Crown Castle (CCI) RSU sell-vs-hold
Calculator · free · no signup · CCISell at vest or hold? Compare after-tax payout from selling Crown Castle RSUs at vest vs. holding through the LTCG cliff at 12 months.
Beta · invite-only · AlphaLatitude Inc. · Free Tools
Your vest
Tax inputs
Hold strategy
Best after-tax payout — at year 1 yr
$47,709
Sell + invest wins by $4,981 over Hold 1 yr.
Estimates only. Not financial advice.
Heads-up: under-withholding. Your employer withholds federal tax at the IRS supplemental rate (22.0% on this vest, ≈ $17,600). Your marginal federal rate on this vest is 32.7%, owing $26,171. Expect to settle the $8,571 gap at tax time.
The hidden purchase
Tax was paid at vest either way. Holding is mathematically equivalent to taking $44,509 in after-tax cash and buying $44,509 of CCI today.
Most diversification frameworks would advise against a purchase that size in a single name; the right answer depends on your conviction in CCI. Holding past one year converts the gain to LTCG.
Sell + invest
Best payout| Vest value (shares × price) | $80,000 |
| Federal | |
| State | |
| Medicare | −$1,160 |
| Additional Medicare | −$720 |
| Market gain over 1 yr at 10.0% | $4,451 |
| Cap-gain tax on diversified gain — LTCG (federal + state + NIIT) | −$1,251 |
| Net at year 1 yr | $47,709 |
Sell every share at vest; invest the after-tax cash at the market return for 1 yr, then liquidate. Diversified — no single-stock concentration risk.
Hold 1 yr
| Vest value (shares × price) | $80,000 |
| Vest tax (federal + state + FICA) | |
| Net at year 1 yr | $42,728 |
Sold 444 shares to cover vest tax (net-settled); kept 556 shares 1 yr to qualify for long-term capital gains.
Social Security + Medicare are payroll taxes (collectively called FICA) — they apply because you're still employed at vest.
Both columns are stated in year-1 yr dollars. The sell side compounds at the market return; the hold side compounds at your single-stock expected return after a 20% volatility drag.
Estimates only. Assumes net-settled (sell-to-cover) vesting; double-trigger and pre-IPO RSUs are out of scope. Excludes multi-state moves, AMT interactions on other equity, and 83(b) elections. Not financial advice.
You evaluated one RSU vest. The beta plans every vest of every grant across years, with concentration and AMT in the loop.
Request beta access →Related calculators: RSU Lot Order Calculator · Stock Concentration Calculator
About Crown Castle
Crown Castle (CCI) is a public Real Estate company, incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in Houston, TX.
Last close: $74.03 per share (as of 2026-08-18).
Equity grants at Crown Castle typically include restricted stock units (RSUs).
Crown Castle Inc. is a real estate investment trust and provider of shared communications infrastructure in the United States headquartered in Houston, Texas. Crown Castle owns, operates and leases approximately 40,000 cell towers across the US. This nationwide portfolio serves as the foundation of wireless connectivity that provides cities and communities access to essential data, technology and wireless service; bringing information, ideas, innovations and the connectivity of modern life to help people and businesses thrive.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The company owns communications towers across the United States along with a large fiber and small-cell network, structured as a real estate investment trust. Tower economics are compelling: a structure built once can host several carriers, and each added tenant contributes revenue with almost no incremental cost, under long leases with fixed escalators. The fiber and small-cell segment has consumed capital with weaker returns and drawn activist pressure. Carrier network spending sets leasing activity. Headquarters are in Houston.
Sources: sec.gov · en.wikipedia.org
OptionsAhoy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Crown Castle.
Crown Castle (CCI) RSUs vest as ordinary income at the price on vest day. The decision is whether to sell at vest and reinvest, or hold the shares through the 12-month LTCG cliff. This calculator runs both paths through the same after-tax math so you can compare like-for-like.
Example: 500 Crown Castle (CCI) RSUs vesting at $74.03 per share is $37,015 of ordinary income on vest day. After roughly 32% combined federal + state + FICA (~$11,845), the post-tax share value is ~$25,170. Holding 12 months for long-term capital-gains treatment then only matters for the price change between vest and sale; the ordinary income at vest is already locked in. The calculator runs both paths through the same after-tax math.
All Crown Castle tools → · Use the generic RSU Sell-vs-Hold Calculator for any company. Diversifying multiple RSU lots? See the lot-by-lot sell order →
Crown Castle equity questions
- Should I sell or hold my Crown Castle RSUs at vest?
- Crown Castle restricted stock units (RSUs) are taxed as ordinary income on their value at vest whether or not you sell. The only open decision is what to do with the shares afterward: sell at vest and reinvest, or hold past twelve months for long-term capital-gains treatment on any further gain. The calculator above runs both paths through the same after-tax math so you can compare them directly.
- Does Crown Castle grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
- Equity compensation at Crown Castle typically takes the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest.
One piece of the puzzle.
OptionsAhoy plans your Crown Castle equity alongside hedging, vesting, and de-concentration, across bullish, neutral, and bearish market scenarios. Free during beta.