What's new?

Carta now helps private company administrators coordinate the settlement of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The end-to-end offering allows an Issuer to:

• configure and schedule a RSU Settlement;
• provide RSU holders with an election period to identify how they want to pay the tax withholding obligation associated with the upcoming settlement;
• collect any cash payments from RSU holders; and
• automatically update the cap table at settlement.

During the election period, RSU holders are invited to access a workflow to view their vested RSUs along with the tax withholding amounts due at settlement. They have the flexibility to meet their tax obligation by electing to net-settle, pay the full amount in cash, or use a combination of surrendered shares and cash. 

This offering helps facilitate the RSU settlement process from setup to share delivery for private Issuers that award RSUs under their equity compensation plans.

How does it work?

Issuers

Private company administrators can go through a four-step process to configure an upcoming RSU Settlement with Carta Liquidity. Issuers can:

• set the parameters of the settlement (e.g., FMV, election timing, settlement date); 
• view and confirm the RSUs that will be included based on the vesting end date (i.e., record date); and 
• view and confirm tax withholding amounts associated with the settlement. 

Issuers can set rates to use when calculating tax withholdings owed based on each RSU holder’s tax jurisdiction(s). Carta Liquidity’s integration with Carta’s equity management platform and tax engine eliminates the need for the administrator to pull and sort cap table information manually or calculate tax withholdings for each RSU holder. Alternatively, Issuer’s can provide tax withholding amounts calculated by their HRIS provider for use in the settlement.

RSU holders

When the administrators invite RSU holders to submit their elections, RSU holders will be able to view which of their RSUs will be settled and the tax withholding amount due per security. In addition, individuals will identify how they would like to satisfy the tax withholding amount owed through a self-service election workflow. 

The three tax withholding payment options include:  

• Share withholding (i.e., net settlement) - The entire tax withholding amount is paid by surrendering a portion of shares from the vested RSUs released for settlement. The net amount of shares after withholding will be delivered to a RSU holder at settlement. This is the default option.
• Cash payment - The entire tax withholding amount is paid by a RSU holder in cash (only USD is accepted). RSU holders are required to fund their brokerage account in order to make this election.
• Share and cash payment - Each RSU holder identifies the mix of cash and shares that will be used to pay the taxes due at settlement, providing them more flexibility. RSU holders are required to fund their brokerage account in order to make this election.

For any cash elections, RSU holders are instructed to transfer the necessary cash to their Carta Liquidity brokerage account*. RSU holders are able to modify their election until the end of the election period. 

At settlement, Carta Liquidity’s integration with Carta’s equity management platform automatically updates an Issuer’s cap table to reflect the shares of stock delivered to RSU holders, and any cash payments received to cover applicable tax obligations will be transferred automatically to the Issuer’s brokerage account. RSU holders will then receive their resulting equity from the Issuer in their Carta accounts. In addition, Carta Liquidity will provide a record of the RSU settlement to both the Issuer and RSU holders. 

Run regular RSU settlement processes with automatic cap table updates and tax withholding calculations, saving your team time and resources 

The RSU Settlement offering will:

• Reduce the manual administrative work required to set up a regular cadence of RSU settlement through equity management and tax engine integrations
• Provide RSU holders flexibility to choose how they would like to meet their tax withholding obligations through a self-service election workflow
• Provide optionality to RSU holders to pay out of pocket for the amount they feel comfortable paying.

Start managing RSU Settlements on Carta!

Reach out to company_coverage@cartacapitalmarkets.com to speak with your relationship manager to turn on this feature. 

*Note: Brokerage accounts and other brokerage services are offered through Carta Capital Markets, LLC (Member: FINRA/SIPC)

What's new?

Carta Liquidity now offers more optionality when paying transaction proceeds following a tender offer or other private secondary transaction. Issuers can now elect to have proceeds for one or more sellers be paid outside of the Carta Liquidity platform via a third-party (including the Issuer). Below are several use cases that Carta now supports:

• Proceeds paid through an Issuer’s payroll;
• Proceeds paid to a seller’s trust account for distribution to beneficiaries; or 
• Use of a third-party paying agent to distribute proceeds.

How does it work?

During the setup phase of a transaction, an Issuer can elect to have the transaction proceeds for one or more sellers paid off-platform. The Issuer will inform Carta which participants should receive their proceeds off-platform, and the transaction’s Offer to Purchase (OTP) will describe the method by which participants will receive their net sale proceeds. 

At settlement, Carta will deposit proceeds for participants not selected for off-platform payment into their Carta brokerage accounts. For a company repurchase (share buyback), no further action is taken by Carta for the balance of the proceeds as the Issuer will be responsible for the distribution through payroll or otherwise. In the case of a third-party tender offer, Carta will send the balance of the proceeds to the Issuer to handle the distribution to the remaining sellers.

At the close of the transaction, the total amount of money distributed by Carta or a third-party will be recorded in the Transaction Summary Report for the Issuer and the Trade Confirmation for each seller.

