TTEC Holdings, Inc. Stock Compensation Disclosure
(19)EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION PLANS
Employee Benefit Plan
The Company currently has a 401(k) profit-sharing plan that allows participation by U.S. employees who have completed six months of service, as defined, and are 21 years of age or older. Participants may defer up to 75% of their gross pay, up to a maximum limit determined by U.S. federal law. Participants are also eligible for a matching contribution. The Company may from time to time, at its discretion, make a “matching contribution” based on the amount and rate of the elective deferrals. The Company determines how much, if any, it will contribute for each dollar of elective deferrals. Participants vest in matching contributions over a three-year period. Company matching contributions to the 401(k) plan(s) totaled $9.6 million, $9.4 million and $11.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Equity Compensation Plans
In February 2020, the Company adopted the TTEC Holdings, Inc., 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”), which permits awards of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, shares of restricted common stock, performance stock units and restricted stock units. The 2020 Plan will also provide for annual equity-based compensation grants to members of the Company’s Board of Directors. Options granted to employees under the 2020 Plan generally vest over to five years and have a contractual life of ten years. Options issued to Directors vest over one year and have a contractual life of ten years. At the 2020 Annual Stockholder Meeting, the Company received shareholder approval for the 2020 Plan, including 4.0 million shares of common stock to be reserved for issuance under the Plan. At the 2024 Annual Stockholder Meeting, the Company received shareholder approval for an additional 4.5 million shares of TTEC common stock to be reserved for future issuance under the Plan.
The following table presents the total equity-based compensation expense (stock options and RSUs) for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31, |
| |||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
| ||||||
Equity-based compensation expense recognized in Cost of services | $ | 4,705 | $ | 7,237 | $ | 9,766 | ||||
Equity-based compensation expense recognized in Selling, general and administrative | 8,736 | 11,453 | 12,305 | |||||||
Total equity-based compensation expense | $ | 13,441 | $ | 18,690 | $ | 22,071 | ||||
|
| |||||||||
Total tax benefit recognized | $ | 1,148 | $ | 747 | $ | 2,329 | ||||
Restricted Stock Units
2023, 2024 and 2025 RSU Awards: The Company granted RSUs in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to new and existing employees that vest over to five years. The Company also granted RSUs in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to members of the Board of Directors that vest over one year.
Summary of RSUs: Settlement of the RSUs shall be made in shares of the Company’s common stock by delivery of one share of common stock for each RSU then being settled. The Company calculates the fair value for RSUs based on the closing price of the Company’s stock on the date of grant and records compensation expense over the vesting period using a straight-line method. The Company factors an estimated forfeiture rate in calculating compensation expense on RSUs and adjusts for actual forfeitures upon the vesting of each tranche of RSUs. The Company also factors in the present value of the estimated dividend payments that will have accrued as these RSUs are vesting.
The weighted average grant-date fair value of RSUs, including performance-based RSUs, granted during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023 was $4.36, $6.55, and $33.34, respectively. The total intrinsic value and fair value of RSUs vested during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023 was $15.6 million, $22.6 million, and $17.7 million, respectively.
Performance Based Restricted Stock Unit Grants
During 2021, the Company awarded performance-based RSUs (“PRSUs”) that were subject to service and performance vesting conditions. If defined minimum targets were met, the annual value of the PRSUs issued would be between $1.2 million and $4.9 million and vest immediately in 2024. If the defined minimum targets were not met, then no shares would be issued. The number of shares that were awarded was based on the Company's annual revenue and adjusted operating income for the fiscal year 2023. The Company recognized compensation expense related to the 2021 PRSUs of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 with 7,452 shares issued in March 2024.
During 2022, the Company granted awards of two different PRSU programs that were subject to service and performance vesting conditions: ordinary course annual PRSUs and one-time stretch financial goals PRSUs. For the ordinary course annual PRSUs, if defined minimum targets were met, the annual value of the PRSUs issued would have been between $0.9 million and $3.5 million and the PRSUs would have vested in March 2025. If the defined minimum targets were not met, then no shares would be issued. The number of shares that would have been awarded would have been based on the Company’s annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA for the fiscal year 2024. For the 2022 ordinary course annual PRSUs, no shares were issued in March 2025 as defined minimum targets were not met. For the one-time stretch financial goals PRSUs, if defined minimum targets at TTEC Engage and TTEC Digital business segments’ levels were met, the number of shares of PRSUs issued would be between 0.0 million shares and 0.5 million shares and would vest immediately in March 2026. If the defined minimum targets were not met, then no shares would be issued. The number of shares to be awarded would be based on the TTEC Engage and TTEC Digital business segments’ annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA for the fiscal year 2025. The Company did not recognize any compensation expense related to these awards for the year ended December 31, 2025, as defined minimum targets were not met.
During 2023, the Company awarded PRSUs that are subject to service and performance vesting conditions. If defined minimum targets were met, the annual value of the PRSUs issued would be between zero and $8.9 million and would vest immediately in 2026. If the defined minimum targets were not met, then no shares would be issued. The number of shares that would be awarded would be based on the Company’s annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA for fiscal year 2025. The Company did not recognize any compensation expense related to these awards for the year ended December 31, 2025, as defined minimum targets were not met.
During 2024, the Company awarded PRSUs to senior executives that are subject to service and performance vesting conditions. If defined minimum targets are met, the Company will issue PRSUs with an annual value between zero and $5.9 million that vest in 2026. If the defined minimum targets are not met, then no PRSUs will be issued. The number of PRSUs awarded will be based on the Company’s annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA for fiscal year 2026 and on TTEC Digital’s annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA for fiscal year 2026. Expense for these awards will begin at the start of the requisite service period, beginning January 1, 2026.
A summary of the status of the Company’s non-vested RSUs and PRSUs and activity for the year ended December 31, 2025 is as follows:
| | Weighted |
| |||
Average |
| |||||
Grant Date |
| |||||
Shares | Fair Value |
| ||||
Unvested as of December 31, 2024 |
| 4,245,246 | $ | 14.13 | ||
Granted |
| 863,040 | $ | 4.36 | ||
Vested |
| (1,105,963) | $ | 14.06 | ||
Cancellations/expirations |
| (523,382) | $ | 13.81 | ||
Unvested as of December 31, 2025 |
| 3,478,941 | $ | 11.64 | ||
Beginning in the third quarter of 2024, all vesting will be from the 2020 equity plan and new common shares will be issued. As of December 31, 2025, there was approximately $16.0 million of total unrecognized compensation expense and approximately $12.5 million in total intrinsic value related to non-vested RSU grants. The unrecognized compensation expense will be recognized over the remaining weighted-average vesting period of 1.3 years using the straight-line method.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 26, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 27, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 29, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 28, 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.