Do we need to declare ESOPs vested, have not exercised the option yet?

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Tax filing ESOPs?

Data Scientist

Tax filing ESOPs?- Grapevine

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ESOPs vs RSUs

Product Owner

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

Truths about ESOP 101 

After working in multiple fast growth startup’s and having been part of multiple buybacks as well as being in the startup ecosystem for a decade I want to put to bear my pov about creating wealth through ESOP. 

Like any other randomised event, ESOP also follows Pareto principle which means a very small number of people within the company ever make sizable wealth that they elevate to the top 0.1% of the country. 

The Pareto also applies with companies; significantly small minority of companies in India have employee friendly policies which enables an employee to create wealth. 

Most startup’s have dark patterns within their esop policy which either locks you in for insufferable durations or forces you to pay exorbitant taxes to gain the right to exercise your esops when you are leaving the company. 

Survivorship bias plays a huge role in enabling the narrative that esop is a great wealth generating tool leading to rude awakening for an employee after they join a company. 

This doesn’t mean you can’t make wealth, it just means don’t get carried away by narratives and take preventable errors in your career. 

Always talk to multiple people in startup’s and ask relevant questions to understand esop policies better. 

Like everything else optimising only for esop for wealth creation will mostly not result in it.

Unmasking ESOP wealth!

Consultant

Hi, Say a Series B (US) funded startup gives me 3000 shares which are worth $5/share. It follows the usual vesting period of 4 years. Now assume 4 years have passed and all the 3000 shares are vested but the company hasn't gone IPO. 

Here are my quesions

- When exercising US stocks in India, what is the % of withholding tax I should pay?
- Say if I exercised all the shares and if I decide to leave the company do I get to keep those exercised shares with me forever?

I prefer answers from people who have exercised ESOPs before. I don't want answers like "It depends, Talk to your HR or CA". Appreciate any inputs.

Question on US based ESOPs in India

Analyst

What happens to unexercised ESOP after IPO? I got to know that ESOP gets taxed at the time of exercise so it could lead to a huge financial burden. Also, is it possible to defer taxes after exercising of esops?

Unexercised option after IPO

Software Engineer

I’ve not exercised my ESOPs from my previous employer. I am waiting for the company to go public. I quit the company in 2021. What will my tax be if I exercise and sell my stocks at the time of IPO? How much tax can I save if I buy a property?

ESOPs taxation

I had gotten a few shares of a company I used to work for. Unfortunately the time period to exercise the contract is just 90 days after I leave so that means either I have to lose all the shares since I didn't complete the whole vesting schedule or buy it from them!

I wanted to understand how the tax works in a case like this! The company is still not traded so I can't sell the shares but have to buy it and hold it until IPO!

Tax on ESOPs

Founder

Welcome to Software Engineers's Private Community

I have some ESOPs($17k total) at my current company(startup, initial stage), vesting over 4 years with a one-year cliff (25% vested after my first year, monthly after). I have completed 1.5 years here.

I'm not sure if they're actually worth anything(no funding rounds since last 2-3 years, founder is saying he will raise in next 3-4 months), and I'm worried about the taxes when I eventually redeem them. Also I dont know about the redemption process. Could someone explain how this whole ESOP thing work, what the tax implications are, and where I can find more information?

what all should I ask to my manager/HR as we dont have any portal/guide where I can see all these information.
these are the questions I have rn
how to track how much is vested?
how do I redeem them?
can I not redeem them this year, will they still be available to me in next financial year?

ESOPs are confusing

How do you understand that Esops alloted in ctc are good enough?
Do companies have them fixed as percentage of ctc (ex. 30% of ctc) or how does it work?

What are the questions i can ask to get a better understanding of the Esops?
One would be current valuation, last buyback time, what else?

Is there any good resource to understand this?

How to evaluate ESOPs?

Product Manager

Hi Guys, what is the “Exercise event” for the ESOPs allotted by Indian startup’s?

