What's withheld when your AMZN RSUs vest vs. what you actually owe in New Jersey, with 2026 federal brackets.
When Amazon.com, Inc. RSUs vest, the vest-day value is taxed as wages. Your employer withholds federal tax at a flat 22%, plus Medicare, Social Security and any state tax. Whether that is enough depends on your bracket. For a single filer earning $200,000 in New Jersey, a $50,000 vest leaves an estimated −$3,570 gap between what was withheld and what you'll owe. Amazon has historically used a back-loaded vesting schedule (5%, 15%, 40%, 40% over four years; check your own grant agreement). Larger vests in later years push more income into higher federal brackets, so the gap usually grows over the life of a grant.
| Base salary | $25k vest | $50k vest | $100k vest |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | −$500 | −$1,000 | −$4,570 |
| $200,000 | −$1,070 | −$3,570 | −$9,400 |
| $300,000 | −$3,250 | −$6,500 | −$13,000 |
| $500,000 | −$3,250 | −$6,500 | −$13,000 |
Withheld at vest minus actually owed. Negative means you'll owe more when you file; positive means over-withholding. Single filer, no bonus, standard deduction, vest in the second half of the year, 2026 federal brackets. The gap is the same for every company at the same vest value; only the share count differs (278 AMZN shares ≈ $50,040 at an example price of $180).
New Jersey taxes single filers at 6.37% on income between $75,000 and $500,000, 8.97% up to $1 million and 10.75% above that. At a $200,000 salary, extra RSU income is taxed at 6.37%.
New Jersey doesn't publish a flat supplemental withholding rate, so employers withhold using the state's wage tables or the aggregate method. These estimates assume New Jersey withholding roughly matches what you owe ($3,185 on a $50,000 vest at a $200,000 salary). If your vest statement shows a different amount, enter it in the calculator's “State withheld” field.
That leaves the federal gap: 22% withheld on a $50,000 vest ($11,000) versus $14,570 of federal tax owed, a shortfall of $3,570.
If you commute to New York, New York taxes the RSU income sourced to your New York workdays and New Jersey credits the tax paid to New York, so you generally don't pay full tax to both states.