Other People's Money
Back to library
Employment Benefits

ESPP 15% Discount + Lookback (Guaranteed 17.6% Return)

Contribute max to §423 ESPP with 15% discount + 6-month lookback = ~26% annualized risk-free arb.

Overview

IRC §423 qualified ESPP with 15% discount + 6-month lookback: purchase price = 85% of LOWER of start-of-period or end-of-period stock price. Contribute maximum (25% of comp or $25K/yr statutory cap), sell IMMEDIATELY on purchase date. Guaranteed 17.6% return per period (2 periods/yr = ~35%+ annualized). Tax: discount is ordinary income, gains are short-term. If held 2 years from grant + 1 year from purchase, qualifies for preferential §423 tax. Immediate-sell strategy skips tax optimization for guaranteed lock.

Best fit
Public-company employees with ESPPCash-flow-flexible saversAnyone with 15%+ discount ESPP
Estimated impact
$4K–$8K/yr guaranteed return on $25K ESPP contribution

Click Generate advisory deep dive for mechanics, IRC citations, a step-by-step execution plan, a worked numeric example on your profile, costs, risks, and this-week actions.

More employment benefits strategies

See all Employment Benefits strategies
OPM