Note: Exercise event means when the vested ESOPs can be allotted.

I have come across a couple startup’s which have a very sketchy Exercise event I.e 4 years after vesting of “all the allotted ESOPs”

So I’m trying to figure out how other startup’s are doing it in BLR/Metro cities in India.

ESOP Exercise Query

Software Developer

Where did you work and how much money did you make?

Asking as it looks like a lot of promise of ESOPs and wealth creation has failed employees in this bloodbath slow growth, layoffs, and job changes.

"ESOPs made me rich af"

I have had ESOPS in 2 companies 
#1 - company got acquired ..I got 45 Lacs IN ESOP ...thats 1.5X of my last annualized salary  ( so additional salary for 18 months) 
#2 - Company became unicorn ... I quit and company bought my ESOPs . Got 2 Cr
That is 3X of my annualized salary

Company 1 - I had joined at very early stage ; Company 2 - I joined at mid-stage

UX/UI Designer

I have some vested ESOPs.
I want to buy the shares from a private company that granted the ESOPs.

The ESOPs grant letter is paper based on company letter head.

I wanted to exercise my partially vested options, I wanted to know a few things.

Could the company play any delay tactics?
Let us say I email them Today.

What's ideally be the tentative timeline to excercise the options, given I have money to buy and hold the stock.

If the valuation at moment is unknown, could it be bought at last known valuation?

Process to exercise the vested ESOPs.

Hi, I have an ESOPs related question. Appreciate any inputs. 

Consider a Series B startup providing an employee with 5000 shares. After 2 years, 2000 shares are vested and exercised by the employee. The stocks were never liquidated because the company didn't conduct buyback nor went IPO. 

Now, assume the company lays off that employee after 2 years,

- Can he still hold the vested and exercised 2000 shares? 
- If yes, then can he sell those stocks during future buyback even if he isn't an employee?
- Will the company provide accelerated vesting for the remaining 3000 shares during layoff? (not mentioned on offer letter)

Question on ESOPs

If I’ve got an offer with ESOPs, but the vesting starts after a year and the company might go public before I complete a year. Been told by friends that no organisation has ever respected ESOPs that aren’t vested if they go public. What are your thoughts? Anyone who has faced something similar?

Help me understand my ESOPs

Senior Program Manager

Welcome to Product Managers's Private Community

I work in a fintech company. Revenue and growth wise we are good, we just got acquired by a large internet platform too. Also, last year has been a tremendous learning for me as well. I like being PM but looking to move out of my current industry (lending) as I want to explore other domains and I feel like my CTC here is somewhat low (18.5 + 1.5 bonus) considering my experience (around 4.5 years). My boss said that I will get ESOPS (around 10 lacs) which I can liquidate around 50% this year. Should I wait for my appraisal to complete (will happen around April) and look to switch or should I start preparing for interviews now itself?

Company is good but CTC pinches

I'm currently a front end dev in an early stage startup, been more than 1.5 years here, joined as a UI dev took up frontend. I've just got ESOPs and wanted to know what do people think. Not thinking of switching right now cuz recession, but does ESOP turn to money often. It'll get vested until 2027 btw.

Got ESOPs. Stay or not?

Frontend Engineer

I had a very basic doubt.
For people who've exercised their stock options or have had some similar experience with this in the past, what's best way to limit the tax liability?

My company is registered in the US - would i have to pay taxes to both the governments?

Thanks in advance and have a great day ahead!

Tax liability for vested stock options

Have been granted esops recently. What are the critical points that I should be mindful of before signing the esop policy (apart from the regular - vesting schedule, exercise price, etc.)? Anything that I should take note of or ask particularly?

Esops - what should I know?

Welcome to Office Gossip's Private Community

As the title suggests, I'm a lawyer and good at what I do. Haven't got anything better to do, so AMA.

Very happy to assist startups and young businesses as well!

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