Nonqualified Stock Agreement

If the grant is an NSO, the employee pays federal income taxes on $0.90 of income per share at exercise, even though the employee has not sold any shares. If the grant is an ISO, there is no federal income tax due at exercise.

Depending upon the tax treatment of stock options, they can be classified into qualified and non-qualified stock options. Qualified stock options are also called Incentive Stock Options (ISO). Nonqualified: Employees generally don't owe tax when these options are granted.

A qualified stock option is a type of company share option granted exclusively to employees. It confers an income tax benefit when exercised. Qualified stock options are also referred to as "incentive stock options" or "incentive share options."

What Is a Non-Qualified Stock Option (NSO)? A non-qualified stock option (NSO) is a type of employee stock option wherein you pay ordinary income tax on the difference between the grant price and the price at which you exercise the option.

1: Exercise and Sell When Your Non-Qualified Stock Options Vest. The vest date is when you (the stock option holder) have the right to exercise non-qualified stock options. Prior to this vesting date, you may not be able to do anything.

Incentive stock options, or ISOs, are options that are entitled to potentially favorable federal tax treatment. Stock options that are not ISOs are usually referred to as nonqualified stock options or NQOs.These do not qualify for special tax treatment.