Before you sell your ESPP shares, check this: sell too soon and it's a disqualifying disposition — your discount is taxed as ordinary income at your highest rate. Hold past the qualifying dates and much more of your profit becomes lower-taxed capital gains. The difference can be thousands of dollars.
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Michael: Before you sell your ESPP shares, check this. ESPP — your employee stock purchase plan — lets you buy company stock at a discount.
Amy: What if I sell too soon?
Michael: Sell too soon, and it's called a disqualifying disposition. You sold too early. Your discount gets taxed as ordinary income, at your highest rate.
Amy: What if I hold?
Michael: Hold past the qualifying dates — two years from the offer, one year from purchase — and much more of your profit becomes capital gains. Capital gains are taxed lower. The difference can be thousands of dollars.
Amy: Where can I see both?
Michael: TaxMyVest.com shows both paths side by side. Free. No signup.
Amy: Thanks for watching!
Michael: Take care, and we'll see you in the next one. Like! Subscribe! and Share!
The ESPP calculator shows the qualifying and disqualifying outcomes for your actual dates and prices — so you can see what waiting is worth before you sell.
Open the ESPP calculator →