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WORKPLACE WEALTH BUILDINGWe have just finished filing personal tax returns for 2019 and want to assist you in planning your income for the balance of 2020 and for 2021. October through December is the time when companies make decisions on the timing and structure of future income for senior level employees/management/executives. Most employees will never have to make these decisions. Compensation is established and predictable. You will have a certain set of benefits and a predictable salary/wage. Executive management in many companies has the option of receiving their income in a variety of methods – some immediately taxable, some partially taxable and most not taxable until a future event occurs. This is where the employee can take advantage of the wealth building the employer’s compensation plan provides. Over the next few days, we will periodically add explanations about your compensation, how it is taxed and how to use the various plans and opportunities to maximize your income and build your Workplace Wealth. There are several categories of income and their taxation is treated differently.
INCOME THAT IS IMMEDIATELY TAXABLEThe vast bulk of the income paid to employees is immediately taxable. We are all familiar with the basics of our income, whether it be hourly wages or an annual salary. We agree to the amounts, complete the W-4s for withholding, etc., and select our benefits and deferrals and off we go, never to consider the issues again. This is the first mistake most employees make with their income. If you constantly owe the IRS or the state each year or have a big refund coming (“Disney Money”), revisit your withholding amounts and change them so that the amount owed by you or to you is a minimal amount. There is no need to scramble every year to make a payment or to have made an interest free loan to the IRS or your state. Next, check the benefits you have selected. Life situations change so you should be sure your company benefits are in line with your current situation. Are you taking the maximum advantage of the benefits your employer is offering? Health insurance, Health Savings Account (HSA), dependent care benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), etc. Review these choices annually and be sure you understand each of these benefits. Most of these elections are made in the Fall for the next year. Be sure to know your company’s deadlines. For retirement plan contributions, most people set the allocations in their 401(K) type plans at hiring and never change the allocation during their work life. As you get older, your ability to absorb risk (losses) decreases. Review the allocations in your 401(k) type plans annually. Life changes may necessitate changes to your beneficiaries for employer provided life insurance or 401(k) plans. Marriages, births, death or divorce may impact your beneficiaries. Review these at least annually. All employees need to pay attention to their entire compensation plan. That is the beginning of using your employer to create your own Workplace Wealth. Pay attention. These little things can make a big difference!
INCOME THAT IS PARTIALLY TAXABLE NOWA non-qualified deferred compensation plan allows an employee to earn wages, bonuses, or other compensation in one year but receive some or all of the earnings in a later year or years. Doing this provides income in the future and may reduce the tax payable on the income if the person is in a lower tax bracket when the deferred compensation is received. The company must have a plan that is in accordance with IRS requirements. The plan must be written and will specify at the time an amount is deferred, the amount to be paid, the payment schedule, and any event that will result in payment. There are six permissible events that will initiate payment of the deferrals:
The employee will make an irrevocable election to defer compensation before the year in which the compensation is earned. The amount deferred is still subject to FICA and Medicare taxes in the year it is earned, so these taxes are withheld. Some employers will “finance” these plans with cash value life insurance to ensure the employee that the cash will be there in the future. There are several negatives associated with these plans:
QUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLANSQualified Deferred Compensation plans are governed by ERISA – Employee Retirement Income Security Act passed in 1974. These plans include defined contribution plans such as 401(k), 402(b) and 457 plans and, if the company has a plan in place, it must be offered to all eligible employees. Deferrals by the employees are set apart for the sole benefit of the employee. Creditors cannot access these accounts if the company has financial problems. The employee has a choice whether to participate or not. If the employee is eligible and chooses to participate, the following will usually occur:
TAXATION OF EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTIONSThere are two types of Employee Stock Options:
Each is taxed quite differently.
Taxation of Non-qualified Stock Options - NQs When you exercise Non-qualified Stock Options, the difference between the market price of the stock at the grant and the exercise price (called the spread) is considered as ordinary earned income, even if you exercise your options and continue to hold the stock.
