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NQSOs

Nonqualified stock options are the most common type of option. Browse an overview of this section below, or explore the subtopics to the left.

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How Tax Rate Changes Impact Strategies For Stock Options & Restricted Stock (Part 1) This is premium content

Stanley Trotta with Robert Gordon
NEW! You believe a tax hike is on the horizon. Should you take action with your stock options and company stock now or wait until the new rates apply? This article series analyzes the decision. Part 1 looks at nonqualified stock options and restricted stock.

Reporting Company Stock Sales

The myStockOptions.com Tax Team
UPDATED FOR 2009! Learn how to report your sales of company stock on Schedule D of IRS Form 1040. Our comprehensive guide to Schedule D reporting covers sales of stock from nonqualified stock options, incentive stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, employee stock purchase plans, and stock appreciation rights.

NQSOs: Tax Return Tips And Traps This is premium content

Martin Nissenbaum
Whether you complete your own tax return, want to review what your tax preparer did, or want to check what your software produced, it's important to understand basic reporting requirements of stock options. Let's review what, if anything, you need to report on your tax return.

Avoid Costly Tax Return Mistakes And Maximize Your Profits: What Optionholders Need To Know This is premium content

Bruce Brumberg and Lynnette Khalfani
UPDATED! Tax-filing season can be onerous. If you're puzzled by a 1099-B form or don't quite know how and where to report gains and losses with stock options or ESPPs, this article is for you.

Stock Option Financial Planning After Your Tax Return Is Filed And At Year-End (Part 1) This is premium content

Tom Davison and Liam Hurley
Right after you have completed your taxes is a great time to do your big-picture financial planning. You can more accurately project your income and likely tax situation for the remainder of this year and the next, including AMT risk and capital-loss carry-forwards, to develop your strategy. At the end of the year, review your analysis and strategy again.

Taking An Overseas Assignment: Stock Compensation For Mobile Employees This is premium content

Mark Miller
For employees and executives, international travel and relocation are increasingly common. Taxation for "mobile employees" is always complex, and never more than with equity compensation. This article explains the key rules in cross-border situations.

How The Bush Tax Cuts Still Affect Your Stock Option Planning

Tom Davison
UPDATED! Even under the new president, the Bush administration's 2003 tax cuts and later extensions will continue to affect tax strategies for NQSOs, ISOs, and restricted stock. Unless these tax laws change sooner, many of them will persist through 2010.

Stock Option Fundamentals (Part 3): Income Taxes And Withholding This is premium content

Marilyn Renninger
UPDATED! Here's some advice for financial fitness: take stock of taxes before you exercise! When and how you exercise your stock options can have a major impact on how much tax and which taxes you'll pay.

Stock Option Fundamentals (Part 4): NQSO Taxation This is premium content

Marilyn Renninger
You're ready to delve deeper into how and when different taxes apply to NQSOs. You need to consider taxes at exercise and at sale to put together a strategy that maximizes the value of your options.

Taxable And Nontaxable Income:
IRS Publication 525


Internal Revenue Service
This IRS publication explains the tax treatment of many kinds of income, including that from NQSOs, ISOs, and restricted stock/RSUs.

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How is the spread at exercise of an NQSO taxed for federal income-tax purposes?


The full spread is included in your gross income for the year of exercise as ordinary income...

When I hold NQSO shares after exercise, what tax applies when I later sell the stock?


Capital gains tax applies on the amount of your gains above...

Is the spread at exercise of a nonqualified stock option subject to Social Security taxes? This is premium content


Yes. The spread at exercise of an NQSO is "wages" for purposes of...

Is the spread at exercise of a nonqualified stock option subject to federal unemployment taxes? This is premium content


Yes. There is a federal tax...

Is the spread at exercise of a nonqualified stock option subject to state and local taxes? This is premium content


Many states, along with some counties and cities, impose...

May I have my employer withhold more taxes upon my exercise of an NQSO than the minimum required amount? This is premium content


Whether you can withhold more or not, the mandatory federal withholding rate...

Can I deduct the state tax that was withheld from my NQSO exercise? This is premium content


Generally, state and local income taxes are an itemized deduction on your...

If I exercise NQSOs, will I need to make estimated tax payments? This is premium content


At a minimum, when you exercise your stock options, your company will withhold taxes at the required federal withholding rate for supplemental income. However, depending on your income, this minimum withholding may not be enough. If so, you will need to...

How is fair market value determined for W-2 reporting of NQSO taxable income at exercise and for tax withholding? This is premium content


To calculate the taxable income at exercise, your company subtracts your exercise price from the fair market value (FMV) of the stock at exercise. Approaches to this FMV calculation depend on...

My new company withheld Social Security tax from my wages even though I "maxed out" on these taxes this year from my stock option exercise and restricted stock vesting at my prior employer. Can I get a refund or a credit on my tax return? This is premium content


When you have more than one job in a year, each company must withhold Social Security tax without considering what the other company withholds. The result could be...

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Annotated diagram of Schedule DTax errors can be costly! Don't draw unwanted attention from the IRS. Our Tax Center explains and illustrates the tax rules for sales of company stock, W-2s, withholding, estimated taxes, AMT, and more.

Featured FAQs
What is the tax impact on me if my company modifies its outstanding stock options and stock appreciation rights? This is premium content
With approval from the board and shareholders, your company can modify outstanding grants in a way that is consistent with its stock plan. It should avoid...
UPDATED! If I did not qualify for a tax rebate under the Economic Stimulus Act in 2008, can I still qualify in 2009?
Possibly. The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, signed into law in February 2008, created a tax rebate for many people whose income, as reported on tax returns for 2007, qualified them to receive the rebate. However, in some situations this tax break can also be used to reduce taxes on your return for the 2008 tax year...