• videocam Live Webinar with Live Q&A
  • calendar_month October 22, 2026 @ 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT
  • signal_cellular_alt Intermediate
  • card_travel ERISA
  • schedule 90 minutes

Structuring Management Carve-Out Plans for Privately Held Corporations: Mechanics, Tax Obstacles, and Optimization

About the Course

Introduction

This CLE webinar will provide employee benefits counsel guidance on the use of carve-out plans to increase incentive and retain current employees. The panel will outline the mechanics of these compensatory arrangements, discuss strategic considerations and how to reconcile the competing interests of senior management and shareholders, and highlight the tax implications counsel must be aware of when structuring management carve-out plans.

Description

Carve-out plans are a type of instrument used to incentivize current employees by committing to make a payout on a later date or a change in control. Unlike typical equity instruments, which may be settled in shares that may vote and may (under some circumstances) give rise to capital gain taxation, carve-out plans are compensatory contracts that allow service providers to share in the value they build in a company.


Structuring these arrangements raises many strategic questions. Should the carve-out be reduced for other payouts? Should the carve-out awards settle in stock or cash? Should people be forced to be present at the change in control to receive a payout? Should the carve-out forfeit under certain conditions? What should happen to the forfeited amounts? How can the plan be amended?


A carve-out plan may create tense negotiations of competing interests to encourage retention for senior management and maximize value for shareholders. This presentation will highlight these mechanical choices and discuss common trends for startups.


To further complicate matters, carve-out plans are subject to a unique and complicated set of tax rules. This discussion will highlight common constraints on carve-out plans in the U.S. tax regime, including Section 409A (regulating deferred compensation arrangements) and 280G (regulating golden parachute payments).


Listen as our panel discusses the mechanics of management carve-out plans, discuss strategic considerations and how to reconcile the competing interests of senior management and shareholders, and highlight the tax implications counsel must be aware of when structuring management carve-out plans.

Presented By

Katrine Magas
Counsel
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP

Ms. Magas advises public and private companies, private equity firms, private investment funds and compensation committees on the executive compensation and benefits aspects of a variety of major corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations and financings. Her practice spans a broad range of employee-related matters that involve various industries, and she regularly counsels on day-to-day matters such as compensation program design and implementation; tax considerations related to nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, deductibility of executive compensation and golden parachutes; securities reporting, registration and disclosure compliance; and corporate governance issues. In addition, Ms. Magas has extensive experience in designing and implementing compensation arrangements for partnerships and limited liability companies, including asset managers, as well as representing individual executives and management teams in matters related to employment, equity and separation agreements. In recognition of her work, Ms. Magas has been repeatedly named one of Best Lawyers’ Ones To Watch in America.

Michael A. Wiseman
Partner
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP

Mr. Wiseman regularly represents both public and private companies in a range of industries and is frequently called upon to advise boards of directors, compensation committees, senior management teams and members of management on compensation matters arising both in the ordinary course of business and with respect to extraordinary events, including leadership transitions. He is recognized as an up-and-coming leader and adviser in the financial services and fintech industries as a result of his extensive experience working on executive compensation and corporate governance matters. Mr. Wiseman frequently assists clients, including financial institutions, financial sponsors, founders and senior executives, in navigating complex and overlapping regulatory regimes and structuring sophisticated incentive arrangements. He provides tax planning advice with respect to profits interests and other partnership compensatory instruments, as well as Sections 409A, 162(m) and 280G of the Internal Revenue Code. A significant portion of his practice focuses on advice related to various federal regulatory regimes, including banking regulatory requirements, SEC rules and disclosure requirements governing executive compensation, securities registration and exemption requirements, and compliance with NYSE and Nasdaq listing standards. Mr. Wiseman has authored or co-authored articles in various publications related to executive compensation in the context of mergers and acquisitions, SEC reporting and banking regulatory rules governing incentive compensation, in addition to regularly speaking at conferences and seminars on these topics.

Credit Information
  • This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.

  • CPE credit is not available on recordings.

  • BARBRI is a NASBA CPE sponsor and this 90-minute webinar is accredited for 1.5 CPE credits.

  • BARBRI is an IRS-approved continuing education provider offering certified courses for Enrolled Agents (EA) and Tax Return Preparers (RTRP).


  • Live Online


    On Demand

Date + Time

  • event

    Thursday, October 22, 2026

  • schedule

    1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT

I. Why do private companies adopt carve-out plans?

A. Maintain liquidity to retain employees

B. Do not want to offer other equity alternatives (stock, options, RSUs)

C. The flexibility of a corporation with the ability to provide comparable awards to LLC or partnership

II. Mechanics

A. Binding right to an award or board discretion?

B. Drafting alternatives for structuring carve-out plans

C. Does the executive need to be employed on the payment date?

D. What if there is a call option on a majority of the shares? Should that trigger?

E. Post-closing merger conditions issues

III. Tax issues

A. Section 409A

B. Section 280G

IV. Trends in carve-out plans for startups

The panel will review these and other key issues:

  • Consequences of a Section 409A violation and tips on bypassing or complying with 409A
  • Carve-out plan alternatives, including phantom units tied to share value and percentage of net consideration
  • Options for cleansing golden parachutes subject to Section 280G
  • Carve-out payments and escrow/earnout issues