Employee Stock Ownership Plans vs. Employee Stock Purchase Plans: What's the Difference?
Employee stock ownership plans and employee stock purchase plans represent two popular employee benefit options. As a business owner, you can promote employee stock ownership in your company using one of these plans.
An employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, allows employees to own stock in the company without having to purchase shares. In general, ESOPs are more common in closely held companies. There are more than 11,000 ESOPs in the United States today, making them the most common form of employee ownership. ESOPs are usually created when a retiring owner wants to transfer ownership of the company to one or more employees.
In contrast, an employee stock purchase plan, or ESPP, allows employees to use after-tax wages to purchase stock in their companies, usually at a discounted price. ESPPs are found mostly in publicly held companies; private companies that institute ESPPs stand a good chance of triggering U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations they would otherwise avoid.
The decision to start an ESOP or ESPP depends in part on your management philosophy. You'll need to ask yourself how committed you are to the concept of employee ownership, either through employee stock ownership or some other means. Companies with employee owners often boast higher productivity and increased employee loyalty, longevity, and satisfaction. But according to management experts, the best way to make your employees into owners is to give them shares in your company rather than asking them to pay for their shares.
Before you choose a plan, you’ll also have to consider how differences between ESOPs and ESPPs will affect your employees' financial well-being and your company's bottom line. For example, employees don't pay to participate in an ESOP; instead, the company contributes funds to employee accounts within a trust that invests in the company's stock. Other differences include the following:
Tax implications
The money in an ESOP account is tax deferred until an employee retires. In an ESPP, however, employees purchase stock with their own after-tax dollars and must pay capital gains taxes when they sell their shares. In addition, companies may deduct their ESOP contributions within certain limits, and business owners can sell their shares and defer taxes as long as they roll the money into qualified U.S. securities.
If your company is wholly owned by an ESOP and pays taxes as an S corporation, you’ll benefit from one of the best advantages of an ESOP: no federal income taxes (and no state income tax in most states).
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- How Employee Stock Options Work in Startup Companies
- Selling Your Company to Your Employees
- The Cost of Setting Up an Employee Stock Plan
- Is Your Business Partner’s Bad Credit Holding You Back?
- What Are the Advantages of Employee Stock Options?
Access to stock balances
ESOP participants don't have access to their balances until they retire or leave the company, similar to 401(k) plans. In an ESPP, employees can exercise their options whenever their company vesting schedule allows them to do so (usually after a year or two of service).
Employer costs
As a rule, ESOPs cost more to start and administer. Private companies are required by law to purchase ESOP shares from departing employees, which can be a major expense. In addition, private companies with ESOPs must pay appraisers to determine their stock prices each year.
