Valero Energy (VLO) RSU sell-vs-hold

Calculator · free · no signup · VLO

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

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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 VLO today.

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

Valero Energy (VLO) is a public Energy company, incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in San Antonio, TX.

Last close: $350.05 per share (as of 2026-08-18).

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

Valero Energy Corporation is an American-based fuels producer mostly involved in manufacturing and marketing transportation fuels and other related products. It is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, the company owns and operates 14 refineries with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.2 million barrels per day, two renewable diesel plants that produce approximately 1.2 billion gallons per year, and 12 ethanol plants with a combined production capacity of 1.6 billion gallons as its subsidiaries.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Spun out of a San Antonio natural gas utility in 1980, the company became one of the largest independent refiners, with a footprint concentrated on the Gulf Coast. Coastal refineries can source waterborne crude and export refined product, which widens the set of profitable crude grades and markets. Renewable diesel through the Diamond Green joint venture is the largest non-refining business. Refining margins depend on spreads the company does not set. Headquarters are in San Antonio.

Sources: sec.gov · en.wikipedia.org

OptionsAhoy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Valero Energy.

Valero Energy (VLO) 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 Valero Energy (VLO) RSUs vesting at $350.05 per share is $175,025 of ordinary income on vest day. After roughly 32% combined federal + state + FICA (~$56,008), the post-tax share value is ~$119,017. 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 Valero Energy tools → · Use the generic RSU Sell-vs-Hold Calculator for any company. Diversifying multiple RSU lots? See the lot-by-lot sell order →

Valero Energy equity questions

Should I sell or hold my Valero Energy RSUs at vest?
Valero Energy 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 Valero Energy grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
Equity compensation at Valero Energy typically takes the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest.
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