An ESOP, designed beyond the percentage
Connect talent strategy, dilution, vesting, tax and company approvals before options are promised to employees.
- Professional fee
- Written quote
- Working timeline
- Confirmed after scope review
- Government charges
- Shown before payment
Coverage map
Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP)
Pool. Vest. Exercise. Record.
Built for
Indian employers and growing teams
Best when
Hiring plan and cap table are current
What should the option pool
achieve?
Retention, senior hiring and financing create different grant designs.
Key-team retention
Align vesting and leaver treatment with the role.
Future financing
Model pool dilution before investor negotiations.
Company approvals
Sequence board, shareholder and grant records.
Exercise and tax
Plan valuation, payment, allotment and employee tax.
ESOP framework
Pool. Vest. Exercise. Record.
An option promise is not an issued share.
Eligibility, approvals, vesting, exercise, valuation and allotment must work as one system.
What you receive,
ready to use.
We turn the commercial reward strategy into a company-law-ready scheme, approval sequence, grant process and living cap-table record.
without hidden dilution.MODEL · APPROVE · ADMINISTER
ESOP design and eligibility note
Pool and dilution scenarios
Scheme and grant-document drafting scope
Board and shareholder approval pack
Vesting, exercise and leaver framework
Allotment, register and disclosure calendar
What must be
in place.
The issuer is a company capable of operating an employee option plan.
The intended recipients and any promoter or director status are known.
Current cap table, authorised capital and shareholder arrangements are available.
Commercial terms for pool, vesting, exercise and leavers can be decided.
Listed companies, unlisted companies and qualifying startups follow different eligibility and governance rules.
Design from the company stage
The commercial objective comes first.
| Decision | Early startup | Growth company | Listed company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary aim | Key hires and retention | Structured broad grants | Regulated share benefits |
| Main constraint | Founder dilution | Investor and cap-table terms | SEBI governance |
| Administration | Lean but complete | Repeatable grant cycle | Committee and disclosure controls |
From talent plan to
operational option scheme.
A practical sequence with clear ownership at every stage. Registry review times can vary.
Reward strategy
Step 1
We handle
Define eligible team, pool intent, retention goals and financing context.
You provide
Share hiring plan, cap table and investor commitments.
Economics and eligibility
Decision stage
We handle
Model dilution and test recipient eligibility.
You provide
Approve pool, vesting and exercise principles.
Scheme drafting
Scope dependent
We handle
Draft scheme, grant framework and corporate approvals.
You provide
Review commercial and leaver outcomes.
Approvals and grants
Corporate cycle
We handle
Coordinate board, shareholder and grant documentation.
You provide
Pass approvals and execute grants.
Exercise and records
Ongoing
We handle
Map valuation, exercise, allotment, PAS-3 and SH-6 controls.
You provide
Maintain cap table, disclosures and employee communication.
A checklist without
the back-and-forth.
We ask only for records or data relevant to your application, review, or audit scope.
- Certificate, charter and current cap table
- Authorised and issued capital
- Shareholders or investment agreements
- Prior options, warrants or convertibles
Before you begin
Use clear PDF, JPG, or PNG files.
Keep address records recent and readable.
Transparent fees,
before you commit.
Each registration carries its own government fee, and some are state-specific. We quote the exact combination for your business before any work begins.
Your written quote covers
- — Reward strategy
- — Economics and eligibility
- — Scheme drafting
- — Approvals and grants
- — Exercise and records
Not included automatically
- — Government fees, contributions, interest, damages and penalties
- — Litigation, inspection representation or notice replies unless expressly scoped
- — Payroll reconstruction, historical data cleanup and third-party software
- — State registrations, licences or locations outside the written scope
Costs that can repeat
- — Grant and vesting administration
- — Valuation and tax checkpoints
- — Exercise, allotment and PAS-3 filing
- — SH-6 register and cap-table maintenance
Scheme approved,
administration begins.
These are the first recurring obligations to plan for before you commit to a company structure.
Corporate approval
Before grants
The scheme and required shareholder approval should precede option grants.
Exercise and allotment
Event based
Valuation, payment, allotment and return-of-allotment steps must align.
Board disclosures
Annual reporting cycle
Applicable ESOP disclosures and accounting treatment continue after launch.
Got questions?
We’ve got answers.
Understand pools, dilution, eligibility, vesting, grants, exercise, valuation, tax, allotment and ongoing records.
Still deciding?
AI CA can compare structures around cost, risk, compliance, and funding.