What Oz said ... he's my accountant :)

Jools, I did exactly what you did a few years ago (US company an' all) and I got the full proceeds (i.e. profit), actually I didn't even get tax deducted, I had to account for that to the Revenue later.

Sounds like a screw up to me.

BC

Thanks for your help everybody, just to clarify a few things that people have asked.

The options are all fully vested now (25% per year over 4 years) so I 'own' them all without any time restriction. The price that I sold them at was confirmed as $37.994 (see, I told you it was as near to $38 as to make no difference). The schedule of brokers charges is very simple and their fees are nowhere near £500 - in fact less than $100.

I have two types of stock option 'approved' and 'unapproved'. The approved ones mean that I have already paid tax on them and I am not liable for any further tax, the unapproved ones mean that I pay 40% tax on the difference between the grant price and the sale price. These were a block of unapproved ones, hence the 40% tax.

The bank swear that no negotiation fee is applied (I've been through that before when someone sent me a dollar cheque).

It all confirms to me that someone, somewhere has cocked up.

I've got a cold at the moment, and unwisely went training last night, so I was too cream crackered to call the broker, but I will now I've got a bit more knowledge.

Ta all

Jools, if you wanted to email me full details I am happy to look at it for ya (free of course).... u2u me if you do

Well, I've found out what the score is....

When I worked 'in the UK' all the stock options I got were approved (not much use to me because the share price today is nowhere near the dizzy heights of the dot com bubble days so they're all underwater)

When I started working for a World wide team, reporting to managers based in Europe or the US, all the options were unapproved.

This particular block of options was granted after April 1st 2003 which means that at exercise I'm liable to pay, get this...Income tax at the higher rate, Employees National Insurance contributions, plus I'm also liable for Employers National Insurance contributions.

So I get to give the chancellor 48.6% of the gross amount :flame:

Is it feckin worth it :mad:

Jools, it could be worse - just listen to "Taxman" by the Beatles (it's on Revolver), George Harrison's rant about paying 95% top rate tax..."it's one for you, nineteen for me...I'm the Taxman"

BC

At least you're making enough contribution on national insurance.

I opened an ominous letter from HMC&E last night that said because there is a £7.12 shortfall on the national insurance I paid for 2004/05, I may not be eligible for a full state pension when I retire.

I think I'd better start hoarding tins of catfood...

Don't worry Chi, there won't be a state pension by the time we retire!

The broker should provide you with a statement explaining how the figures stack up. Whenever I have done this in the past they do it exactly as you have calculated but without the conversion to Sterling, so they would take your $20 profit per share, deduct their fees + tax at 40% then send me a dollar cheque for the balance. It was then up to me to bank the cheque at whatever rate I negotiated with the bank, and remember that the rate is negotiable. The exchange rates quoted by banks are for the holiday maker changing a few hundred quid. When you start talking tens of thousands you may be surpised at the rates you can get.

Why? Are they scrapping it next year? :D