Level 1 Taxation Flashcards
(120 cards)
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.