Goldman Sachs (GS) RSU sell-vs-hold
Calculator · free · no signup · GSSell at vest or hold? Compare after-tax payout from selling Goldman Sachs 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 GS today.
Most diversification frameworks would advise against a purchase that size in a single name; the right answer depends on your conviction in GS. 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 Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs (GS) is a public Fintech company, incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in New York, NY.
Equity grants at Goldman Sachs typically include restricted stock units (RSUs).
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, with regional offices in many international financial centers. Goldman Sachs is one of the largest investment banks in the world by revenue and is ranked 32nd on the Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. In the Forbes Global 2000 of 2025, Goldman Sachs ranked 20th. It is considered a systemically important financial institution by the Financial Stability Board.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Marcus Goldman began discounting commercial paper in New York in 1869, and his son-in-law Samuel Sachs joined a generation later. The firm partnership went public in 1999 and converted to a bank holding company in 2008. Investment banking advisory and trading remain the core, with asset and wealth management the growth priority; the Marcus consumer venture was largely wound down after losses. Compensation is a defining feature of the culture, and headquarters sit at 200 West Street in Manhattan.
Sources: goldmansachs.com · en.wikipedia.org
Equity comp at Goldman Sachs
- RSUs use single-trigger vesting: shares become yours as each portion vests on schedule, and the value is taxed as ordinary income at that point. No IPO or acquisition is required.
Researched 2026-08-17.
OptionsAhoy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Goldman Sachs.
Goldman Sachs (GS) 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.
All Goldman Sachs tools → · Use the generic RSU Sell-vs-Hold Calculator for any company. Diversifying multiple RSU lots? See the lot-by-lot sell order →
Goldman Sachs equity questions
- Should I sell or hold my Goldman Sachs RSUs at vest?
- Goldman Sachs 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 Goldman Sachs grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
- Equity compensation at Goldman Sachs typically takes the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest.
- Do Goldman Sachs RSUs use double-trigger vesting?
- No. Goldman Sachs restricted stock units (RSUs) use single-trigger vesting: each tranche becomes yours as it vests on schedule, taxed as ordinary income at that point, with no liquidity event required.
Find another companyFintech peers
One piece of the puzzle.
OptionsAhoy plans your Goldman Sachs equity alongside hedging, vesting, and de-concentration, across bullish, neutral, and bearish market scenarios. Free during beta.