Stock Plan Administration Software [+Free eBook]

Stock plan administration software facilitates the administration of equity awards and employee share plans in a company. When a company offers its employees equity compensation, this type of software can help ease the admin burden for all stakeholders that comes with managing the ownership of the company.

What does stock plan administration software do?

Stock plan administration software, also known as equity management software, simplifies the complexities of stock-based incentive administration. It automates the creation, tracking, and management of equity awards and plans while helping your company to remain compliant with any regional regulations regarding your stock plan(s). It also helps provide real-time reporting and analytics on equity ownership to enable informed decision-making, something that is often not possible or difficult to do accurately using more manual solutions, like spreadsheets.

Unlike a manual solution with scalability problems and a higher risk of human error, equity software lets you recognize the time, reliability, and efficiency benefits associated with automation as early as possible. By bringing in a professional equity management provider like J.P. Morgan Workplace, you can focus on your core business while leveraging specialized expertise to ensure best-in-class equity programs.

Who uses stock plan software?

All kinds of businesses globally — public and private companies, from startups to enterprises utilize it to manage their plans, whether they are all-employee plans, reserved for a handful of executives, or any variation in between.

Equity compensation management software can be used to assist various departments within a company, including Finance, Legal, HR and Rewards.

The primary responsibility for administering stock plans is usually housed within their HR or compensation and benefits department according to the NASPP and Deloitte 2020 domestic stock plan administration survey.

When do you need a software solution?

The timing is different for every company. Some ditch their spreadsheet and migrate their stock plans into a dedicated stock plan management tool in the very early stages before hiring their first set of employees. However, some only come around to the software solution after enduring many headaches – the manual input-related errors and the massive time commitment to try to keep the plan up to date.

While it’s not essential to use stock plan administration software from the outset, early adoption enables you to enjoy the benefits of automating the complex process sooner. Check the benefits below.

Benefits of using stock plan administration software

Equity compensation management is complex and highly specialized, with rigorous reporting and compliance demands, pushing HR and Equity Compensation professionals to the limit every day. Opting for an in-house manual input solution almost amounts to tying one hand behind your own back.

Advanced stock plan management software can optimize your entire stock plan management process. Here are some of the benefits:

1. Have a one-stop solution, managed through an online and automated process
2. Synchronize with payroll, HR, tax, accounting, and reporting systems
3. Save time and money
4. Reduce the risk of multiple versions of a stock plan and manual errors
5. Fulfil legal requirements that apply to you, your investors, and your employees
6. Rely on a single source of up-to-date information to avoid confusion
7. Access real-time and interactive data to make an informed decision
8. Improve participant engagement to make them more likely to sign up
9. Globalize your stock plan with ease when your business grows
10. Enhance data security

To learn more about stock plan optimization, download our free ebook to discover how to truly maximize your employee stock plans.

Find your stock plan service provider

We have the experience and knowledge to be your partner and provide you with the automated equity management system that you need.

Our solution is an automated award-winning platform with a team of experienced equity professionals. It caters to every stock plan’s need and award type imaginable. It streamlines the day-to-day execution of transactions, with full automation of tracking, administering and reporting of all equity award activities for you. 

In addition, our online employee portal engages participants to manage their own allocations with relative ease. This will not be possible with other manual equity plan solutions but only with dedicated software.

Our Features & Benefits at a Glance

To sum up, we will provide you with all the tools you need to help manage employee equity, engage your employees, and satisfy compliance requirements. Here’s how we work:

1. All your equity management questions, requirements, and concerns are discussed, documented, and covered in an initial ‘Discovery’ meeting, to identify what your needs are and how we can best meet them.
2. Your complete equity management solution is set up and configured in 8-12 weeks, designed specifically for your needs and those of your employees.
3. You are assigned a personal relationship manager who will know you, your requirements, and your plan and who will be available to assist you at all stages.
4. Each participant receives a login link to access the participant portal. Using the portal, they can manage their equity, track its performance and access the extensive learning hub 24/7, which significantly reduces your workload and costs as it can cut down on the stock plan related queries sent to your HR team.

To learn more about the equity management solutions offered by J.P. Morgan Workplace, contact us today.

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