Sell your ESOPs: indicative value after exercise cost and tax
Vested ESOPs of an unlisted company become ordinary shares the moment you exercise them, and unlisted shares are what this desk has researched and priced since 2002. Estimate what a holding might be worth after exercise cost and perquisite tax, against the company's dated indicative price, then send the desk a sell enquiry.
How the estimator works
Pick your company, or type its name if it is not tracked yet, then enter the vested units, your exercise price and your tax slab. The page shows the gross value at today's indicative price, the cost to exercise, the perquisite tax that lands in your payroll, and an indicative in-hand figure. If the indicative price sits below your exercise price it says so plainly. Nothing you enter is stored.
The two tax events
Exercise is the first. The difference between the fair market value on the exercise date and the exercise price is a perquisite, taxed at your slab and withheld by your employer; for an unlisted company that fair market value is certified by a merchant banker. Sale is the second. The gain over that fair market value is a capital gain, long-term once the shares have been held for more than 24 months from allotment and taxed at 12.5% without indexation; a shorter holding is taxed at your slab. Confirm your own numbers with a chartered accountant.
What to check before you sell
Read your grant letter and the company's articles of association first: a right of first refusal, board approval or a lock-in binds any transfer, whoever handles it. The shares need to be in demat form, and the desk's indicative references relate to demat-held shares only, so keep your client master list (CML) handy. The desk confirms availability and the price in writing before anything moves; the terms set out the rest.
For founders and HR
If a whole team holds vested stock and wants a way out, tell the private capital desk what you have in mind and it will come back to you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell options that I have not exercised?
No. Options are not transferable; only shares are. Exercise the vested options first, and the allotted shares are then ordinary unlisted shares.
What documents does the desk ask for?
Proof of grant or exercise, a demat holding statement or client master list, and your PAN. Indicative references relate to demat-held shares only.
Will the desk buy my shares?
The desk publishes dated indicative prices and finds a buyer for the shares you want to sell. The price and the quantity are confirmed in writing before anything moves, and the shares transfer demat to demat.
Is the in-hand figure a valuation?
No. It is an illustration built on the dated indicative price and your inputs. The price for an actual sale is the one the desk confirms on the day.
Indicative reference price, dated. BuyUnlistedShares is India's premium unlisted shares desk: the unlisted and pre-IPO dealing desk of Gayatri Financial Synergy, Faridabad, in the market since 2002. Reviewed by the BuyUnlistedShares desk before publishing. Data as of 06 Oct 2026.
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