What are your RSUs
actually worth
after taxes?
Model your vesting schedule, estimate tax liability, and check concentration risk.
Total number of shares in your RSU grant.
RSU income is taxed as ordinary income at vest.
How are RSUs taxed?
Restricted Stock Units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest — not when they’re granted. The taxable amount is the fair market value of the shares on the vesting date multiplied by the number of shares vesting. Your employer withholds federal and state income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare at vest. If the default withholding (often 22% federal) is lower than your marginal rate, you’ll owe the difference at tax time.
What is a typical RSU vesting schedule?
The most common schedule is a 4-year vest with a 1-year cliff: 25% of shares vest after 12 months, then the remaining 75% vest monthly or quarterly over the next 36 months. Some companies use a 4-year quarterly schedule with no cliff, and others use 3-year monthly vesting. The schedule is defined in your grant agreement.
Why concentration risk matters
If your RSU grant represents a large percentage of your net worth, you have concentration risk — your financial outcomes are tied to a single company’s stock price. Most financial advisors recommend keeping any single position under 10% of your total portfolio. A diversification plan — selling shares as they vest and reinvesting in broad market funds — reduces this risk without requiring you to time the market.
How Helm tracks RSU exposure
Helm connects to your brokerage and tracks your actual RSU positions alongside the rest of your portfolio. Instead of manually updating spreadsheets, Helm shows your real-time concentration in any single stock, flags when positions exceed your risk threshold, and surfaces tax-aware rebalancing opportunities — all in one terminal.