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For many Google employees, sell-at-vest is the most tax-efficient default — vested GSUs are already taxed as ordinary income, and holding only adds concentrated-stock risk. Holding can make sense if it’s part of a deliberate plan and you’ve capped your overall GOOG exposure. A specialist can model both paths against your bracket and goals before recommending a default.

Vested GSUs are taxed as ordinary income at the fair market value on the vest date — regardless of whether you sell. If you continue to hold, future appreciation is taxed at capital gains rates: short-term if sold within a year of vesting, long-term thereafter. Morgan Stanley withholds 22% by default for federal taxes, but you can adjust this rate. California residents face an additional state tax of up to 13.3% on top of federal exposure.

Google’s most common new-hire schedule vests 38% in year one, 32% in year two, 20% in year three, and 10% in year four — with a 12-month cliff before the first vest, after which shares release monthly. A second schedule vests evenly at 25% per year. Annual refreshers typically vest evenly at 25% per year over four years on their own timelines. After two or three years, most Googlers are running three or four overlapping schedules simultaneously.

Unvested GSUs are forfeited at separation — there’s no vest acceleration by default. Timing your departure around upcoming vest dates and refresher grants can preserve significant value. An advisor can map this for you in advance so you’re not making the call under pressure.

Google’s ETP is a 10b5-1-style automated selling program through Morgan Stanley. Each August, Googlers can enroll and pre-schedule automatic GSU sales through the following July. There is a cooling-off period of several months after enrollment before trades begin, as required by SEC rules. The ETP removes trading window pressure but locks you in for the year — you cannot change your election mid-year without exiting entirely. FIFO and LIFO lot selection options affect your tax picture differently. Many Googlers benefit from making this decision with a financial advisor before the enrollment prompt appears.

Yes. Google’s 401(k) plan allows after-tax contributions that are automatically converted to Roth — enabling the Mega Backdoor Roth strategy. In 2026, the IRS annual limit is $72,000 (combined across all contribution types for those under 50). Google matches 100% of employee contributions up to 50% of the IRS elective deferral limit, and matched contributions vest immediately. The remaining space after match and standard deferral can be filled with after-tax contributions for Roth conversion.

Concentration is reduced through a deliberate, multi-year plan: setting a maximum GOOG allocation, harvesting tax losses to offset diversification gains, and using vehicles like direct indexing or exchange funds when concentration is large. Donating appreciated GOOG shares to a donor-advised fund can eliminate capital gains on those lots entirely. The wrong move is selling all at once and triggering an unnecessary tax event — the right move is staging it.

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