This guide helps you enter RSU vesting, ESS shares, and employee stock option exercises as trades so Navexa can track performance and capital gains correctly.
Remember, this is general information and not personal financial or tax advice.
How Navexa handles RSUs, ESS, and employee stock options
Navexa doesn’t have a dedicated “ESS/RSU” setting. It calculates performance and CGT based on the trades you enter.
That means the key to accuracy is entering:
The correct date (vesting/exercise date, and later the sell date)
The correct units
The correct per-share value from your statement (used as cost base in Navexa)
Choose how you want to organise your plan
Option 1: Keep everything in one portfolio (recommended)
Use your main portfolio and enter each vesting/exercise event as trades. This keeps reporting clean.
Option 2: Track “unvested” awards in a separate portfolio (optional)
If you want a visual tracker for future vesting:
Create a portfolio called Unvested Shares
Record planned tranches there for reference only
When shares vest/exercise:
Add the real trades in your main portfolio
Delete the “unvested” reference entries (there’s no automatic transfer)
Record RSU vesting or ESS shares
Step 1: Add the holding
Go to Portfolio → Holdings → Add Holding
Search your company ticker (e.g., ASX code or NASDAQ symbol)
Click Add Holding
Step 2: Record the vesting event as a Buy trade
Go to Portfolio → Trades → Add Trade
Select Buy
Set Date = vesting date
Set Units = shares that vested
Set Price per share = the value shown on your RSU/ESS statement for that vest (often labelled “taxable value” or “market value”)
Step 3: If shares were withheld/sold for tax, record a Sell trade
If your employer “sell-to-covers” or withholds shares:
Add another trade on the same date
Select Sell
Units = shares withheld/sold
Price per share = the sale price shown on the statement (if not shown, use the same value you used for the Buy on that date)
Your holding should now show the net shares you actually kept.
Record employee stock option exercises
Employee stock option exercises are recorded as trades on the exercise date.
What you typically record
Depending on your plan, you’ll usually enter:
1) Buy trade (shares acquired at exercise)
Date = exercise date
Units = shares issued from the exercise
Price per share = the per-share value your statement uses as the cost base / taxable value at exercise (use your plan’s wording)
2) Sell trade (only if shares were sold/withheld)
If some shares were sold/withheld to fund exercise costs or tax:
Date = exercise date
Units = shares sold/withheld
Price per share = the sale price shown on the exercise confirmation (or the same per-share value used above if that’s all you have)
Notes for employee stock option plans
Some option plans show an exercise price plus a separate taxable value/market value
If your statement provides a per-share figure specifically for tax/cost base, use that in Navexa to align reporting to the statement
Example
You’re granted 100 RSUs in ABC Ltd.
On 1 April 2025, 100 shares vest at AUD $27.00 each.
Your employer sells 25 shares to cover tax.
Enter:
Trade 1: Buy 100 shares @ 27.00 on 1 April 2025
Trade 2: Sell 25 shares @ 27.00 on 1 April 2025 (or the exact sale price shown)
Your holding will show 75 shares remaining.
Reporting in Navexa
Once trades are entered, Navexa can report on:
Performance (returns and growth)
Income reporting (e.g., dividends)
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) outcomes when you sell
If you used an Unvested Shares portfolio, that data is reference-only and won’t flow into reporting.
Key dates to track
Grant date: informational only (not usually a trade date in Navexa)
Vesting date: the date you typically record the Buy for RSUs/ESS shares
Exercise date: the date you typically record the Buy for employee stock option exercises
Sell date: the date you dispose of shares (record a Sell)
Tax and compliance note
Navexa can calculate capital gains and losses based on the trades you enter, but it can’t confirm whether the figures you enter match your employer statements or determine your full tax position (for example, how your ESS income is treated outside CGT).
Use your RSU/ESS/employee stock option statements as the source of truth for dates, units, and values.
Remember, this is general information and not personal financial or tax advice.