How we saved a Battersea tech professional £18,400 on an RSU and bonus year
Client B works for a tech company near Battersea Power Station, with salary, a bonus and substantial vesting RSUs taking total income to around £235,000 in one year, deep into the additional-rate band and through the personal allowance taper. The RSUs had vested in a single tranche with no planning.
We modelled the mitigations. A substantial pension contribution (using carry-forward of unused annual allowance from previous years) reduced adjusted net income, recovering part of the tapered personal allowance and getting relief at the marginal rate. We grossed up Gift Aid donations to extend the basic-rate band, and reviewed the RSU vesting schedule to advise on spreading future vesting across tax years where possible.