GEO INSIGHTS

A proposal has been made to allow start-ups to defer the tax point for employee share schemes (ESS), aiming to ease the tax burden on employees who may struggle with illiquid shares. The deferral option is not a tax concession, as employees will be taxed on any further appreciation in share value, and employers won’t receive tax deductions until the deferred taxing date. Start-ups are encouraged to provide feedback by March 15, 2025, as this is a rare opportunity to influence the proposal, which may be elective and apply to unlisted businesses with a turnover under NZ$15 million.

Equinor ASA has initiated a share buy-back program from 14 February 2025 to 15 January 2026 to support its employee share-based incentive plans, with a total purchase amount of NOK 1,992,000,000 and a maximum of 19,080,000 shares to be acquired. The buy-back is divided into two periods, with up to 8,040,000 shares purchased before 15 May 2025 under an existing authorization, while the remaining 11,040,000 shares require new approval from the 2025 annual general meeting. The purchases, conducted on the Oslo Stock Exchange, comply with Norwegian and EU regulations, ensuring adherence to safe harbour conditions.

In January 2025, several prominent companies, including Yes Bank, Swiggy, and Zensar Technologies, allocated significant equity shares under their Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), highlighting a growing trend of rewarding employees. As the Indian budget approaches, there is heightened anticipation within the startup and venture capital community for tax rationalization to alleviate double taxation on ESOPs, which could make them more attractive. The shift to a more favorable tax environment for ESOPs is seen as a key strategy to incentivize talent retention and boost India's startup ecosystem.

As India's 2025 union budget approaches, investors are calling for tax relief on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) to make the startup ecosystem more employee-friendly, emphasizing the need to eliminate double taxation. Currently, ESOPs are taxed both when exercised and when shares are sold, which discourages employees from fully benefiting from these options. Investors argue that taxation should only occur when a gain is realized, aligning India's tax policy with global standards and fostering a more attractive environment for talent retention in emerging sectors like AI and spacetech.

Companies must furnish annual information statements to employees who exercised incentive stock options (ISOs) or transferred employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) shares by January 31, 2025, and file IRS returns (Forms 3921 and 3922) by February 28, 2025 (paper) or March 31, 2025 (electronic), with potential penalties for non-compliance. Electronic filing is required for companies submitting 10 or more ISO or ESPP returns, and they must obtain a Transmitter Control Code (TCC) to use the IRS FIRE system. Additional reporting obligations include disqualifying dispositions of ISO and ESPP shares, which must be reported on employees' Form W-2, with failure to do so potentially leading to financial penalties and loss of tax deductions.

Employee ownership is expected to thrive in 2025, supported by bipartisan backing, economic growth, and favorable fiscal policies that enhance ESOP valuations. Lower interest rates, improved lending conditions, and strong capital availability create an ideal environment for forming or expanding ESOPs. With stable inflation, increased M&A activity, and continued market confidence, businesses have strategic opportunities to optimize their ESOP structures and financial planning for long-term success.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: AI will change the way you work. As stock plan professionals, we’ve heard all kinds of stories and promises about technology and AI that will make our work easier. But, oftentimes, general technology does not help the employee, administrator, and company. Every situation is different, and share ownership is nuanced. Managing an equity program is all about the people involved. And, as equity plans have gotten bigger and employee populations have grown more diverse in background and experience, these challenges have only grown.

A lot of technology does not help enough to justify your company investing time and resources. So, let’s dig into 3 worthwhile ways automation and AI can actually help you and your company today…

1: Dynamic Dashboards for Employees

Meet Boris. He just joined his company and has never participated in share ownership before. He has a few simple questions like, “What are my taxes going to be?” and “How much will I have by Christmas?”. He logged in to see his equity but got stuck sifting through pages of agreements and legalese. Now, he has a headache.

Before automation and AI, Boris would have to ask a stock plan admin or be a stock plan expert to answer his questions correctly. Traditional portals make Boris add up accounts in different places and figure out his own taxes. With dynamic, AI-powered dashboards, though, Boris can get his questions answered quickly, clearly, and in the context of your plan! No more employees coming to you with a generic pdf, misleading social media post, or haphazard Google Search asking why your equity plan is different.

Boris loves that his dashboard models his actual equity awards. Curious about whether he should sell or hold his shares, Boris can quickly see how different choices might impact his financial future without having to do the math. Boris feels valued because his portal knows about his situation and views instead of just providing some generic example.

