In an apparent follow-up to its General Legal Advice Memorandum dated May 18, 2020 (GLAM 2020-004), the IRS has issued an internal procedural update that (1) extends the application of the administrative waiver of late employment tax deposit penalties for stock options to stock-settled restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) and (2) shortens the waiver’s deposit period by one day to align with current SEC securities open-market transaction settlement rules. The internal…
In recent years, some companies have started offering their stock-based awards to more of their “rank and file” employees or have made one-time or periodic, broad-based grants in connection with special occasions. In addition, many private emerging growth companies, which tend to make grants to their general employee population, have also started granting RSUs instead of options to their employees as the company gets closer to an initial public offering. If you fall within this…
The state of Maryland recently revised their state “Blue Sky” securities law to provide for a self-executing exemption for compensatory benefit plan offerings made in connection with Rule 701 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Rule 701”). Background A company that is not publicly traded in the US – generally, a company whose stock is not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, such as US private companies or non-US public companies that…
The state of Oregon recently enacted Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) §441-035-0300, a new state “Blue Sky” securities law that makes it easier for an employer that is not publicly traded in the US to grant equity awards to its employees residing in Oregon. Background A company that is not publicly traded in the US — generally, a company whose stock is not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, such as US private companies or…