Home Page link  

re: Phantom Stock -- value at issuance if triggered only at company sale?

 

Taxes General Forum - Tax professionals meeting place and answers to queries. (Moderated)

 Post an article  get this group's latest topics as an RSS feed add this group's latest topics to your My MSN content add this group's latest topics to your My Yahoo content  add this group's latest topics to your Google content  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
re: Phantom Stock -- value at issuance if triggered only at company sale? packetvoice50 04-14-2008
Posted by packetvoice50 on April 14, 2008, 9:48 pm
Please log in for more thread options
I am interested in giving my employees a small amount of "phantom
stock" in my S Corporation; I am 100% owner of the outstanding shares
at this time.

I want them to share in the upside if I am so fortunate as to sell the
company. That would be the only situation that they would receive a
"pay day."

Question: Are all Phantom Stock Plans subject to Section 409(A) of
the IRS Code and is a fair market valuation required at the time they
are granted?

** What if the value is totally dependent on the company being sold
(and the "phantom stock" is subject to forfeiture if they leave the
company's employ)? The trigger event and dates are therefore highly
uncertain. I do, however, intend to have the phantom stock equate to
some number of common stock shares (if that makes a difference). **

At time of payday, I was hoping to structure it sot that the entire
monetary value that they receive would be taxable at ordinary income
tax rates.

I was hoping to avoid all of the pitfalls of ISOs and NQSOs and not
create a taxable event at time of Phantom Stock issuance. And don't
see these being the same as Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs).

I was also advised that they would need to be granted subject to a
qualified deferred compensation plan (whatever that means).

Any advice or answers to my questions from people familiar with
corporate tax law would be appreciated.

Thanks for your help!
Michael Lederman
packetvoice50@gmail.com
Boston, MA

--
<< ------------------------------------------------------- >>
<< The foregoing was not intended or written to be used, >>
<< nor can it used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties >>
<< that may be imposed upon the taxpayer. >>
<< >>
<< The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting posts >>
<< to this newsgroup as well as our anti-spamming policy >>
<< are at www.asktax.org. >>
<< Copyright (2007) - All rights reserved. >>
<< ------------------------------------------------------- >>

Posted by tim on April 15, 2008, 2:04 am
Please log in for more thread options
On Apr 14, 8:48 pm, packetvoic...@gmail.com wrote:
> I am interested in giving my employees a small amount of "phantom
> stock" in my S Corporation; I am 100% owner of the outstanding shares
> at this time.
>
> I want them to share in the upside if I am so fortunate as to sell the
> company. That would be the only situation that they would receive a
> "pay day."
>
> Question: Are all Phantom Stock Plans subject to Section 409(A) of
> the IRS Code and is a fair market valuation required at the time they
> are granted?
>
> ** What if the value is totally dependent on the company being sold
> (and the "phantom stock" is subject to forfeiture if they leave the
> company's employ)? The trigger event and dates are therefore highly
> uncertain. I do, however, intend to have the phantom stock equate to
> some number of common stock shares (if that makes a difference). **
>
> At time of payday, I was hoping to structure it sot that the entire
> monetary value that they receive would be taxable at ordinary income
> tax rates.
>
> I was hoping to avoid all of the pitfalls of ISOs and NQSOs and not
> create a taxable event at time of Phantom Stock issuance. And don't
> see these being the same as Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs).
>
> I was also advised that they would need to be granted subject to a
> qualified deferred compensation plan (whatever that means).
>
> Any advice or answers to my questions from people familiar with
> corporate tax law would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks for your help!
> Michael Lederman
> packetvoic...@gmail.com
> Boston, MA

While I have not checked this section by section, I think your
analysis is correct. To avoid adverse effects under 409a, payment
needs to be made soon after the triggering event, say within 90
days. I think your sale would establish FMV so no separate appraisal
should be necessary. And of course the payment must be subject to
payroll withholding.

