for your firm, with your colors, fonts and logo. Free, no sign-up.
Nothing posts without your approval.
Add up your vested shares, your unvested grants and your ESPP shares. Now compare that to everything else you own. Your paycheck already depends on that one company. How much more of your future should?
Joining a startup and getting restricted shares? An 83(b) election has to be filed within 30 days after you receive them. There are no extensions. Whether it makes sense depends on your situation, so talk with a tax professional quickly. Details at irs.gov.
Vest dates sneak up. A short list for the next one. Know how many shares vest, and when. Check how much tax will be withheld. Decide ahead of time what you'll keep and what you'll sell. Update your plan so the new shares have a job. Deciding before the shares land beats deciding in the moment.
Type your website. In about a minute Watt writes 3 posts for your firm, with your colors, fonts and logo. Free, no sign-up.
Nothing posts without your approval.How their stock pay works and how it's taxed, from RSUs and ESPPs to startup equity, and how much of their wealth sits in one company.
Use them as a starting point. Change the wording to sound like you, check the figures for the year you post, and run them through your firm's compliance review before they go out.
Explain how the rules work without recommending what to do with any stock, avoid share price predictions, and send tax questions to a tax professional.
The graphics on this page were made by Watt for Ridgeline Planning, a sample firm. Figures are for 2026 and come from the sources named in each post. Check them for the year you post.