For employees, these dashboards offer intuitive screens that break down their complex data into digestible pieces. These new, digital experiences help you show employees that their equity plans aren’t just words on a page—they’re real opportunities to build wealth with the company.
 

2: Dynamic Dashboards for You

But, Boris isn’t the only one that benefits. Advances in technology make it possible for you to have instantly customized views for all your stakeholders. Get a dashboard for payroll and legal that automatically updates with missing grant acceptances, withholding changes, and new retirement eligibility. Get a dashboard for leadership that tracks employee sentiment around equity compensation. Automated systems can even handle grant processing, summarize compliance reports, and send timely reminders about key deadlines like enrollment periods. 

These dashboards reduce the number of questions you have to answer. Instead of asking you what happens if he sells shares, Boris had his questions instantly answered in his dashboard. And, dashboard automation can proactively reach out when employees need additional help based on their interactions or when payroll needs to update some information. All these benefits come without having to spend hours creating custom spreadsheets, employee resources, or partner reports.

These dashboards help you work with your teammates in other departments more efficiently. Automation complements AI by taking over repetitive and time-consuming tasks, freeing you up to focus on strategic goals. 
 

3: Personalized Communications

Meet Annie. Every month she spends hours crafting documents, emails, and videos for employees about the details and possibilities of share ownership. Every month she has to find out what employees are thinking about and make content that can reach everyone from a 22-year-old on the factory floor to a 50-year-old SVP managing a division. Inevitably, she gets questions from employees who either didn’t understand the materials or who feel that their situation wasn’t covered.

Annie wishes she could reach every employee with just the right information at just the right moment. Everything would be easier if she could address each employee individually. On top of constantly answering the same questions from employees, Annie spends hours every week creating reports for HR, legal, and finance teams. “When will my RSUs vest?”. “How do I sell my shares?”. “Can you update this report?”. The monotony eats up time and energy she could use for strategic planning and her projects.

Remember those automated dashboards? Automation doesn’t just make life easier—it transforms it. For Annie, this means no longer having to manually send reminders about upcoming vesting dates or track down employees to complete required forms. Automated systems handle those tasks seamlessly.

Instead of her old one-size-fits-all email explaining the plan that overwhelmed Boris, advanced AI tools can generate personalized communications that understand each employee’s experience. For example, instead of a technical explanation of RSUs, Boris receives a friendly email that says:

"Hi Boris, congratulations on your new stock grant! Think of it like a reward for all your hard work. You’ll receive 500 shares over the next four years, starting on July 1. Click here to take a tour through how your stock works—it only takes 10 minutes!"

This approach makes equity compensation less intimidating and more engaging without taking Annie weeks. Boris no longer feels like equity is a mystery.
 

Bonus: Making it Happen

The integration of automation and AI into equity compensation isn’t just a future trend—it’s here today. These technologies empower professionals like Annie to focus on strategic work while helping employees like Boris feel confident and engaged. So, how do you tap into it?

To tap into the power of these next-generation tools, you need to communicate the business opportunity to your leadership. Smaller organizations, which may have lacked extensive budgets for employee engagement programs, can now afford to offer cutting-edge digital equity solutions. Automation and AI don’t just save time—they also save money. By reducing manual workloads, your teams can focus on more strategic initiatives without hiring additional staff.

Collaborating with technology providers to implement automation and AI can lead to immediate improvements in efficiency and employee satisfaction. Running cheaper pilot programs can help you build evidence of the business impact. By leveraging the work and expertise of others—now instantly tailored to your company’s specific needs, goals, and style thanks to automation and AI—you can reduce the time to see value from your investment and help convince your company about the returns of automation and AI.

For your company, this means happier employees, better retention, and a stronger culture of participation. For Annie and Boris, it’s about making equity compensation something to celebrate rather than something to dread.

So, whether you’re an overwhelmed stock plan administrator or an employee trying to figure out your next move, AI and automation might just be for you. Your employees aren’t one-size-fits-all, they’re special–so why aren’t your tools? It’s time to try something new! 

If you liked this article on automation and AI and are interested, be sure to dial in for our upcoming GEO Webinar: “Doing More with Less: Cutting the Number of Questions in HALF”! 

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Amit Gupta is the CEO of Salus. Salus instantly personalizes equity compensation experiences and education for each participant and administrator with high-ROI automation and AI. We reimagine equity compensation experiences with our partners to 2x equity plan engagement. Connect with Amit on LinkedIn or email him at amit@usesalus.com!