Rivian (RIVN) RSU sell-vs-hold

Calculator · free · no signup · RIVN

Sell at vest or hold? Compare after-tax payout from selling Rivian RSUs at vest vs. holding through the LTCG cliff at 12 months.

Beta · invite-only · AlphaLatitude Inc. · Free Tools

Your vest

pre-IPO? enter price manually

Tax inputs

Hold strategy

1 yr
20%
20%
10.0%

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.

This vest pushes your top federal rate from 24% to 35%. Hover the Federal value below for the bracket-by-bracket slicing.

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 RIVN today.

Most diversification frameworks would advise against a purchase that size in a single name; the right answer depends on your conviction in RIVN. 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.

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Related calculators: RSU Lot Order Calculator · Stock Concentration Calculator

About Rivian

Rivian (RIVN) is a public Other company, incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in Irvine, CA.

Equity grants at Rivian typically include restricted stock units (RSUs).

Rivian Automotive, Inc., is an American electric vehicle manufacturer and automotive technology company founded in 2009. It produces an electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a pickup truck, both on a "skateboard" platform that can support future vehicles and be adopted by other companies. They also produce an electric delivery van, the Rivian EDV. The EDV is sold to Amazon for its deliveries. It started deliveries of its R1T pickup truck in late 2021, R1S sport utility vehicle in 2023, and R2 midsize SUV in 2026. The company also operates the Rivian Adventure Network, an open DC fast charging network in the United States.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

RJ Scaringe founded the company in 2009 and pivoted from sports cars to electric trucks and SUVs, launching the R1T pickup and R1S SUV plus an electric delivery van built for Amazon, which is both customer and large shareholder. The 2021 listing was among the largest American IPOs, and the company then spent years working through manufacturing ramp costs at its Normal, Illinois plant. A Volkswagen joint venture announced in 2024 licenses its software and electrical architecture. Headquarters are in Irvine, California.

Sources: rivian.com · en.wikipedia.org

Equity comp at Rivian

  • 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 Rivian.

Rivian (RIVN) 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 Rivian tools → · Use the generic RSU Sell-vs-Hold Calculator for any company. Diversifying multiple RSU lots? See the lot-by-lot sell order →

Rivian equity questions

Should I sell or hold my Rivian RSUs at vest?
Rivian 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 Rivian grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
Equity compensation at Rivian typically takes the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest.
Do Rivian RSUs use double-trigger vesting?
No. Rivian 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.
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