(a) Issuer Transaction Summary Report

(b) Trade Confirmation

(c) Statement Cycle Report

Distribute tender offer sale proceeds off-platform through payroll or other means for more payment flexibility

The off-platform payment settlement feature will:

• Increase an Issuer’s flexibility in determining how transaction proceeds will be paid to sellers for secondary transactions; 
• Reduce tax withholding and reporting complexity when Issuers choose to leverage their payroll system to distribute proceeds and withhold taxes; and
• Make it easier for employee sellers that receive proceeds through payroll to contribute those additional funds to their 401k’s or other automated savings plans.

Reach out to Carta to get the process started

Do you want to run a tender offer or other private secondary transaction with a fully-integrated cap table experience? Reach out to Carta Liquidity’s Corporate Coverage team at company_coverage@cartacapitalmarkets.com to figure out the best path towards liquidity. 

Note: 
1. Brokerage accounts and other brokerage services are offered through Carta Capital Markets, LLC. Carta Capital Markets, LLC is a member of FINRA/SIPC.

What's new?

Sellers participating in a private market secondary transaction, such as a tender offer, on the CartaX ATS can now view their estimated tax withholdings* during the Order Entry phase. Equipped with estimated tax information, sellers who are US-based employees will be able to make a more informed decision when determining sell preferences and better anticipate their net proceeds.

How does it work?

Issuers sponsoring a tender offer or another structured transaction will provide Carta with their employees’ city, state, and/or federal jurisdictional tax rates. Carta will use the applicable tax rates to calculate their individual estimated tax withholding. 

As sellers select which of their eligible stock holdings to sell during the Order Entry period, the Proceeds Calculator on the right hand side of the screen will automatically update and calculate what their estimated net proceeds may be after fees and taxes*. 

Sellers can then click on “View tax details” (hyperlink within the red box above) to view a breakdown of the estimated tax withholdings by security type and tax jurisdiction.

Enable your employees to understand their estimated tax obligations earlier in a tender offer when placing their sell orders.

The Tax Withholding Estimates during Order Entry will: 

• Enable sellers to see how their security elections during the Order Entry period may impact their estimated tax withholdings, and ultimately, expected net proceeds; and
• Save Issuers time by helping to reduce the amount of questions received from sellers about their potential tax withholding obligations. 

 Reach out to Carta to get the process started

Do you want to run a tender offer or other private secondary transaction with a fully-integrated cap table experience? Reach out to Carta Liquidity’s Corporate Coverage team at company_coverage@cartacapitalmarkets.com to figure out the best path towards liquidity. 

*Note - The estimated tax withholdings is for illustrative purposes only. The withholding amount shown is only an estimate. The actual amount withheld from a seller’s proceeds may differ significantly from the amount shown. Tax withholding is not a final calculation of taxes due. A seller may have a greater or lesser tax obligation than the amount withheld by the Issuer, and the seller is responsible for determining whether and when any additional tax payments are required. 

Disclaimer: Carta, through its wholly owned broker-dealer subsidiary, Carta Capital Markets, LLC, offers a streamlined experience for executing pre-negotiated stock transfers, tender offers, and other secondary liquidity transactions. Carta Capital Markets, LLC is a member of FINRA/SIPC.

What's new?

Issuers running a secondary transaction, such as a tender offer, through Carta Liquidity on the CartaX ATS can now access on demand real-time seller participation data during a live transaction via the Issuer Transaction Dashboard (“Dashboard”). 

How does it work?

Issuers can access their brokerage account online and click on their live transaction, where they will see their Dashboard. The “Participation overview” tab includes three key sections:

• Participation breakdown: The pie chart provides a summary of the transaction’s subscription rate by Relationship type. Issuers can quickly see how close the transaction is to being fully subscribed. Relationship type is determined during the transaction’s setup period.
• Participant engagement: The bar chart details the number of sellers who (a) have been invited to the transaction, (b) viewed the transaction, and (c) decided to participate by tendering shares.
• Relationship summary: The table summarizes the participation level across all Relationship types. Details include the participation rate, shares tendered, and the notional value of tendered shares.

The table and charts on this page will update in real-time during the live transaction. 

The “Transaction overview” tab of the Dashboard will be accessible at the close of the offering period and provides a summary of the transaction, including a breakdown of deposits made into the Issuer’s brokerage account. Issuers will be able to access and download their Trade Confirmation and Transaction Summary reports here as well.  

Save time and gain real-time transaction and participation data on demand with the Issuer Transaction Dashboard

The Issuer Transaction Dashboard will: 

• Give you real-time transaction and participation data on demand during a live transaction;
• Provide you with full oversight and enhance your foresight over the transaction’s results related to filling a buy order; and 
• Make it easier for you to provide your team with updates on a transaction and Relationship type level, preserving the confidentiality of individual seller activity.

Reach out to Carta to get the process started

Do you want to run a tender offer or other private secondary transaction with a fully-integrated cap table experience? Reach out to Carta Liquidity’s Corporate Coverage team at company_coverage@cartacapitalmarkets.com to figure out the best path towards liquidity. 

Disclaimer: Carta, through its wholly owned broker-dealer subsidiary, Carta Capital Markets, LLC, offers a streamlined experience for executing pre-negotiated stock transfers, tender offers, and other secondary liquidity transactions. Carta Capital Markets, LLC is a member of FINRA/SIPC.