timl

--
<< ------------------------------------------------------- >>
<< The foregoing was not intended or written to be used, >>
<< nor can it used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties >>
<< that may be imposed upon the taxpayer. >>
<< >>
<< The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting posts >>
<< to this newsgroup as well as our anti-spamming policy >>
<< are at www.asktax.org. >>
<< Copyright (2007) - All rights reserved. >>
<< ------------------------------------------------------- >>

Posted by packetvoice50 on April 15, 2008, 7:29 am
Please log in for more thread options
On Apr 15, 2:04 am, t...@funyet.net wrote:
> On Apr 14, 8:48 pm, packetvoic...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I am interested in giving my employees a small amount of "phantom
> > stock" in my S Corporation; I am 100% owner of the outstanding shares
> > at this time.
>
> > I want them to share in the upside if I am so fortunate as to sell the
> > company.  That would be the only situation that they would receive a
> > "pay day."
>
> > Question:  Are all Phantom Stock Plans subject to Section 409(A) of
> > the IRS Code and is a fair market valuation required at the time they
> > are granted?
>
> > ** What if the value is totally dependent on the company being sold
> > (and the "phantom stock" is subject to forfeiture if they leave the
> > company's employ)? The trigger event and dates are therefore highly
> > uncertain.  I do, however, intend to have the phantom stock equate to
> > some number of common stock shares (if that makes a difference). **
>
> > At time of payday, I was hoping to structure it sot that the entire
> > monetary value that they receive would be taxable at ordinary income
> > tax rates.
>
> > I was hoping to avoid all of the pitfalls of ISOs and NQSOs and not
> > create a taxable event at time of Phantom Stock issuance.  And don't
> > see these being the same as Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs).
>
> > I was also advised that they would need to be granted subject to a
> > qualified deferred compensation plan (whatever that means).
>
> > Any advice or answers to my questions from people familiar with
> > corporate tax law would be appreciated.
>
> > Thanks for your help!
> > Michael Lederman
> > packetvoic...@gmail.com
> > Boston, MA
>
> While I have not checked this section by section, I think your
> analysis is correct.  To avoid adverse effects under 409a, payment
> needs to be made soon after the triggering event, say within 90
> days.   I think your sale would establish FMV so no separate appraisal
> should be necessary.  And of course the payment must be subject to
> payroll withholding.
>
> timl
>
> --
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I should have been clearer that I
have been advised that I must do a FMV appraisal at the time of
phantom stock GRANT and that it is subject to payroll with-holding
then. What I was questioning is if the employee must indeed pay FMV
for it or if I am supposed to report it on their W2, no different than
Restricted Stock.

That seemed questionable to me for something that has no value accept
at that trigger event.

Regards,
Michael



========================================= MODERATOR'S COMMENT:
- please trim the post to which you are replying

--
<< ------------------------------------------------------- >>
<< The foregoing was not intended or written to be used, >>
<< nor can it used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties >>
<< that may be imposed upon the taxpayer. >>
<< >>
<< The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting posts >>
<< to this newsgroup as well as our anti-spamming policy >>
<< are at www.asktax.org. >>
<< Copyright (2007) - All rights reserved. >>
<< ------------------------------------------------------- >>

Similar ThreadsPosted
expenses in connection with the issuance of stock June 3, 2007, 10:29 pm
Phantom Stock May 10, 2007, 11:54 pm
chairtable contributions of private company stock December 7, 2006, 8:10 am
Government not notified of stock sale February 12, 2007, 12:23 am
Figuring basis for stock sale September 15, 2008, 3:24 pm
Stock sale order: Sell by ID by Ameritrade March 14, 2007, 12:22 am
stock gift from employer and subsequent sale April 4, 2007, 2:39 pm
Stock Sale Problem Establishing Purchase Price October 2, 2007, 10:09 pm
Re: 1099-B Restricted Stock Options sale...Do I need to file a Schedule D? March 17, 2008, 10:29 pm
Pay tax on the money you loan from your company? November 15, 2006, 10:06 pm

Contact Us | Privacy Policy
This site is not affiliated with Intuit - makers of Quickbooks and Quicken software
This site is not affiliated with Sage Software - makers of Peachtree accounting software
XML SitemapXML Sitemap