Deckers Brands (DECK) RSU sell-vs-hold
Calculator · free · no signup · DECKSell at vest or hold? Compare after-tax payout from selling Deckers Brands RSUs at vest vs. holding through the LTCG cliff at 12 months.
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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 DECK today.
Most diversification frameworks would advise against a purchase that size in a single name; the right answer depends on your conviction in DECK. 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 Deckers Brands
Deckers Brands (DECK) is a public Retail company, incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in Goleta, CA.
Last close: $79.12 per share (as of 2026-10-03).
Equity grants at Deckers Brands typically include restricted stock units (RSUs).
Deckers Outdoor Corporation, doing business as Deckers Brands, is an American footwear designer and distributor founded in 1973 and based in Goleta, California. The company's portfolio of brands includes UGG, Teva, and Hoka. It was founded by Doug Otto and Karl F. Lopker.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The company built itself on UGG, acquired in 1995, and then on Hoka, a running shoe brand that grew from a niche cushioned design into the larger growth engine. Owning two brands with different seasons partially offsets the weather dependence that dominates a boot business. Direct-to-consumer sales carry better margins and better data than wholesale, and the mix has shifted that way deliberately. Brand heat is the risk: footwear preference moves quickly. Headquarters are in Goleta, California.
Sources: sec.gov · en.wikipedia.org
Equity comp at Deckers Brands
- Deckers moved from single-trigger to double-trigger change-in-control vesting for its equity awards. Under a double-trigger provision, unvested restricted stock units (RSUs) and stock options do not automatically vest just because the company is acquired; vesting only accelerates if, within a set window after the deal closes (commonly 12 months), the acquirer does not continue or assume the award and the employee is also terminated without cause or resigns for good reason (a materially worse job). Some of Deckers' oldest awards, granted under a prior 2006 plan, retained single-trigger acceleration, but the company's more recent RSU and option agreements issued under its 2015 and current 2024 Stock Incentive Plans use the double-trigger structure.
- 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.
- Vesting schedule: Time-based RSUs vest in three equal annual installments from the grant date, rather than the more common four-year schedule..
Sources: sec.gov · sec.gov · ir.deckers.com
Researched 2026-08-21.
OptionsAhoy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Deckers Brands.
Deckers Brands (DECK) 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 Deckers Brands (DECK) RSUs vesting at $79.12 per share is $39,560 of ordinary income on vest day. After roughly 32% combined federal + state + FICA (~$12,659), the post-tax share value is ~$26,901. 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 Deckers Brands tools → · Use the generic RSU Sell-vs-Hold Calculator for any company. Diversifying multiple RSU lots? See the lot-by-lot sell order →
Deckers Brands equity questions
- Should I sell or hold my Deckers Brands RSUs at vest?
- Deckers Brands 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 Deckers Brands grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
- Equity compensation at Deckers Brands typically takes the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest.
- Do Deckers Brands RSUs use double-trigger vesting?
- Yes. Deckers Brands 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.
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