Taxation of Incentive Stock Options - ISOs The built-in gain on grants of incentive stock options is not subject to payroll taxes. It is subject to tax, as a preference item for the AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax). When you exercise an incentive stock option there are a few different tax possibilities:
EXECUTIVE DEFERRED COMPENSATION – PSUs and RSUsOnce you reach the upper echelons of corporate employment, your compensation will begin to differ dramatically from hourly and other salaried employees. A significant portion of that compensation will be based on performance - your performance as an executive and the overall performance of the company. A performance bonus is the beginning of the new forms of compensation you can expect. Depending on the company, additional forms of compensation will be:
A PSU grant may be subject to a single or multiple performance targets. The grant will specify the applicable performance targets, the performance period and vesting date, the minimum performance required for vesting, the range of vesting relative to measured performance and, if multiple performance targets apply, the relative weighting of each.
RSUs give an employee an incentive to stay with a company for the long term and help it perform well so that their shares increase in value.
RSUs don't have voting rights until actual shares get issued to an employee at vesting. If an employee leaves before the conclusion of their vesting schedule, they forfeit the remaining shares to the company.
EXECUTIVE DEFERRED COMPENSATION – RESTRICTED STOCKRESTRICTED STOCK Restricted stock are shares that have been granted to an executive. The shares are nontransferable and subject to forfeiture under certain conditions, such as termination of employment or failure to meet either corporate or personal performance benchmarks. The restricted stock also generally becomes available to the recipient under a graded vesting schedule that lasts for several years. Although there are some exceptions, most-restricted stock is granted to executives who are considered to have "insider" knowledge of a corporation, thus making it subject to the insider trading regulations under SEC Rule 144. ? Failure to adhere to these regulations can also result in forfeiture. Restricted stockholders have voting rights the same as any other type of shareholder. Restricted stock usually becomes taxable upon the completion of the vesting schedule. For restricted stock plans, the entire amount of the vested stock must be counted as ordinary income in the year of vesting and is taxed as ordinary income. Shareholders of restricted stock can report the fair market value of their shares as ordinary income on the date that they are granted, instead of when they become vested if they so desire, i.e., an 83(b) Election in some instances. This may be a good way to manage the taxes associated with the Grant of the Restricted Stock and subsequent vesting. SECTION 83(b) ELECTIONA Section 83(b) Election tells the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that you want to report income and the associated tax in the year your stock was granted instead of when it is vested. This means you will report income at the current stock price when the stock is granted to you instead of the stock price the year the stock vests. The Benefit of Vesting One of the primary purposes of an equity grant is to encourage founders and new employees to stay with the company for as long as possible. Simply giving out stock free and clear defeats that purpose, because a founder or employee has no incentive to stick around. This is why most if not all equity grants come with vesting provisions, in which rights in the stock vest over time. The 83(b) Election: Under Section 83(b), the employee is permitted to make a so-called “Section 83(b) election.” If the election is made, the employee will be required to recognize as income the fair market value of all the granted shares as of the date of grant, rather than the date of vesting. For example, the fair market value of the 10,000 shares on the date of grant is $0.50 per share, and the resulting income is $5,000. With an effective federal income tax rate of 30%, the employee will pay a total of $1,500 in federal income tax as a result of the grant and Section 83(b) election. By taking the 83(b) election, the employee has essentially decided to pay more in taxes up front based on the hope that the value of the stock will rise significantly during the vesting period, which would result in an overall tax savings. Thanks to the 83(b) election, the annual vesting will not be treated as taxable events, and when the stock is sold, any appreciation since the grant date will be taxed as a capital gain as opposed to ordinary income. The Downside: Once it’s taken, the 83(b) election is irrevocable. If an employee makes the election and pays full tax on the shares as of the date they’re granted, and he quits or is fired during the vesting period, he forfeits all of his unvested shares, and will not be entitled to get a refund of any tax paid. Another risk when dealing with a startup is the very real chance that it may not succeed. If the company goes under after a year or two, you’ve paid tax on stock that is now worthless. How to Make the Election Employees desiring to take a Section 83(b) election must do so within 30 days of the grant. Failure to do so waives the election, employees must always keep that strict deadline in mind. To file the election, one need only complete the Section 83(b) election form and mail it to the IRS within 30 days after the equity is granted.
PLAN TO MAXIMIZE THE WORKPLACE WEALTH BEING BUILTNow that we have covered the various components of Workplace Wealth, we need to develop a plan to maximize the benefits from the various ownership shares, options and grants and deferred compensation we have earned. We should set up an overview of all the components and arrange them in chronological order of vesting and expiration. The options and grants we have earned or are in the process of vesting can be the starting point.
Forecast the timing and amount of various items becoming available as income. Create a plan to ensure we act on these opportunities and minimize the tax impact as we are doing so.
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