RSUs, options, QSBS, IPOs and tender offers.
September 4, 2026
The IRS used National Payroll Week to urge a paycheck checkup. For employees paid partly in restricted stock, the flat 22% supplemental rate often falls well short of the tax actually owed.
Current and former staff sold stock in the company's third tender offer. How much they keep depends on holding periods, how the shares were acquired and, for many, California's treatment of gains.
SpaceX priced the largest IPO in history at $135 a share, but the flat 22% withholding on employee RSUs falls well short of what many will actually owe.
Anthropic's confidential IPO filing, made after a $65 billion round at a $965 billion valuation, gives current and former staff a narrowing window to settle basis, QSBS and residency questions.
CNBC reported OpenAI could confidentially file IPO paperwork within days, giving staff and alumni a narrowing window to settle basis records, QSBS eligibility, 83(b) history and residency before shares become tradable.
The AI chipmaker sold 30 million shares ahead of its Nasdaq debut. For employees holding restricted stock units and incentive options, the listing turns paper wealth into taxable income and hard timing choices.
Stripe's latest employee share sale values the payments company at $159 billion, and the tax treatment of the proceeds depends on how each employee's shares were granted.
Anthropic told employees it would let them cash out stock at a $350 billion valuation, and for many the decision to sell now or wait for an IPO turns on capital gains timing, QSBS and California's tax code.
Elon Musk combined SpaceX and xAI in the largest all-stock merger on record, and for employees holding xAI shares and options, the tax bill turns almost entirely on one word: stock.
With a listing possibly landing by March 2026, Discord employees holding RSUs and options face withholding, AMT and lockup decisions that are easier to manage before shares start trading.
From 2026 the AMT exemption starts phasing out at $1 million for joint filers and disappears twice as fast, so the bargain element on incentive stock options is far more likely to trigger AMT.
The private-equity-backed supplier jumped 41% in its Nasdaq debut. For employees of companies that list, stock settling at a public price often comes with a tax bill larger than what payroll withholds.
A tender at roughly double July's price would hand SpaceX staff a large liquidity window before a possible 2026 IPO, and the tax bill depends on whether shares came from RSUs, ISOs or purchases.
Shareholders backed a 12-tranche restricted stock grant worth up to $1 trillion. The tax mechanics behind it apply, at smaller scale, to every executive holding performance shares.
Navan priced its IPO at $25 a share and fell 20% on its first day of trading. For employees with RSUs, a drop after a taxable settlement raises withholding, loss and wash sale questions.
Current and former staff sold stock at a $500 billion valuation with per-person payouts as high as $30 million, and how much they keep depends on what kind of equity they held.
Klarna priced its September 9, 2025 IPO above range at $40 a share, a $15.1 billion valuation, creating tax decisions for employees and early investors who can now sell newly liquid shares.
Staff at the London fintech can sell shares at $1,381.06 apiece. For US-resident employees and investors, the payout raises questions about holding periods, the 3.8% surtax and foreign tax credits.
Figma priced its IPO at $33 a share on July 30, 2025 and closed its first trading day near $115.50, and the pop creates a real tax cost for employees holding options and restricted stock.
For startup stock acquired after July 4, 2025, founders and early investors can exit sooner with partial tax relief and shelter more gain, but older shares keep the old rules.
A insider share sale reported July 8, 2025 pegged SpaceX at roughly $400 billion, and the tax bill for employees cashing out at $212 a share hinges on how their shares were granted.