RSU Tax Calculator — Withholding vs Tax Owed 2026 — MigrantIQ

RSU vests are ordinary income

When restricted stock units vest, fair market value is typically W-2 wages. Employers usually withhold federal tax (often 22% flat on supplemental-style treatment), FICA, Medicare, and state. Shares may be sold automatically to cover withholding (“sell to cover”).

Treasury.sh RSU tools compare withheld vs owed; MigrantIQ targets H-1B and L-1 workers joining US tech firms who see first vest as a large paycheck with confusing stub lines.

When 22% withholding is too low

If base salary already places you in the 32% or 35% bracket, a $50,000 vest might need far more than 22% federal reserved. The calculator contrasts withheld federal on the vest with a simplified marginal tax estimate on vest plus salary context.

State rates like California can add another sizable slice — adjust statePct realistically.

Cash flow vs share retention

Some employees receive net shares after withholding; others get cash-only treatment. This tool focuses on tax dollars, not broker sell instructions or capital gains on post-vest appreciation (that is future capital gain, not vest income).

Multi-year planning

Large vests can push you into higher brackets for one year — pair with tax brackets calculator and consider increasing W-4 withholding on base pay or making estimated payments.

Limits

MigrantIQ provides educational estimates only. We are not a CPA firm, payroll provider, or investment adviser. Confirm numbers with IRS publications, your state tax agency, employer payroll, or a licensed professional before you sign leases, change withholding, or move countries. ISOs, NSOs, ESPP, and 83(b) elections are different instruments — this is RSU ordinary income planning only.

Why newcomers use this before a move

If you are comparing a US job offer while still abroad on an H-1B, L-1, TN, or OPT timeline, take-home math is often the missing piece after gross salary. Recruiters quote $120,000 or $85,000, but your real runway depends on federal brackets, FICA, state tax, pretax benefits, and how much you can still remit after essentials. This calculator lets you stress-test an offer in minutes without uploading W-2s or bank statements. Pair the result with our multi-country tax calculator when you are deciding between the US and Canada, the UK, or the UAE, and with the remittance calculator to see how much net pay might reach family abroad after fees and FX.

Visa holders and green card planners also face one-time costs: deposits, car purchases, credential evaluation, and flights. A clearer paycheck or tax estimate helps you size an emergency fund and avoid accepting an offer that looks generous on paper but fails the 50/30/20 test in a high-cost metro. Save scenarios to My Plan as metadata (numbers and labels only) so you can revisit after a state move or a raise negotiation.

Using My Plan on MigrantIQ

Save calculator inputs as metadata-only scenarios in My Plan — no bank logins, no document uploads. When you receive an revised offer letter or move from Texas to New York, duplicate the scenario and adjust state tax or gross salary. That workflow keeps immigration planning, tax estimates, and remittance math in one place without mixing sensitive PDFs into the cloud.

How this page differs from tax filing software

TurboTax, H&R Block, and employer payroll systems compute withholding and file forms. MigrantIQ personal finance tools are free, read-only planners for education and SEO transparency. We publish long guides so you understand assumptions before you trust a number. If a line item matters for a mortgage application or visa financial evidence, pull official pay stubs and tax transcripts rather than this estimate.

Cross-tool workflow for migrants

Start from gross offer → salary after tax or paycheck calculator → budget calculator (50/30/20) → emergency fund gap → remittance calculator for amounts sent home → debt payoff if US APRs exceed investment priorities. Tax-heavy equity comp adds RSU tax calculator and bonus tax calculator in the same session.

Methodology notes (planning only)

Federal ordinary-income brackets and standard deductions in this suite approximate TY2025/TY2026 IRS planning tables. Employee FICA uses 6.2% Social Security up to the published wage base and 1.45% Medicare on wages (Additional Medicare Tax and NIIT are not fully modeled). State tax is an effective percentage you supply so you can compare no-tax states with high-tax metros without fifty brittle micro-models. Bonus and RSU tools highlight the common 22% supplemental federal withholding pattern versus estimated true marginal tax. Debt snowball vs avalanche, FIRE (spend ÷ SWR), compound interest, and latte-factor math are deterministic cash-flow illustrations — not investment advice. Always verify current IRS publications, SSA wage base, state revenue department pages, and your payroll provider before filing or making money decisions. MigrantIQ never asks for W-2 PDFs, bank logins, or identity scans on these calculators.