Map the award timeline
Organize grant, vesting, exercise, settlement, transfer, and sale information for the awards and tax events included in the accepted scope.
EMPLOYEES WITH EQUITY COMPENSATION
CPA tax help for employees with RSUs and stock options
Equity awards can create tax events at vesting, exercise, settlement, or sale, and the employer and brokerage records may not show the same information in the same way. Tavella CPA Group helps employees organize award, payroll, brokerage, payment, and state records for accepted tax planning and return work. Tax support does not include a recommendation to exercise, hold, or sell an investment.
IS THIS THE RIGHT STARTING POINT?
Start with the award type and the next tax event
RSUs, ISOs, and NSOs follow different tax and reporting paths. The useful starting point is the specific award, dates, transaction under consideration or already completed, available cash, withholding, states involved, and filing deadline. A projection, return, or multi-state review is scoped separately.
Ask about your situationCOORDINATED, SEPARATELY SCOPED HELP
Connect the award records with the tax return and payment picture
Equity-compensation work can involve a projection, an individual return, estimated payments, cost-basis reconciliation, or multi-state reporting. The written scope identifies the service and awards included without extending into investment management or legal advice.
Project tax and payments
Separately review assumptions for income, payroll withholding, estimated payments, AMT, available cash, and applicable states before relying on a projection.
Reconcile return reporting
Compare accepted payroll, employer, brokerage, exercise, and sale records when preparing the individual return or reviewing a cost-basis issue.
Address multi-state questions
Identify state returns or allocation records that may need review when residence or work location changed during the award's relevant period.
RELEVANT SERVICES
Choose only the help your situation requires
Preparation, planning, bookkeeping, payroll, sales tax, and notice work are not automatically bundled. Each accepted engagement identifies the returns, periods, states, deliverables, timing, and fee.
RSU & Stock Option Taxes
CPA-led tax planning and return support for RSUs, ISOs, and NSOs, including withholding, estimated payments, AMT, cost basis, and multi-state reporting.
View servicePersonal Tax Returns
Federal and state personal tax return preparation for employees, families, retirees, investors, and people with multi-state filings.
View serviceQuarterly Estimated Taxes
Quarterly estimated tax calculations based on current income, withholding, business or rental activity, prior payments, and expected changes.
View serviceMulti-State Tax Returns
CPA-led multi-state tax return preparation for resident, part-year, and nonresident individuals and accepted business filings.
View servicePREPARE FOR A SECURE REVIEW
Records that help explain an equity-compensation tax question
The required documents depend on the award and service. These items commonly help establish the award terms, timing, income already reported, withholding, basis, sale proceeds, and state activity.
Use the public contact form only for a short description of the award type, event, states, and timing. Do not upload award agreements, brokerage statements, payroll records, identification numbers, or account information until the secure workflow is established.
- Award agreements and grant notices
- Vesting, settlement, and release confirmations
- Exercise confirmations and Forms 3921 or 3922 when applicable
- Pay statements, Forms W-2, and supplemental wage details
- Brokerage statements, trade confirmations, and Forms 1099-B
- Employer or plan-administrator tax summaries
- Prior returns involving the same awards
- Federal and state estimated-payment confirmations
- Work-location and residence timeline for multi-state questions
- Liquidity-event or transaction documents relevant to the tax review
HOW TO GET STARTED
A clear path from first call to next step
The free call is used to understand the request and whether a service can be offered. No CPA-client relationship begins until the applicable engagement steps are completed.
Describe the current need
Share a brief, non-sensitive summary of the filing, planning question, records issue, states, and next deadline.
Confirm scope and fee
Tavella CPA Group reviews the request and confirms which returns or services are included before work begins.
Use the secure workflow
After engagement setup, complete the applicable organizer and exchange sensitive records through the client portal.
Review next steps
Receive requests for missing information and clear instructions for review, authorization, payment, filing, or follow-up work.
RELATED TAX RESOURCES
Learn what to gather and what to ask next
These source-backed guides and articles provide general information. They are not a substitute for advice based on your specific facts and current law.
RSU, ISO, and NSO Tax Guide: What Changes and When
A plain-English guide to the tax timing, records, withholding, basis, AMT, and sale reporting questions that can arise with RSUs, ISOs, and NSOs.
Read guideRSU Tax Withholding and Estimated Payments: Is Enough Being Paid?
Learn how to compare RSU wage withholding with projected federal and state tax, estimated payments, other income, and payment deadlines.
Read guideISO Exercise and AMT: What to Project Before and After Exercise
Learn how an incentive stock option exercise can affect alternative minimum tax, estimated payments, Form 3921 records, and later sale reporting.
Read guideESPP Tax Reporting and Form 3922
Learn how Form 3922, W-2 compensation, Form 1099-B, holding periods, and cost basis fit together when employee stock purchase plan shares are sold.
Read guideHow to Reconcile RSU Cost Basis and Form 1099-B
Learn how to reconcile RSU wage income, vesting and sale records, broker-reported basis, Form 8949 adjustments, and state reporting.
Read guideNSO Tax at Exercise and Sale: W-2, Basis, and Capital Gain
Learn how nonstatutory stock options can create wage income at exercise, basis records for acquired shares, and a separate gain or loss at sale.
Read guidePre-IPO RSU and Stock-Option Tax Planning
Plan for pre-IPO RSU, ISO, and NSO tax questions involving settlement, AMT, withholding, estimated payments, liquidity, records, and multiple states.
Read guideCOMMON QUESTIONS
Questions from employees and executives with rsus, isos, nsos, or other employer equity awards
Can you tell me whether I should exercise or sell company stock?
No investment recommendation is included. Tavella CPA Group can provide accepted tax projections and tax-return support using stated assumptions. Decisions about exercising, holding, selling, concentration risk, or investment suitability should be made by the client with the appropriate investment and legal professionals.
Why might RSU withholding be different from my final tax?
Payroll withholding on an equity event is one payment toward the tax calculated on the full return. Other wages, investment income, business or rental activity, deductions, credits, state rules, and the withholding method can affect whether the total paid is sufficient.
Can an ISO exercise create tax before I sell the shares?
An ISO exercise may create an alternative minimum tax adjustment even when no shares are sold, depending on the facts and holding period. A projection must use the exercise date, fair market value, exercise price, number of shares, other tax items, and applicable state rules.
Can you help correct cost basis for shares reported on Form 1099-B?
Potentially. A return-preparation or separately scoped review can compare employer, payroll, exercise, vesting, brokerage, and sale records. The available evidence must support any basis adjustment; the broker's reported basis should not be changed by assumption.
What if I moved or worked in several states while the award vested?
State reporting can depend on residence, work location, award terms, compensation period, sourcing rules, and payroll reporting. The connected states and records must be identified before the required returns or allocation approach can be confirmed.
START WITH A FREE CALL
Bring the award type, event, states, and timing into one conversation
Briefly identify whether the question involves RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, withholding, AMT, basis, a sale, or multi-state reporting. Include the next relevant date, but keep award documents and financial records out of the public form.