Transfer your US stock plan shares to Fidelity

Fidelity SPS and Fidelity International are separate companies that operate in different jurisdictions. If you live in the UK, you can still hold shares in a Fidelity Stock Plan Account in the US, but there are limits on what you can do with them.

A Fidelity Stock Plan Account is used to hold shares or cash you receive from your employer's stock plan.

When you transfer your Stock Plan Account shares into an Investment Account with us, they'll be transferred as they are, without having to sell your shares to cash, and then you can choose to:

• sell or keep them as they are
• diversify and take advantage of our award-winning products and services
• transfer any other investments you hold elsewhere, so that everything can be managed in one place.

Whole shares will be brought over to your Fidelity Investment Account in the UK as they are (this transfer is known as an ‘in specie’ transfer), without the need to convert the shares to cash.

You will only be able to transfer shares which are available in your Stock Plan Account. If you have share awards that haven’t been exercised and/or distributed yet, you will need to wait for confirmation the shares are in your account before you can transfer them from your Stock Plan Account to a Fidelity International account.

You can only transfer to a Fidelity UK Investment Account if the shares are in your account and there are no active instructions pending. If you wish to transfer you will need to cancel any active instructions, or wait for them to be executed.

You won’t be liable for capital gains tax (CGT) as we're transferring your shares 'in specie', without having to sell your shares to cash. If you are unsure about your overall tax position, you should consult HMRC guidance or a tax adviser.

Yes you can, once your US shares have been transferred to your UK Investment Account. Simply log in to your account at fidelity.co.uk and go to 'Documents & Help' in the main menu. Click on 'Upload forms and documents'. Read the instructions and then choose 'Stock transfer form' and click on 'Download now'.

You'll need to print, complete and sign the form before scanning it and uploading it using the scan and upload tool. Once uploaded, we'll let you know when we've completed your instruction.

Yes, just enter the number of whole shares you would like to transfer when you apply to transfer them online.

Any fractional shares will be left in the Stock Plan Account held with Fidelity SPS. You may leave those shares in the account or log in to  NetBenefits to sell the fractional shares and transfer the cash to Fidelity International.

As you live in the UK and have US stocks, depending on the type of shares you hold, you may need to complete a new W-8BEN form (even if you've already completed one on NetBenefits), which reduces the amount of tax the US government charges you on any income earned from US shares from 30% to 15%. Fidelity, in common with other investment platforms, requires customers dealing in US shares to provide a W-8BEN form within two weeks of the transfer request. It's quick and easy to complete your W-8BEN online and, if required, you’ll be directed to this form once you start the transfer process.

Once you’ve completed the W-8BEN in the Profile section of your account, under 'Preference centre' > 'Investing in US shares (W-8BEN)', the form will be valid for 3 years. You won’t need anything else to trade and hold US shares.

Once you've submitted the necessary information online, it typically takes three weeks to move your shares from the US to the UK, subject to all information being in good order. We’ll update you as your transfer progresses and when it completes.

We cannot reinvest dividends from the US directly into your Fidelity UK Investment Account, so these dividend amounts will be converted into cash and will remain in your US Stock Plan Account. You can then choose to withdraw the cash into a bank account (fees and charges may apply) or transfer to your Fidelity UK Investment Account.

Any dividends or interest that you’ve earned, but not received, at the time of the transfer will remain in your Stock Plan Account and you can see them on NetBenefits. 

A blackout period (which your company may refer to as a ‘Closed Period’ or ‘Restricted Period’) is a specific window of time determined by your employer during which you cannot trade in your company’s stock.

Yes, If you have an active US Stock Plan arrangement with your company, you must check whether any trading restrictions are in place with your current employer before selling any of your company shares.

We'll send you updates via text or email depending on how you've chosen to be contacted, except for the acknowledgement letter and confirmation letter which you'll receive by post. You can also check on progress by logging into your account, going to 'Manage Investments' then clicking on 'Track your transfer'. 

For help with your Stock Plan or moving your shares to Fidelity in the UK visit Need Help?​​​​​​​.