Level 1 Taxation Flashcards
Ordinary Income
Income generated by the work you do.
Income, such as compensation income, taxed at ordinary rather than capital gains rates under the Code.
Ex. When a Restricted Stock Grant Vests because when the vest happens, the value of that grant is considered “Income”.
Capital Gains
Income generated by the assets you hold.
The increase in value, or profit, realized from the sale or exchange of a capital asset; that is, the excess of the proceeds received from the transaction over the basis of the asset.
Capital Loss
loss generated by the assets you hold is known as capital loss.
The decrease in value realized from the sale or exchange of a capital asset; that is, the excess of the basis of the asset over the proceeds received from the transaction
IRC Section 422 Incentive Stock Options Tax Status
Statutorily Tax Qualified
Statutory Requirements: • Plan-level terms and conditions • Recipient eligibility conditions • Individual grant terms and conditions • Allowable Discretionary Conditions • Tax Treatment
Statutory Plan Requirements
- Must be written
- Must be adopted by the Board of Directors
- Must be approved by the shareholders within 12 months before or after board approval
- Must state the number of shares available to be granted as ISOs
- Identifies eligible award recipients, i.e., specific employees or class of employees because ISOs are only issuable to employees.
Common Discretionary Conditions acceptable under Section 422
- Right of repurchase
- Right of first refusal
- Right to pay for exercise with company stock (e.g., stock swap or net exercise)
Statutory Recipient Requirements:
Options may be granted only to….
A person who is an employee of the company (or its parent or subsidiary) on the date of grant.
“employee” defined by IRC Section 422 for ISOs
- Control of hours, working conditions, work product, power to terminate and W-2 issuance are the most significant factors
- A “20 Factor Test” has been assembled based on court cases and IRS rulings to determine whether an employer/employee relationship exists
Defined with reference to the common-law definition of employee as used for purposes of wage withholding under Section 3402 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Boils down to whether the employee is a 1099 or W2.
ISO Transferability
May not be transferable during the employee’s lifetime.
may only be exercised by the employee.
ISO post-termination exercise periods are maximum
- 3 months after termination of employment, except
- 12 months after disability, or
- Until original expiration date by the employee’s estate if the employee dies
- None of these periods can exceed the original expiration date
ISO Statutory Grant Requirements
Exercise price
Must be at least 100% of grant date fair market value.
10% owners must have an exercise price of at least 110% of the grant date fair market value and the maximum term of the grant is 5 years from the date of grant.
ISO Statutory Grant Requirements
Grant term
- Must be granted within 10 years of the earlier of board or shareholder approval
- Cannot be exercisable more than 10 years after grant date
- 10% owners have maximum grant term of 5 years
ISO Statutory Grant Requirements
Grant limit/ $100k Rule
No limit to aggregate number or value of individual grant, HOWEVER, only an aggregate of ISO options first exercisable as to $100,000 worth of stock in any calendar year based on the grant date fair market value of each award
- Early exercise options are counted toward the limit in the year of grant
- Accelerated options are counted toward the limit in the year of acceleration
- Excess converts to non-qualified stock options and are taxed as NSOs upon exercise
Fair Market Value
the value of a share of stock on any given date
Gain
Difference between exercise date fair market value and exercise price paid (also called “spread”).
Profit
What does “Tax Rates” refer to?
Published tax rates under the Internal Revenue Code
Disposition
the sale, gift, or other transfer of stock purchased pursuant to an option
Tax Benefit of ISOs over NSOs
The gain at the date of exercise is exempt from taxation as ordinary income at the time of exercise, unlike NSOs
Holding period to maximize taxation benefits on an ISO
2 years after GRANT and 1 year after EXERCISE
Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
Places a floor on the percentage of taxes that a filer must pay to the government, no matter how many deductions or credits the filer may claim.
Meant to prevent the rich from sheltering their income from taxes.
Qualifying Disposition
Qualifying disposition refers to a sale, transfer, or exchange of stock that qualifies for favorable tax treatment. Individuals typically acquire this type of stock through an incentive stock option (ISO), or through a qualified employee stock purchase plan (ESPP).
How is taxation treated for a Qualifying Disposition
Treated as Capital Gain at subsequent sale if holding periods are met
How are Disqualifying Dispositions treated during Taxation event.
Treated as Ordinary Income if holding periods not met
ISO transactions that don’t count as dispositions
- Transfer of ISOs, or shares acquired upon the exercise of an ISO, to an estate after the optionee’s death.
