About this session
Employee share arrangements can look similar on a reward statement while operating very differently in practice.
An employee in Ireland may receive shares through APSS, save toward a SAYE option, hold a KEEP or unapproved option, receive an RSU, acquire discounted shares, or participate in another share-based arrangement. Each structure has its own events, conditions and tax questions.
This session helps participants understand the arrangement before making a financial decision.
Employees learn to identify what they have, locate the documents governing it, distinguish allocation or grant from vesting, exercise, acquisition and settlement, understand retention or expiry conditions, and see when an arrangement creates actual share ownership rather than only a future right or cash-linked benefit.
The session then introduces Irish share-scheme taxation at an employee-literacy level.
Participants learn why APSS, SAYE, KEEP, unapproved options, RSUs and direct share awards should not automatically be treated the same; why Income Tax, USC and PRSI need to be separated; why post-2023 option gains are now generally processed through payroll; and why a later sale of actual shares can create a separate CGT question.
Finally, participants build a decision-readiness framework around participation terms, exercise cost, liquidity, payroll tax cash flow, employer-share concentration, trading restrictions, records and specialist support.
The goal is to know what you have, what may happen next and which questions still need to be answered — not to tell an employee whether to participate, exercise, hold or sell.
What your people take away
- Identify the APSS, SAYE, KEEP, option, RSU, direct-share or other share-based arrangement actually provided
- Follow the arrangement from allocation or grant through vesting, exercise, acquisition or settlement and later sale where applicable
- Recognize Irish Income Tax, USC, PRSI, payroll and later CGT questions without receiving individualized tax advice
- Understand liquidity, tax-cash-flow, trading-restriction and employer-concentration considerations before acting
- Build a practical question-and-record system for HR, payroll, the plan administrator, Revenue, a qualified tax professional, compliance / legal support or an appropriately qualified financial adviser
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled InA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In: identify the arrangement before making a decision, distinguish approved schemes, KEEP & ordinary share remuneration and separate actual shares from options, units & cash-linked rights.
- Identify the arrangement before making a decision
- Distinguish approved schemes, KEEP & ordinary share remuneration
- Separate actual shares from options, units & cash-linked rights
Covers 3 of 4 points in Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In.
60 minutes
60 Minutes — Module 1: Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled InStart with the arrangement itself. Participants distinguish APSS, SAYE, KEEP, unapproved share options, RSUs, direct shares and other share-based awards; identify whether the arrangement delivers current ownership, a future option, a future share entitlement or cash; locate the documents that govern it; and identify the conditions that matter before a financial decision is made.
- Module 1: Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In
- Ireland Share Scheme & Equity Award Map
- Approved Scheme vs KEEP vs Unapproved Award
- Share vs Option vs Unit vs Cash-Linked Right
- Plan Document & Key-Term Checklist
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In.
90 minutes
90 Minutes — Modules 1 and 2: Understand Your Arrangement & Follow the Equity LifecycleBuild on scheme and award literacy by following shares, options and units from allocation or grant through vesting, exercise, acquisition, settlement, retention, expiry, forfeiture and eventual sale where applicable. Participants examine leaver provisions, disposal restrictions, scheme deadlines and liquidity without being told whether to participate, exercise or sell.
- Module 1: Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In
- Module 2: Follow the Arrangement From Grant or Allocation to Sale
- Share Scheme & Award Lifecycle Map
- Vesting / Exercise / Retention / Expiry Calendar
- Leaver & Corporate-Event Question Map
- Trading, Restriction & Liquidity Check
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In and Follow the Arrangement From Grant or Allocation to Sale.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In, Follow the Arrangement From Grant or Allocation to Sale and Understand Irish Equity Tax, Payroll & Records.
Full day
Full Day — Complete Irish Share Scheme & Equity Compensation WorkshopWork through all four modules using fictional Irish employee-share scenarios. Participants identify APSS, SAYE, KEEP, unapproved options, RSUs and other share arrangements, read plan conditions, follow major award events, recognize Income Tax, USC, PRSI and PAYE questions, distinguish approved-scheme relief from KEEP and ordinary share remuneration, connect employment taxation with later CGT, organize records, and build a decision-readiness framework covering liquidity, concentration, trading restrictions and specialist support. No participant is told whether to participate, exercise, hold or sell.
- Module 1: Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In
- Module 2: Follow the Arrangement From Grant or Allocation to Sale
- Module 3: Understand Irish Equity Tax, Payroll & Records
- Module 4: Prepare for an Equity Decision Without Being Told What to Do
- Ireland Share Scheme & Equity Award Map
- Share Scheme & Award Lifecycle Map
- Plan Document & Key-Term Checklist
- APSS / SAYE / KEEP Tax Question Map
- Option / RSU / Share Award Payroll Map
- Employment Tax-to-CGT Map
- Equity Tax & Record Checklist
- Liquidity & Payroll Tax Cash-Flow Check
- Employer Concentration Question Map
- Equity Decision Readiness Checklist
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In
Every length- Identify the arrangement before making a decisionParticipants distinguish APSS, SAYE, KEEP, unapproved share options, RSUs, direct share awards, restricted shares, ESPPs and cash-settled share-linked awards at a practical level.
