Financial Advisor and CPA for Tech Professionals
A flat-fee CPA and Financial Planner team that gives you personalized, holistic advice across your taxes and financial plan. We plan your RSU vests, option exercises, 83(b) and QSBS clock, and file your returns.
What we handle for tech professionals
Your salary pays the bills. Your grants and shares add deadlines, tax bills and a bet on one company.
- 01
The RSU withholding gap
Employers usually withhold 22% on vests. A $100,000 vest in the 35% bracket owes about $35,000 of federal tax against $22,000 withheld, a $13,000 shortfall before state tax.
- 02
Option exercises and AMT
An ISO exercise owes no regular tax but the spread counts toward AMT, with a 2026 exemption of $90,100 single or $140,200 joint. We size each exercise to the AMT and the cash it ties up. See equity compensation planning.
- 03
ESPP sales
A qualifying ESPP sale, more than two years after the offering and one year after purchase, limits ordinary income to the discount. We plan which lots to sell and when.
- 04
Your 83(b) election
For founders and early employees with restricted stock, the election is due within 30 days after the stock is transferred to you, not after it vests, and late filing has no relief. See how to file an 83(b) election.
- 05
QSBS eligibility and the clock
For stock acquired after July 4, 2025, the exclusion is 50% at three years, 75% at four and 100% at five, capped at the greater of $15 million or 10 times basis per company. We track when each lot qualifies.
- 06
Cost basis on your return
Brokers often report RSU and ESPP basis without the income already on your W-2, which taxes it twice. Your CPA corrects it on Form 8949 and files nothing until you approve the return.
How Nino helps tech professionals
Equity decisions land on a vest schedule or a 30-day election window, not at tax time. On an Advisor plan your CPA and Financial Planner work from the same picture of your grants, shares and household all year, and file the return that follows.
Book a free consultation-
A plan in your first two weeks
Your CPA and Financial Planner build your tax and financial plan around your grants, vest calendar, the stock you hold and the exit you expect, then revisit it every quarter and before each large vest.
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Ask before the deadline, not after
A CPA you see only at filing season usually hears about an exercise after the 30-day 83(b) window has closed, or a vest after the withholding fell short. Your team hears about it while there is still time to choose.
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Grants in the software
Enter RSU and option grants in Nino’s grant form and ask the AI what a vest, exercise or sale would do to your taxes. Brokerage and bank accounts connect read-only.
What should tech professionals decide early?
Four choices that are cheap to get right a few weeks early and expensive to fix later.
Sell at vest or hold
Selling at vest adds little or no tax, because your basis is the vest value. Holding is the same decision as buying your employer’s stock with that cash. If a 40% drop would make you miss a goal you have a date for, you hold too much.
Whether to early exercise
On unvested ISO shares an 83(b) election counts for AMT only, and early-exercisable grants can push more of the grant past the $100,000 ISO limit into NSO treatment. ISO early exercise for founders walks through it.
Which state you sell from
California, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Alabama do not follow the federal QSBS exclusion, so a gain excluded on your federal return can still be taxed by your state. Residency at the sale matters.
What to do before and after an exit
Start when the 409A climbs or about 18 months out. Lockups most often run 180 days, and proceeds need a tax reserve first. A Section 1045 rollover can defer QSBS gain held more than six months if you reinvest in new QSBS within 60 days.
Pick your plan
Every Advisor plan includes a CPA and Financial Planner team, federal and state tax filing, and our Ultra software.
Essential
- Everything in Ultra software, plus:
- A dedicated CPA and Financial Planner team for you
- Single-filer return, quarterly taxes included
- Retirement & equity planning
- Quarterly advisor access
- Rentals
- 0
- K-1s
- 0
- States
- 1
- Brokerage
- 3
Plus
Most Popular- Everything in Essential, plus:
- A dedicated CPA and Financial Planner team for you and your spouse
- Married filing jointly return, international coverage included
- One coordinated plan for both of you
- Quarterly and ad hoc advisor access
- Rentals
- 2
- K-1s
- 5
- States
- 3
- Brokerage
- 5
Premier
- Everything in Plus, plus:
- Business bookkeeping and tax filings, priced by complexity
- Joint or single return, complex international coverage
- Advanced equity & estate planning
- Priority advisor access
- Rentals
- 5
- K-1s
- 10
- States
- 5
- Brokerage
- 10
Software plans starting from $20 a month
Our AI financial assistant on its own, with a 7-day free trial.
Guides for tech professionals
Read up on these decisions, or run your own numbers.
RSU Tax Withholding
RSUs are taxed like salary. Here is why a vest loses so many shares to withholding, why it can still leave you owing in April, and how sell-to-cover works.
Read guideHow to File an 83(b) Election
An 83(b) election changes when restricted stock is taxed. Learn when it applies, how to file, and what to check within 30 days of the stock transfer.
Read guideWhat Is QSBS?
Qualified small business stock may qualify for a federal gain exclusion. Acquisition date, company eligibility, holding period, and basis determine the benefit.
Read guideHow ESPP Is Taxed
ESPP shares are taxed when you sell, and the holding period decides how much is ordinary income. See the math, Form 3922, and the 1099-B basis fix.
Read guideRSU Tax Calculator
Compare estimated RSU tax with a simplified federal withholding calculation.
Open calculatorStock Options Calculator
Estimate ISO or NSO exercise costs and explore how an ISO exercise could affect AMT.
Open calculator
More people we work with
See how our CPA and Financial Planner team helps people in situations like yours.