Unity Software (U) RSU sell-vs-hold
Calculator · free · no signup · USell at vest or hold? Compare after-tax payout from selling Unity Software 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 U today.
Most diversification frameworks would advise against a purchase that size in a single name; the right answer depends on your conviction in U. 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 →About Unity Software
Unity Software (U) is a public Dev Tools company, incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in San Francisco, CA. IPO'd Sep 18, 2020.
Last close: $28.06 per share (as of 2026-06-16).
Equity grants at Unity Software typically include incentive stock options (ISOs), non-qualified stock options (NSOs), and restricted stock units (RSUs).
Unity Software Inc. is an American video game software development company based in San Francisco. It was founded in Denmark in August 2004 as Over the Edge I/S and changed its name in 2007. Unity Technologies is best known for the development of Unity, a licensed game engine used to create video games and other applications.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
David Helgason, Joachim Ante, and Nicholas Francis founded Unity Technologies in Copenhagen in 2004 (originally Over the Edge Entertainment), pivoting from games to a real-time 3D engine after their first title flopped. Headquartered in San Francisco, Unity powers games plus film, automotive, and architecture workflows. The company went public on the NYSE in September 2020 under ticker U, then closed a $4.4B all-stock merger with ironSource in November 2022. A September 2023 Runtime Fee announcement triggered developer revolt, partial reversal, and CEO John Riccitiello's exit. Matt Bromberg took over as CEO in May 2024.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · unity.com · mobilegamer.biz
Equity comp at Unity Software
- 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 2026-05-07.
OptionsAhoy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Unity Software.
Unity Software (U) 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 Unity Software (U) RSUs vesting at $28.06 per share is $14,030 of ordinary income on vest day. After roughly 32% combined federal + state + FICA (~$4,490), the post-tax share value is ~$9,540. 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 Unity Software tools → · Use the generic RSU Sell-vs-Hold Calculator for any company.
Unity Software equity questions
- Should I sell or hold my Unity Software RSUs at vest?
- Unity Software 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 Unity Software grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
- Equity compensation at Unity Software 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.
- Do Unity Software RSUs use double-trigger vesting?
- No. Unity Software 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.
One piece of the puzzle.
OptionsAhoy plans your Unity Software equity alongside hedging, vesting, and de-concentration, across bullish, neutral, and bearish market scenarios. Free during beta.