What Is ESOP Employee Stock Ownership Plan Explained

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) have become popular recently due to the various benefits they provide the company and the employees. It is a well-known fact that we tend to care about the things we own and providing employee stock options in the company makes your employee feel a sense of ownership in your company. Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) have become popular recently due to the various benefits they provide the company and the employees. It is a well-known fact that we tend to care about the things we own and providing employee stock options in the company makes your employee feel a sense of ownership in your company.

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05.06.2023 Views

What are the AssociatedCosts?How to Register an ESOP?There are no ESOP up-front costs associatedwith providing ESOP to the employees. Thecompany may even choose to hold the shares onbehalf of their employees in a trust, and laterhand them over to the staff member when theyleave the company.Due to such a vesting date, the employeebecomes eligible to earn an increasing amountof equities every year, until they remain inservice with their company. When the employeeleaves the company, the company can ‘buy back’their shares from the staff member. Based oncompany policies, the organization can pay alump sum amount for buying the stock back.• Following are the steps to be following whileregistering for an ESOP:1. Create the ESOP BlueprintCreating a blueprint of the Employee StockOwnership Plan outlining the exact ESOP rulesis essential for granting ESOP benefits to youremployees. This blueprint will outline whichemployees are to be included under the ESOP,under which conditions they become eligible forESOP and what happens when theiremployment with the company is terminated.2. Documentation and ApprovalsOnce the blueprint is created, it is proofreadthoroughly and documented to avoid anyloopholes. The blueprint is then shared with theboard of directors and other stakeholders in thecompany for their approval. They may evensuggest some changes if required and themodified document is once again sent forapproval.

3. Draft Director’s ResolutionsEvery time a new option is granted to an employee, you should discuss it withmanagement perspective and your director for collecting their resolutions in writing,which approves the grant of options to a specific staff member.4. Share the Grant LetterOnce you receive the grant letter from the director, you can issue the ESOPcertificate to the employee. The grant letter lets the employee understand the taxbenefits of their Employee Stock Ownership Plan as well as the number of stocksgranted to them. It also provides them with proof of ownership of their stocks.5. Update RegisterThe company should maintain a register of all stock options provided, the employeeto whom it was shared, grant date, expiry date (if any), exercise dates, etc.Maintaining a record of these values helps the company keep a track of the sharesvested with their employees.

What are the Associated

Costs?

How to Register an ESOP?

There are no ESOP up-front costs associated

with providing ESOP to the employees. The

company may even choose to hold the shares on

behalf of their employees in a trust, and later

hand them over to the staff member when they

leave the company.

Due to such a vesting date, the employee

becomes eligible to earn an increasing amount

of equities every year, until they remain in

service with their company. When the employee

leaves the company, the company can ‘buy back’

their shares from the staff member. Based on

company policies, the organization can pay a

lump sum amount for buying the stock back.

• Following are the steps to be following while

registering for an ESOP:

1. Create the ESOP Blueprint

Creating a blueprint of the Employee Stock

Ownership Plan outlining the exact ESOP rules

is essential for granting ESOP benefits to your

employees. This blueprint will outline which

employees are to be included under the ESOP,

under which conditions they become eligible for

ESOP and what happens when their

employment with the company is terminated.

2. Documentation and Approvals

Once the blueprint is created, it is proofread

thoroughly and documented to avoid any

loopholes. The blueprint is then shared with the

board of directors and other stakeholders in the

company for their approval. They may even

suggest some changes if required and the

modified document is once again sent for

approval.

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