ESOP — Employee Stock Option Plan
โครงการหุ้นพนักงาน (ESOP / Employee Stock Option Plan) · § Advisory
Quick Answer
ESOP schemes from THB 90,000 — pool sizing 5–15%, 4-year vesting cliff-1, defensible strike price, good/bad-leaver mechanics, and SEC filings for PLCs.
Timeline: Plan design 2 wk · Board & shareholder approvals 4 wk · SEC filing (PLC) 4–6 wk
Official fee: SEC filing fee THB 50,000 (PLC ESOP) · Stamp duty on option agreements THB 200 each
Legal Basis
SEC Notification TorJor.32/2551 (PLC ESOP), Revenue Code §40(1) taxable at exercise, CCC (private-co equivalents), and Securities Act §89/28 (executive compensation).
Who Needs This
Startups at Series A/B, PLCs retaining executives, and IPO-track SMEs.
Required Documents
- Plan document with vesting schedule
- Individual option agreements
- 3/4 shareholder resolution approving dilution
- Pre/post fully-diluted cap table
- Valuation report (409A-style) supporting strike price
Common Pitfalls
- Strike below fair value = Revenue Dept treats income at grant, not exercise
- Missing bad-leaver clause lets terminated staff still exercise
- Private co issuing options without pre-registered capital increase voids the option contract
Typical Use-cases
- Series-B fintech creating a 12% ESOP pool with change-of-control acceleration
- SET50 PLC issuing a 3rd ESOP tranche to 42 executives with SEC filing
- Family business granting 5% to next-gen management via cash-settled phantom stock
FAQ
- How is this different from RSUs?
- Options require paying the strike at exercise; RSUs deliver shares on vesting with no cash outlay.
- When is the employee taxed?
- At exercise — spread of FMV over strike is §40(1) income, subject to withholding and PIT filing.
- Can pre-IPO startups run ESOPs?
- Yes via a private company, but watch the 100-shareholder cap (§1096) — an SPV holding vehicle is the usual solution.
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