Apple Inc.AAPL

Apple Inc. Stock Compensation Disclosure

10-KFiled Nov 1, 20243 min read
Share-Based Compensation
2022 Employee Stock Plan
The Apple Inc. 2022 Employee Stock Plan (the “2022 Plan”) is a shareholder-approved plan that provides for broad-based equity grants to employees, including executive officers, and permits the granting of RSUs, stock grants, performance-based awards, stock options and stock appreciation rights. RSUs granted under the 2022 Plan generally vest over four years, based on continued employment, and are settled upon vesting in shares of the Company’s common stock on a one-for-one basis. All RSUs granted under the 2022 Plan have dividend equivalent rights, which entitle holders of RSUs to the same dividend value per share as holders of common stock. A maximum of approximately 1.3 billion shares were authorized for issuance pursuant to 2022 Plan awards at the time the plan was approved on March 4, 2022.
2014 Employee Stock Plan
The Apple Inc. 2014 Employee Stock Plan, as amended and restated (the “2014 Plan”), is a shareholder-approved plan that provided for broad-based equity grants to employees, including executive officers. The 2014 Plan permitted the granting of the same types of equity awards with substantially the same terms as the 2022 Plan. The 2014 Plan also permitted the granting of cash bonus awards. In the third quarter of 2022, the Company terminated the authority to grant new awards under the 2014 Plan.
Restricted Stock Units
A summary of the Company’s RSU activity and related information for 2024, 2023 and 2022, is as follows:
Number of
RSUs
(in thousands)
Weighted-Average
Grant-Date Fair
Value Per RSU
Aggregate
Fair Value
(in millions)
Balance as of September 25, 2021240,427 $75.16 
RSUs granted91,674 $150.70 
RSUs vested(115,861)$72.12 
RSUs canceled(14,739)$99.77 
Balance as of September 24, 2022201,501 $109.48 
RSUs granted88,768 $150.87 
RSUs vested(101,878)$97.31 
RSUs canceled(8,144)$127.98 
Balance as of September 30, 2023180,247 $135.91 
RSUs granted80,456 $173.78 
RSUs vested(87,633)$127.59 
RSUs canceled(9,744)$140.80 
Balance as of September 28, 2024163,326 $158.73 $37,204 
The fair value as of the respective vesting dates of RSUs was $15.8 billion, $15.9 billion and $18.2 billion for 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The majority of RSUs that vested in 2024, 2023 and 2022 were net share settled such that the Company withheld shares with a value equivalent to the employees’ obligation for the applicable income and other employment taxes, and remitted cash to the appropriate taxing authorities. The total shares withheld were approximately 31 million, 37 million and 41 million for 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and were based on the value of the RSUs on their respective vesting dates as determined by the Company’s closing stock price. Total payments to taxing authorities for employees’ tax obligations were $5.6 billion in both 2024 and 2023 and $6.4 billion in 2022.
Share-Based Compensation
The following table shows share-based compensation expense and the related income tax benefit included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for 2024, 2023 and 2022 (in millions):
202420232022
Share-based compensation expense$11,688 $10,833 $9,038 
Income tax benefit related to share-based compensation expense$(3,350)$(3,421)$(4,002)
As of September 28, 2024, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to outstanding RSUs was $19.4 billion, which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted-average period of 2.4 years.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2024Nov 1, 2024Showing above
2023Nov 3, 2023

About Stock Compensation Disclosures

Stock-based compensation disclosures detail the equity awards granted to employees and executives — including stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), and performance shares — along with the valuation methods and assumptions used to expense them. This section reveals the true cost of talent retention and the alignment between management incentives and shareholder interests.

Key signals: total unrecognized compensation expense and its expected recognition period signal future earnings headwinds from already-granted awards. For stock options, examine Black-Scholes assumptions — expected volatility, risk-free rate, and expected term — as understating any of these reduces reported compensation expense. Compare stock compensation expense as a percentage of revenue against peers to assess dilution cost. Watch vesting schedules for acceleration clauses tied to change-of-control events. Performance-based awards with undemanding targets may indicate weak governance. Add back stock compensation to operating cash flow to calculate a more conservative free cash flow figure.

Other Available Disclosures

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