I don't know. I don't think noting that type of income in W-2 box 12 code 'V' is mandatory, so maybe contacting an HR person to clear things up might help. Somebody should know if that income was included.

CNN is running a really weird piece about a polygamist group that was raided in the 50s, interviewing a bunch of women who were children at the time. The whole thing is being portrayed as some family tragedy, all noble fathers sneaking back to see their wives and the women hiding new pregnancies from the big bad authorities (since part of the men's release from prison was a promise not to, you know, keep it up. Iit was many years before some of the families were reunited." Which, yes, I'm sure that's hard and all, but it's a deeply strange perspective when not contrasted with any other view of the situation.

Wouldn't you be taxed on the cost of the options as income, and then the "profit" (i.e., Phase 3) as capital gains?

You still have to buy the options, you just get a better price if the stock price increased since the grant. I have no idea however if there is any tax on the current price - strike price but I don't think there is, but I don't really know for sure. I think you just pay on the sale price - purchase price - comission at sale time.

A same day cashless transaction can get rolled into regular income however and that's the only way I've ever done it.

The idea is that once you put is down it will stop swirling around in your head and causing anxiety.

This actually has worked for me since I started in January. I keep a thin moleskine notebook and I just write stuff down. It is so much LESS anxiety producing than to perseverate on the same 18 things I need to do.

And, yet, things still fall through the cracks.

All I know is I love Kelly Clarkson. Even (maybe especially) when she wears unflattering clothes.

Does this help at all, PC: [link]

You still have to buy the options, you just get a better price if the stock price increased since the grant.

Oh right. Duh. I wasn't thinking through the whole "options" thing.

Wouldn't you be taxed on the cost of the options as income, and then the "profit" (i.e., Phase 3) as capital gains?

See, if the cost of options somehow gets added into the wages/tips/etc like bon bon said, that could explain the tax owed even after withholding from my regular salary, although it's still weird because I don't think the tax rate is 60%.

I wasn't expecting to owe this much. This is bizarre.

Also, isn't there some rule about short- vs. long-term with stocks?

Well, they have different sections on the form.

things will always fall through the cracks.

things overheard at work: I take them to lubricate my eyes,

short-term gains are for stocks held under one year.