- Transfer of the option shares acquired upon the exercise of an ISO into “street name.”
- Transfer of the option shares acquired upon the exercise of an ISO to the nonemployee spouse incident to a dissolution of marriage.
IRC 422 ISO – IRC Section 6039 Reporting
Employer Tax Treatment On Exercise Date for IRC 422 ISOs
No income reported, must provide Form 3921 to both employee and IRS to report the terms of the exercise
Employer Tax Treatment
Qualified Dispositions
- Nothing for the company to report
- No tax deduction for the company
Employer Tax Treatment on Disqualifying Disposition
- Company reports income on W-2, no withholding required, and
- Takes a tax deduction based on income reported
Treatment and calculation of Employee taxation on a qualifying disposition for an 422 ISO
No ordinary income tax if the holding periods are satisfied (2 years from date of grant and 1 year from date of purchase).
Capital Gains taxes on spread between exercise price and sale price.
= Exercise Price - Sale Price
No AMT trigger
Subject to alternative minimum tax (AMT) in year of exercise
When and what is AMT tax calculated from
On spread at time of exercise
Tax Preference Item
type of income, normally received tax-free, that may trigger the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for taxpayers.
How can taxpayer avoid AMT application
AMT avoided if stock is sold in same year as exercise in disqualifying disposition.
Tax is calculated on gain or loss at time of sale.
Tax Cuts and jobs Act of 2017
Amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
Major elements of the changes include:
- reducing tax rates for businesses and individuals
- increasing the standard deduction and family tax credits
- eliminating personal exemptions and making it less beneficial to itemize deductions
- reducing the alternative minimum tax for individuals and eliminating it for corporations
A disqualified disposition occurs when
an employee loses the legal power to control or further dispose of the option shares.
How to calculate 422 ISO taxation on a disqualifying disposition for a Employee during Income Tax
Tax on the lesser of :
-spread between exercise price and stock’s fair market value on exercise date
= Exercise Date FMV - Exercise Price
OR
-spread between exercise price and stock’s sale price.
= Sale Price - Exercise Price
These are due in year of stock sale.
How to calculate ISO taxation on a disqualifying disposition for a Employee during Capital Gain
Treated as NSOs! Difference between fair market value on exercise date and sale price of stock.
= Exercise Date FMV - Sale Price
ISO taxation on a disqualifying disposition for a Employer: Tax deduction
The company is allowed to take a tax deduction for the amount of ordinary income
reported on the employee’s W-2.
Must report that amount on the employee’s W-2 in the year of the disqualifying disposition in order to claim the deduction.
How to calculate NSO taxation for an optionee’s Ordinary Income
Difference between the exercise price and the fair market value on the exercise date
“Spread” = Exercise Price - Exercise Date FMV
How to calculate NSO taxation for an optionee’s Capital Gain or Loss
Difference between fair market value on exercise date and price for which shares are sold
= Exercise Date FMV - Sale Price
Internal Revenue Code 162(m)
precludes publicly held corporations from deducting more than $1 million per year in compensation paid to certain covered employees.
NSO taxation for an employer
- Can take tax deduction for amount optionee must include in income upon exercise as reported on W-2 or 1099-MISC
- If optionee is an employee, company required to withhold income taxes on spread
How to calculate NSO Taxation at Exercise for Employees
Spread between fair market value on exercise date and exercise price.
= Exercise Date FMV - Exercise Price
This income is recognizable in the year of exercise.
• Not subject to alternative minimum tax (AMT)
NSO – Taxation at Exercise for Employer
- Deduction on amount reportable as ordinary income.
- Must withhold income and social taxes
How to calculate NSO Taxation at Sale for Employees
Capital gains taxed on difference between fair market value on exercise date and sale price
= Exercise Date FMV - Sale Price
NSO – Taxation at Sale for Employer
- No tax deduction beyond that on exercise date
- No reporting requirements
- No withholding for taxes
IRC Section 422 Covers
Governs the Incentive Stock Options
IRC Section 423 Covers
Options issued under an employee stock purchase plan.
“423” rhymes with “ESPP”
3 Components of IRC Section 423 Statutory Requirements
- Plan-level terms and conditions
- Recipient eligibility conditions
- Purchase Limit
IRC 423 ESPP - Statutory Plan Requirements:
Written plan
- Shareholder approval within 12 months before or after board approval
- Equal rights and privileges for all participants of the plan