- Distinguish approved schemes, KEEP & ordinary share remunerationParticipants learn that APSS, ESOT and SAYE sit within Revenue's approved-share-scheme framework, while KEEP is a separate statutory option regime and many other awards are ordinary unapproved share-based remuneration.
- Separate actual shares from options, units & cash-linked rightsParticipants identify whether they currently own shares, have an option to acquire shares later, expect shares or cash after an RSU vesting event, or hold a cash-linked award such as certain phantom-share or stock-appreciation-right arrangements.
- Read the documents that control the arrangementParticipants locate scheme rules, grant or allocation notices, trust information where relevant, savings terms where relevant, vesting conditions, exercise price, retention or disposal restrictions, settlement terms, expiry, lapse, forfeiture and leaver provisions.
Follow the Arrangement From Grant or Allocation to Sale
90 minutes and longer- Map the full scheme or award lifecycleParticipants map the events that can occur across employee-share arrangements.
- Track vesting, exercise, retention & expiryParticipants identify vesting conditions, savings or participation requirements, option exercise windows, retention conditions, expiry dates and settlement mechanics.
- Understand what employment changes can do to the arrangementParticipants review the questions that can arise when employment ends or changes, including whether an option lapses, an exercise window shortens, an unvested award is forfeited, trust or retention rules are affected, or special leaver provisions apply.
- Check disposal restrictions, inside information & liquidityParticipants examine retention requirements, restricted-share terms, employer dealing policies, inside-information boundaries, transfer limitations and whether an actual market exists for the shares.
Understand Irish Equity Tax, Payroll & Records
3 hours and longer- KEEP Income Tax, USC & PRSI conceptually distinctParticipants learn that an Irish share arrangement can receive favorable Income Tax treatment while USC or employee PRSI still applies.
- Treat APSS, SAYE, KEEP, options & RSUS as different tax pathwaysParticipants compare the structural tax questions created by Revenue-approved schemes, KEEP, unapproved options, RSUs, direct shares and cash-settled awards.
- Understand the post-2023 option payroll changeParticipants learn that gains on unapproved options realized on or after 1 January 2024 are generally subject to Income Tax, USC and PRSI through employer payroll.
- Separate employment tax from later CGT & KEEP the record trailParticipants understand that the employment-related tax event and a later sale of actual shares can be separate tax questions.
Prepare for an Equity Decision Without Being Told What to Do
Full day only- Check participation cost, exercise cost, liquidity & tax cash flowParticipants examine whether the arrangement requires savings, an exercise or purchase payment, whether actual shares can be sold, whether an award settles automatically, and whether payroll tax could affect cash flow before equivalent sale proceeds are available.
- Make employer-share concentration visibleParticipants identify the concentration question created when salary, career progression, variable reward and investment exposure depend on the same employer or corporate group.
- Use decision questions instead of share-price predictionsParticipants build a decision checklist covering scheme rules, participation requirements, vesting, deadlines, exercise cost, retention conditions, available cash, tax and payroll questions, liquidity, trading restrictions, concentration, personal objectives and information still missing.
- Route each question to the right sourceParticipants distinguish questions for HR or Reward, the plan administrator, payroll, Revenue, a qualified Irish tax professional, compliance or legal support, and an appropriately qualified financial adviser.
Tools and materials
- Irish Share Schemes & Equity Compensation Workbook
- Irish Share Scheme & Equity Learning Baseline
- Ireland Share Scheme & Equity Award Map
- Irish Equity Terminology Guide
- Approved Scheme vs KEEP vs Unapproved Award
- Share vs Option vs Unit vs Cash-Linked Right
- Plan Document & Key-Term Checklist
- Scheme / Grant Information Worksheet
- Award Conditions Question Builder
- Share Scheme & Award Lifecycle Map
- Allocation / Grant / Vest / Exercise / Settlement / Sale Timeline
- Vesting / Exercise / Retention / Expiry Calendar
- Leaver & Corporate-Event Question Map
- Trading, Restriction & Liquidity Check
- APSS / SAYE / KEEP Tax Question Map
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Understanding Share Schemes and Equity Compensation - Ireland
How long is Understanding Share Schemes and Equity Compensation - Ireland?
Understanding Share Schemes and Equity Compensation - Ireland runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In: identify the arrangement before making a decision, distinguish approved schemes, KEEP & ordinary share remuneration and separate actual shares from options, units & cash-linked rights. A 60-minute session covers Understand What You Have Been Granted or Enrolled In in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Follow the Arrangement From Grant or Allocation to Sale. A 3-hour session adds Understand Irish Equity Tax, Payroll & Records. A full-day session adds Prepare for an Equity Decision Without Being Told What to Do. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Understanding Share Schemes and Equity Compensation - Ireland be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Understanding Share Schemes and Equity Compensation - Ireland?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Understanding Share Schemes and Equity Compensation - Ireland to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.