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ESPPs

Employee stock purchase plans offer great benefits. Browse an overview of this section below, or explore the subtopics to the left.

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Fundamentals Of Employee Stock Purchase Plans (Part 4): Down Markets And Other Tax Topics This is premium content

Alisa Baker
In Part 4 we consider the taxation of employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs) that are not qualified under Section 423, and the tax issues of down markets, death, and withholding.

ESPP Choices: Flip Or Hold? (Part 2) This is premium content

Timothy A. Farmer and Gregory G. Geisler
NEW! You can build your employee stock purchase plan into your long-range savings and retirement strategy. This article compares buying company stock at a discount through your ESPP to putting the same money into your 401(k) or another retirement plan.

ESPP Choices: Flip Or Hold? (Part 1) This is premium content

Timothy A. Farmer and Gregory G. Geisler
NEW! After you decide to participate in your company's employee stock purchase plan, your next decision is whether to sell the stock soon after purchase or to hold it (and for how long). This article series examines different ways to participate in your ESPP according to relative risk tolerance, timeframe, and needs for money.

Fundamentals Of Employee Stock Purchase Plans (Part 2): Design Limitations And Enrollment Procedures This is premium content

Alisa Baker
Part 1 looked at the basic structural elements and terms of employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs). Part 2 considers more advanced design concepts, including tax code limits and enrollment rules.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans & Your Financial Planning (Part 1) This is premium content

Bruce Brumberg
Employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs) are popular and prevalent at most public companies. However, the structure of these plans is changing. These modifications may affect your decision to participate in your ESPP and its place in your financial planning.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans & Your Financial Planning (Part 2) This is premium content

Bruce Brumberg
Employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs) are changing in many ways, largely in response to accounting rules. For Part 2, myStockOptions.com asked financial and wealth advisors what they are recommending to clients about ESPP participation.

Fundamentals Of Employee Stock Purchase Plans (Part 3): Tax Treatment Of Your Purchases And Sales This is premium content

Alisa Baker
Now let's look at the employee tax issues associated with employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs). ESPP tax rules can be more confusing and less logical than those that govern stock options.

Avoid Tax Return Mistakes With Stock Options & ESPPs: What You Need To Know In 2009

Bruce Brumberg and Lynnette Khalfani
UPDATED! Tax returns can be onerous. Read this article if you are puzzled by Form 1099-B or don't know how and where to report sales of company stock from options or employee stock purchase plans.

How To Report Sales Of Company Stock

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.

Fundamentals Of Employee Stock Purchase Plans (Part 1): Basic Structure And Terms

Alisa Baker
Your company's employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) may be one of the best employee benefits in your total compensation package. However, to maximize the value of your ESPP, you need to understand how it works. This starts with knowing its basic structure and key terms, and how ESPPs work in both up and down markets.

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Schedule D diagram! If I sell ESPP shares after the required holding periods, how do I report the sale on my Schedule D? This is premium content


If you sell ESPP shares in a qualifying disposition, you still realize ordinary income in the year of sale and report it on...

Schedule D diagram! If I make a disqualifying disposition with my ESPP stock, how do I report the sale on my Schedule D? This is premium content


You report the sale for your capital gain or loss, regardless of...

Schedule D diagram! My company's ESPP is not tax-qualified under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code. How do I report any gain that results from the sale of my ESPP shares on my federal income-tax return? This is premium content


Whether you immediately sell the stock or hold the stock and later sell it, you need to complete a Schedule D ("Capital Gains and Losses") for the year of the sale and file it with your Form 1040 federal income-tax return. You will need to know...

NEW! Can my ESPP go underwater or be affected in other ways by a down market? This is premium content


Employee stock purchase plans cannot be "underwater" in the traditional sense of having a purchase price greater than the current stock price. With an ESPP...

NEW! My company's stock is now essentially worthless because of securities fraud by senior executives. Can I claim a casualty or theft loss on my tax return? This is premium content


A casualty or theft loss would allow you to deduct the lost amount against your ordinary income, subject to some limits. However, Treasury regulations and court rulings would probably stand in your way. Nevertheless, what you can do is...

How will I be taxed when I sell the stock if I meet the holding-period requirements under Section 423 for tax-qualified ESPPs? This is premium content


You may have both ordinary income and capital gain when you meet the holding-period requirements (this is a qualifying disposition under the tax code). The answer depends on whether...

If I do not meet the ESPP holding-period requirements to receive favorable tax treatment, how will I be taxed when I sell the stock? This is premium content


If you sell or otherwise dispose of the stock without meeting the holding period rules, then you owe taxes for the spread between the...

What is an employee stock purchase plan?


An employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) is a type of stock plan that permits employees to use after-tax payroll deductions to acquire shares of their company's stock. Plans can have...

How does an ESPP differ from a stock option plan?


Employee stock purchase plans tend to be viewed as a benefit while stock options are a form of compensation. From an employee perspective, there are some differences in operations, eligibility, and design...

Are there different kinds of employee stock purchase plans? This is premium content


Yes. The most popular type of ESPP is known as a Section 423 plan, after the federal tax-code section that sets the requirements for this type of plan. Through an ESPP that qualifies under Internal Revenue Code Section 423, an employee subject to US tax law can...

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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
NEW! My company's stock is now essentially worthless because of securities fraud by senior executives. Can I claim a casualty or theft loss on my tax return? This is premium content
A casualty or theft loss would allow you to deduct the lost amount against your ordinary income, subject to some limits. However, Treasury regulations and court rulings would probably stand in your way. Nevertheless, what you can do is...
NEW! Can my ESPP go underwater or be affected in other ways by a down market? This is premium content
Employee stock purchase plans cannot be "underwater" in the traditional sense of having a purchase price greater than the current stock price. With an ESPP...
Under my ESPP, can I assign or transfer my rights to another person? This is premium content
As should be indicated on your enrollment form...