Cerebras Systems (CBRS) NSO Exercise Calculator
Calculator · free · no signup · CBRSPlan your Cerebras Systems NSO exercise (federal, state, FICA) and compare sell-vs-hold for long-term capital gains.
Beta · invite-only · AlphaLatitude Inc. · Free Tools
Your grant
Tax inputs
Hold strategy
Best after-tax payout — at year 1
$199,080
Sell + invest wins by $20,783 over Hold 1 yr.
Estimates only. Not financial advice.
Sell + invest
Best payout| Bargain element (sale − strike) | $350,000 |
| Federal | |
| State | |
| Medicare | −$5,075 |
| Additional Medicare | −$3,150 |
| Market gain over 1 yr at 10.0% | $18,573 |
| LTCG on diversified gain (fed + state + NIIT) | −$5,219 |
| Net at year 1 | $199,080 |
Sell every share immediately; invest the after-tax cash at the market return for 1 yr, then liquidate. Diversified — no single-stock concentration risk.
Exercise + hold 1 yr
| Sale proceeds (year 1) | |
| LTCG tax (federal + state + NIIT) | $0 |
| Net at year 1 | $178,297 |
Sold 2,678 shares at exercise to cover strike + tax; 2,322 shares held 1 yr for LTCG.
Social Security + Medicare are payroll taxes (collectively called FICA) — they apply because you're exercising as a current employee.
Both columns are stated in year-1 dollars: sell-now proceeds compound at the market return and pay LTCG on the gain at year 1; any cash paid out of pocket on the hold side carries the same opportunity cost.
Net at year N — by hold period
Estimates only. Excludes AMT (NSOs do not trigger AMT), state-AMT, multi-state moves, and disqualifying-disposition edge cases. Not financial advice.
You calculated one NSO decision. The beta plans NSOs alongside RSUs and ISOs in a single multi-year tax plan.
Request beta access →Related calculators: Stock Concentration Calculator · Multi-Year ISO Exercise Schedule Calculator
About Cerebras Systems
Cerebras Systems (CBRS) is a public Semiconductors company, incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. IPO'd May 14, 2026.
Last close: $203.07 per share (as of 2026-07-31).
IPO May 2026; wafer-scale AI compute.
Equity grants at Cerebras Systems typically include incentive stock options (ISOs), non-qualified stock options (NSOs), and restricted stock units (RSUs).
Cerebras Systems Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, develops semiconductors, supercomputers, and related software to power artificial intelligence deep-learning applications such as inference engines. Products include its wafer scale engine (WSE)-3 semiconductors, its CS-3 supercomputers, and its "AI inference cloud" and "AI training cloud" APIs, which allow users to access the company's computing power without buying its hardware. The company also builds data centers using its processors and supercomputers to provide cloud computing services directly to clients.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Cerebras Systems makes the Wafer Scale Engine (WSE), a processor fabricated from an entire 300mm silicon wafer rather than the small dies that conventional chips use. Founded in Sunnyvale in 2016 by Andrew Feldman and four co-founders who had previously sold SeaMicro to AMD for $334 million, the company shipped its first system in August 2019. In January 2026, Cerebras signed a multi-year agreement to supply 750 megawatts of AI compute to OpenAI, a deal valued at over $10 billion. The company reported $510 million in 2025 revenue and listed on Nasdaq under the ticker CBRS in May 2026.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · cerebras.ai · finance.yahoo.com
Equity comp at Cerebras Systems
- Original S-1 filed September 2024 was paused due to CFIUS review of UAE-based G42's investment (G42 accounted for 83% of 2023 revenue and 97% of 2024 hardware sales). CFIUS clearance reportedly obtained in early 2025 but IPO remained on hold; company raised $1.1B at an $8.1B valuation. Refiled S-1 in April 2026 with G42 removed from the investor list, targeting a May 14, 2026 NASDAQ listing under ticker CBRS. Holders face a concentrated tax-withholding event at IPO (about $230M earmarked for RSU settlement obligations) after roughly 18 months of regulatory uncertainty.
- RSUs use double-trigger vesting. Two things must both happen before the shares are yours: (1) the normal time-based vesting completes, and (2) the company has a liquidity event (an IPO or an acquisition). Until both happen, you do not yet own the shares and you do not owe tax on them.
Sources: sec.gov · techstartups.com
Researched 2026-05-11.
OptionsAhoy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cerebras Systems.
Use this calculator to estimate your Cerebras Systems (CBRS) NSO exercise tax (federal, state, FICA), then compare selling now versus holding through the long-term capital gains threshold. Inputs are yours: grant terms, current price, your income, your state.
Example: at Cerebras Systems (CBRS)'s last close of $203.07, exercising 5,000 NSOs with a $60.92 strike creates a $710,750 bargain element, taxed as ordinary income on the day you exercise. Combined federal + state + FICA on that bargain typically lands between $191,902 and $319,837 depending on your bracket and state. The calculator above computes the exact figure for your situation and compares selling now vs. holding through the long-term capital-gains threshold.
All Cerebras Systems tools → · Use the generic NSO Exercise Calculator for any company.
Cerebras Systems equity questions
- How is a Cerebras Systems NSO exercise taxed?
- Exercising a non-qualified stock option (NSO) creates ordinary income on the bargain element (the price on the day you exercise minus your strike), subject to federal income tax, state income tax, and FICA. The calculator above computes that tax for your Cerebras Systems grant and compares selling the shares now against holding past the one-year mark for long-term capital-gains treatment.
- Does Cerebras Systems grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
- Equity compensation at Cerebras Systems typically takes the form of incentive stock options (ISOs), non-qualified stock options (NSOs), and restricted stock units (RSUs). Incentive stock options can trigger the alternative minimum tax (AMT) when you exercise. Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest.
- When did the Cerebras Systems IPO lockup expire?
- Cerebras Systems (CBRS) went public on May 14, 2026. The standard post-IPO lockup runs 180 days, so employee and insider shares generally became sellable around November 10, 2026. Confirm against your own grant paperwork, since some lockups release early or in stages.
- Do Cerebras Systems RSUs use double-trigger vesting?
- Yes. Cerebras Systems restricted stock units (RSUs) vest only when two things both happen: the time-based schedule completes, and the company has a liquidity event such as an initial public offering (IPO) or an acquisition. Until both occur you do not own the shares and owe no tax on them.
One piece of the puzzle.
OptionsAhoy plans your Cerebras Systems equity alongside hedging, vesting, and de-concentration, across bullish, neutral, and bearish market scenarios. Free during beta.