Free RSU Stock Tax Calculator

What Is an RSU Stock Tax Calculator?

An RSU stock tax calculator helps employees estimate the tax liability on their Restricted Stock Units when they vest. RSUs are a common form of equity compensation offered by publicly traded companies, particularly in the technology sector. Unlike stock options, RSUs have no exercise price — they are granted at no cost and become taxable as ordinary income when they vest.

When your RSUs vest, the fair market value of the shares on the vesting date is treated as ordinary income. This income is subject to federal income tax, state income tax (if applicable), Social Security tax, and Medicare tax. Our calculator uses real historical stock prices to determine the exact fair market value on your vesting date, giving you an accurate estimate of your tax obligation.

How to Use This RSU Tax Calculator

1. Search for Your Stock: Enter your company's ticker symbol (e.g., AAPL for Apple, GOOG for Google, MSFT for Microsoft) in the search box. The calculator will look up the stock using real market data.
2. Add Vesting Events: Enter the date your RSUs vested and the number of shares. You can add multiple vesting events if you had several vesting dates throughout the year.
3. Enter Your Other Income: Provide your annual salary or other income before RSU income. This determines your marginal federal tax bracket and affects Social Security calculations.
4. Set Your State Tax Rate: Enter your state income tax rate. States like California (13.3%) and New York (10.9%) have high rates, while Texas, Florida, and Washington have no state income tax (0%).
5. Calculate: Click the button to fetch real closing prices for each vesting date and see a complete tax breakdown including federal, state, Social Security, and Medicare taxes.

How Are RSUs Taxed?

RSU taxation occurs at two key points: vesting and sale. This calculator focuses on the vesting event, which is the most significant tax event for most employees.

At Vesting (Ordinary Income)

When RSUs vest, the total fair market value (number of shares × closing price on vesting date) is added to your W-2 as ordinary income. Your employer typically withholds taxes by either selling a portion of your shares ("sell-to-cover") or withholding from your paycheck. The taxes include:

• Federal Income Tax: Taxed at your marginal rate (10% to 37% for 2026), based on your total taxable income including the RSU value.
• State Income Tax: Varies by state, from 0% in states like Texas and Florida to 13.3% in California.
• Social Security Tax: 6.2% on income up to the wage base ($176,100 for 2026). If your salary already exceeds this limit, no additional Social Security tax applies to RSU income.
• Medicare Tax: 1.45% on all income, plus an additional 0.9% on income exceeding $200,000 (single filers).

At Sale (Capital Gains)

If you hold the shares after vesting and later sell them, any gain or loss from the vesting-date price is taxed as a capital gain. Shares held for more than one year qualify for lower long-term capital gains rates (0%, 15%, or 20%). This calculator does not cover the sale event — use our Capital Gains Tax Calculator for that.

Why Use Real Stock Prices?

Many RSU calculators ask you to manually enter the stock price. Our tool automatically fetches the actual historical closing price for your stock on the vesting date using market data from FinancialModelingPrep. This eliminates guesswork and ensures your tax estimate is based on the real fair market value that your employer would report on your W-2.

If your vesting date falls on a weekend or market holiday, the calculator automatically uses the closing price from the most recent prior trading day, which is the standard method used by most employers for RSU valuation.

Frequently Asked Questions