If your company is running a share offer, you'll get an email inviting you to take part. This article walks through what happens from opening that email to finishing your application, including how to split your shares across more than one holder.
Sharesies Private doesn't give tax, legal, or financial advice. If you're not sure whether taking up an offer is right for you, talk to a licensed adviser before you apply.
Before you start
Have a think about:
How many shares you want — you don't have to accept the full amount you've been offered
Who you want the shares held by — you, a trust, an SMSF, or a mix
How you'll pay for them — from your own funds, or with a loan from your company if one is available
You don't need to have all of this settled before you begin. You can work through the steps and change your answers up until you submit.
Opening your offer
Your invitation email includes the number of shares offered, the price per share, the total cost, and the date your application closes. Select the link in the email to open your offer.
You can also get there by logging in to Sharesies Private and going to Offers in your side menu.
If the closing date passes before you submit, the offer expires and you won't be able to apply.
Step 1: Confirm your details
First up you'll see the details your company holds for you — your name, email, and the country you work in.
Check these are right. If something's wrong, get in touch with your company's share plan administrator before you go any further, as some of these details affect how your offer works.
Step 2: Choose how many shares to accept
Enter the number of shares you want to take up. You can accept all of them, some of them, or none.
Depending on how your company has set the offer up, you might see:
A range — accept any amount between a minimum and the full amount offered, sometimes in set increments
Set amounts — choose from a fixed list of options
The screen shows the total cost of what you've chosen, based on the price per share for this round.
Step 3: Choose who holds the shares
This is where you decide which entity (or entities) the shares are issued to. An entity is whoever legally holds the shares — that could be you personally, a family trust, an SMSF, or a company.
The options available to you depend on the company’s rules for the offer. Some companies may require your shares to be held by a single entity, while others may allow you to split your allocation across multiple entities. The types of entities you can use may also be restricted by the company.
You'll start with a single row holding the full amount, usually against you as an individual. If that's what you want — or the only option available for your offer — carry on to the next step.
Splitting across more than one holder
If your company allows you to hold the shares across multiple entities, you can split your allocation between the eligible holders available to you.
To share the allocation out:
Select Add holder
Choose an existing eligible entity from the list, or create a new one
Enter how many shares that holder should receive
Repeat until every share is allocated
The list shows any entities already linked to you in Sharesies Private, along with how many shares each one currently holds in the company — handy if you're trying to keep holdings balanced.
To remove a holder, select the remove option on that row. The shares don't reallocate themselves, so you'll need to reassign them before you can move on.
Creating a new holder
If the entity you want isn't in the list, select Add holder and then create a new one. You can set up a trust or an SMSF here without leaving your offer. If you don't already have an individual entity on file, you'll be able to create that too.
You'll be asked for the entity's details and who has authority to sign for it. For a trust with an individual trustee, that's the trustee themselves. For a trust with a corporate trustee, it's the company's directors.
Once you've created the entity it appears in your list straight away and you can allocate shares to it.
Rules to keep in mind
Every holder must be allocated at least one share — remove a holder rather than leaving them on zero
Your allocations have to add up to exactly the number of shares you accepted. The screen tracks how many are left to assign, and you can't continue while any are outstanding
The same holder can't appear twice. If you want to give one entity more shares, edit its existing row rather than adding it again
If you need to change how many shares you're accepting in total, go back to the previous step — your allocations will need to add up to the new amount
Step 4: Choose how to pay
Next, choose how you want to pay for your shares.
If your company allows you to pay in more than one currency, you can select the currency you want to pay in. Once selected, you'll see the converted price per share and your total amount payable in that currency.
If your company offers a loan, you can then decide how much of the cost you want the loan to cover.
Enter the loan amount in dollars. Leave it blank or enter zero to fund the whole amount yourself. As you type, the screen shows the split between the loan and the cash you'll need to pay, in both dollars and shares.
Your company sets the rules here. Some offers make a loan optional, some require the full amount to be taken as a loan, and some cap how much you can borrow. If the amount you enter falls outside those limits, you'll see an error and can adjust it.
Step 5: Set your salary deduction
Depending on your company and the offer, you may be asked how much you'd like deducted from each pay towards your shares or loan.
If this applies to your offer, enter the amount you want deducted. If salary deductions aren't part of your offer, you won't see this step.
Step 6: Finish your application
You'll see a summary of everything you've chosen. Once you're happy with everything, submit your application. If your offer requires documents to be signed, you'll be sent them to sign electronically. You'll also receive a summary of application via email.
Starting again
If you want to change your application, use the reset option at the top of the offer. This clears your answers, voids any signed agreements (if applicable) and takes you back to the beginning so you can apply again.
You can reset your application at any time before the offer round closes, including after you've submitted it. Once the offer has closed, you won't be able to reset or change your application through Sharesies Private.
What if I don't want to take part?
You're not obliged to. You can decline the offer, accept fewer shares than you were offered, or simply let it expire. Whichever you choose, it doesn't affect any shares or options you already hold.
If you're not sure, it's worth asking your administrator whether declining now affects your eligibility for future offers - that depends on your company's plan rules.
What happens next
After the offer round closes, your company reviews the applications and completes the share issue.
Once that's done, the shares will show against the relevant holders in Sharesies Private, and you'll be able to see them in your shareholdings.
Common questions
Can I accept fewer shares than I was offered?
Yes, unless your company has set a minimum. Anything you don't take up simply isn't issued to you.
Can I change my mind after submitting?
Yes. You can reset your application and start again at any time before the offer round closes, even after you've submitted it.
Once the offer round has closed, you'll need to contact your share plan administrator if you need to make a change.
Why can't I see an entity I expected in the holder list?
Only entities linked to you in Sharesies Private show up. If one's missing, create it during the allocation step or ask your administrator to link it.
Do I need to pay straight away?
That depends on your company's plan. Your administrator can confirm payment timing and what happens if you're taking a loan.
What happens to these shares if I leave?
That's set by your company's plan rules, not by Sharesies Private. Check your plan documents or ask your administrator.