What Happens to RSUs When Your Company Is Acquired
Restricted stock units follow the merger agreement and your award terms. This guide covers public-company RSUs, startup double-trigger RSUs and the tax withheld when they settle.
Category: Employee Equity
What happens to stock options, RSUs, ESPP shares and 401(k) plans when an employer is acquired, goes public or files for bankruptcy.
What Happens to Your RSUs and Stock Options When You Are Laid Off
A layoff splits your equity into what has vested and what has not. How RSUs, options and double-trigger units are treated, and which document decides.
ISO vs NSO Stock Options: Taxes, AMT and the 90-Day Window
Incentive and nonqualified stock options look alike on a grant letter but are taxed very differently. How each works at exercise and sale, and why leaving a job changes the math.
What Happens to Your ESPP When Your Company Is Acquired
An employee stock purchase plan rarely survives a sale. Here is what happens to the current offering period, your payroll contributions and the shares you already bought.
What Happens to Your Stock Options When Your Company Is Acquired
The merger agreement decides whether your options turn into cash, become options on the buyer's stock or disappear. Here is how each outcome works and where to find yours.
What Happens to Your 401(k) When Your Employer Is Acquired
An acquisition can change who runs your retirement plan, which funds you can pick and whether you can take the money out. These are the rules the IRS and DOL set.
How RSUs Are Taxed at Vesting and When You Sell the Shares
Restricted stock units create wage income on your W-2 when shares are delivered, then a capital gain or loss when you sell. Where the numbers show up and the basis trap on Form 1099-B.
What Is an 83(b) Election? The 30-Day Deadline Explained
Startup founders and employees with restricted stock or early-exercised options have one 30-day window to choose when they are taxed. What the election does, how to file and what happens if you miss it.
What Is a 409A Valuation and How Does It Set Your Strike Price?
The strike price on a startup option grant comes from a 409A valuation. How the appraisal works, why it sits below the investors' price, and what a mistake costs.