What Happens to Intel RSUs When You Leave or Retire?

Start with grants

Every award gets its own row — the treatment can differ

Do not assume your Intel RSUs all behave the same way when you leave. Intel’s proxy says unvested RSUs and PSUs are generally canceled when employment ends for a reason other than retirement, death or disability — but retirement provisions can change the result for eligible awards.

Timing adds a second test: beginning with grants made in 2025, retirement acceleration generally requires that your termination come at least one year after the grant date.

So build the inventory. List every outstanding award by grant date, vest date, units outstanding, award type and plan document. Separation programs or individual agreements may also change the outcome — your grant agreements and separation packet are the controlling record, not the general treatment Intel’s public disclosures describe.

With the inventory built, the next question is how your reason for leaving changes each row.

• Grant date and award type
• Unvested units
• Scheduled vest dates
• Retirement or termination language
• Performance conditions, if any
• Brokerage delivery and tax method

Departure type

Resignation, layoff and retirement can land differently

Whether you are laid off, resign or retire, the vesting, forfeiture and delivery outcomes may differ — and the termination date itself can affect bonus eligibility, benefits and payroll reporting.

Here’s how that plays out: two grants issued in different years may receive different treatment on the same retirement date, and a layoff date that lands near a scheduled vest can change your wage income, your withholding and the number of Intel shares you actually receive.

Intel’s public leaving page is useful context, but your separation packet and equity-plan documents carry the terms that apply to you. When you compare dates, count the after-tax value of the awards, your benefit coverage and the pay you would give up — not just the gross number of units.

Tax timing

Delivered shares still bring withholding — and a concentration call

If shares vest or are delivered, the value can be treated as wage income subject to withholding. Withholding on equity does not prove your final tax bill is covered.

The delivered shares then become an investment position like any other. Decide whether to hold, sell or diversify based on your total Intel exposure, not just the tax basis — then work backward to the departure date that sets all of this in motion.

Before notice

Run the review before the date is fixed

Compare possible exit dates around scheduled vesting, Rule of 75 eligibility, benefit deadlines and planned stock sales. A few days can matter — if the documents make them matter.

An Intel-specialized advisor can organize the stock-award timeline and coordinate the tax questions with a qualified tax professional. The schedule below turns the whole review into a sequence you can run.

Before you give notice

Build your grant-by-grant departure schedule

Create one row per grant showing the grant date, award type, scheduled vest, retirement language, any performance condition and the expected delivery. Confirm the treatment through Intel’s administrator before you rely on it, then decide how any delivered shares fit inside your household’s Intel stock limit.

Read this as preparation, not as individualized advice — your current Intel documents control each award’s treatment, and the confirmation should arrive in writing before your departure date does.

• Download every active grant agreement
• Separate RSUs, PSUs and any special awards
• Test retirement eligibility and the one-year condition on 2025-and-later grants
• Confirm layoff or separation treatment in writing
• Estimate the tax and diversification needs for shares you expect after departure