how to track RSU (Restricted Stock Units) in Quicken?

I posted about this a few times over the years. Here is a copy of my best shot at this problem. I am writing about Microsoft Money, but I believe that this method applies to Quicken as well.

I will be finding out soon enough, since I am switching back to Quicken in 2010!

I believe that on the day your RSUs are vested (deposited to your account) a taxable event occurs. Your employer witholds income tax immediately. The cost basis of the vested shares is the market value on the day of vesting. And, you should receive paperwork documenting these numbers.

I modeled the above assumptions in MS Money as follows:

1. Do nothing until RSUs vest. Wait for documentation of vesting to arrive in the mail. When the documentation arrives, record the following in the MS Money brokerage account that you have set up to track the RSU vesting:

1. Record a purchase of the RSU shares at the stated share price in the documentation. The account now has a negative cash balance.

2. Record a sale of the RSU shares that your employer used to pay your witholding tax. Once again, use the stated share price from the documentation. The account still has a negative cash balance.

(In the above two steps, include any brokerage fees and SEC fees. Do not include inclme tax, social security tax, etc.)

1. Record a cash deposit to the MS Money account. The total amount of the deposit should bring the cash balance to zero. But the deposit transaction should be split into positive salary and negative tax (witholding) categories. The amount of the witholding should be copied from the documentation you got from your employer.

If you do all of the above, I *think* that you will correctly record your taxable salary, your tax witholding, and the cost basis of your shares. I have to admit that I find tax computations to be confusing. I hope that I got it right.