How to Transfer RSUs from Fidelity NetBenefits to Rovia
Fidelity Stock Plan Services links to a full Fidelity brokerage, which makes ACATS to Rovia simpler than at Schwab — but the foreign-wire paper-form quirk catches every first-time filer.
Who is on Fidelity Stock Plan Services
Fidelity Stock Plan Services is the stock-plan platform for a long list of US tech employers — most relevant for Indian residents: Microsoft, NVIDIA, Salesforce (some plans), Oracle, Synopsys, Cadence, Visa, Texas Instruments, Arm, Honeywell, NetApp.
The mechanical structure is cleaner than Schwab Equity Awards: Fidelity Stock Plan Services automatically links to a regular Fidelity Brokerage Account. Once shares vest, they settle into the brokerage side and become fully tradable / transferable without an intermediate move. The friction lives elsewhere — primarily in the foreign-wire procedure.
1. NetBenefits vs Fidelity Brokerage
Two interfaces, one underlying account family:
You log into both with the same Fidelity credentials. For transfer operations, work primarily on the Fidelity.com side.
2. The transfer playbook
Step 1 — Verify W-8BEN status
On NetBenefits → Profile → Tax Documents → W-8BEN status. Valid for 3 calendar years from signature. Renew if expiring within 6 months.
Step 2 — Confirm shares are in the linked brokerage
On Fidelity.com → Accounts. You should see your brokerage account with the vested shares already populated. If shares show only in NetBenefits and not in the brokerage, contact Fidelity Stock Plan Services to confirm settlement.
Step 3 — Choose your path
ACATS-out or sell-and-remit, per the Broker Transfer pillar.
Step 4a — ACATS out
Fidelity.com → Transfer → Transfer External Account → outgoing transfer. Provide receiving broker DTC number and account number. Fidelity processes ACATS-out at no charge from their side. Settlement: 5–7 business days.
Step 4b — Sell, then wire to India
Trade ticket: select cost basis method “Specific Shares” (not FIFO default), identify lots. Settle T+2.
Then the wire — and this is where Fidelity differs from Schwab and Morgan Stanley:
3. Costs at Fidelity
4. The Fidelity-specific issues
Issue 1 — The paper-wire form delay. Plan ahead. If you intend to remit proceeds after a sale, submit the Wire Funds Authorization Form 1–2 weeks before the sale settles. Otherwise you sit on USD in your brokerage account waiting for wire-eligible status.
Issue 2 — ESPP lots commingled with RSU lots. Microsoft ESPP shares purchased via Fidelity sit in the same brokerage account as the RSU vests. Tax treatment differs (covered in the ESPP pillar) but lot tagging matters for cost-basis accuracy — use the lot-level statement export to keep them separated in your records.
Issue 3 — The 24-month clock on each lot type. RSU lots use vest date; ESPP lots use purchase date. Both start their own 24-month LTCG clock. Mixing the two in a single sale order without specific-lot selection creates tax-classification headaches.
Issue 4 — Customer-support availability. Fidelity offers 24/7 phone but the team that handles foreign-wire questions runs US business hours. For wire troubleshooting, plan calls in the morning IST window (evening US time).
5. What Rovia does
- NetBenefits + Fidelity statement parsing. Both the Year-End Tax Information PDF and the Gains/Losses statement. RSU and ESPP lots tagged separately.
- Per-lot RBI TT rate. INR cost basis at the actual vest-day (RSU) or purchase-day (ESPP) reference rate.
- 0-markup FX channel. Bypasses the 60–80 bps Fidelity spread.
- Schedule FA with the calendar-year accounting period and peak-value per lot.
- 24-month LTCG clock per lot, with separate counters for RSU vs ESPP lots.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fidelity NetBenefits the same as my Fidelity brokerage account?
No. NetBenefits is the employee-facing stock-plan portal; the underlying brokerage is Fidelity Brokerage Services. Most Indian employees see only NetBenefits because their employer set up the linked brokerage automatically when grants started landing.
Can I ACATS-transfer directly from NetBenefits?
Effectively yes — once shares have settled into the linked Fidelity Brokerage account (which happens automatically after RSU release), ACATS-out works normally via Fidelity.com → Transfer → External Account.
Why does Fidelity require a paper form for my first foreign wire?
Fidelity treats first-time international wire destinations as elevated-risk for AML purposes. The paper Wire Funds Authorization Form requires a notarized signature and a one-time medallion stamp for some account tiers. Subsequent wires to the same bank account can be initiated online.
What is the wire fee at Fidelity?
$0–$25 depending on your account tier. Premium tier (>$250K balance) and Wealth Management clients often get free wires; standard brokerage tier pays $25 per outbound international wire.
Does Fidelity preserve specific lot identification on sales?
Yes, but you must select it explicitly on each trade ticket — the default is FIFO. Set Cost Basis Method on the trade preview screen: Specific Shares → identify lots.
I have ESPP shares from Microsoft. Are they in the same account?
Yes — Microsoft ESPP shares (purchase via Fidelity Stock Plan Services) land in the same NetBenefits account as your MSFT RSUs. Lots are tagged by source (RSU vs ESPP), which matters for tax classification but not for transfer mechanics.
Last reviewed June 5, 2026. Fidelity procedures, fees, and tier-specific waivers change — verify on fidelity.com or netbenefits.fidelity.com before initiating. Informational only, not personalised tax or financial advice.