How to Transfer RSUs from Morgan Stanley StockPlan to Rovia

The naming confusion

Morgan Stanley's stock-plan business has accumulated three brand names that all refer to overlapping infrastructure. Untangling them is the first step:

Companies that put Indian residents on Morgan Stanley stock-plan rails include Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, and many others — Datadog, Cloudflare, Fortinet, Zscaler among them. The Shareworks-vs-StockPlanConnect distinction is mostly cosmetic; the mechanics below apply to either.

1. Pre-transfer setup

Before initiating anything, confirm three states:

1. W-8BEN current. Valid for 3 calendar years from signature. Expired W-8BEN triggers 30% withholding instead of the 25% DTAA rate on dividends, and may flag wire instructions.
2. Linked Morgan Stanley Wealth account? If your employer offers it, your StockPlan Connect may already be linked to a full Morgan Stanley brokerage. If so, ACATS-out is cleaner because the underlying account already supports it natively. Check Account → Account Linking in StockPlan Connect.
3. Lot-level cost basis snapshot. Export the Cost Basis & Gain/Loss report from StockPlan Connect before initiating. This is your source of truth for INR cost basis later.

2. The transfer playbook

Step 1 — Log into StockPlan Connect

Usually accessed via your employer's benefits portal (e.g., benefits.meta.com → Stock plan), or directly at stockplanconnect.com. Some employers still use a Shareworks-branded URL; the underlying mechanics are identical.

Step 2 — Decide: sell-and-remit or ACATS in-kind

Same fork as in the Broker Transfer pillar. ACATS preserves cost basis and lot history; sell-remit realizes gain and gives you INR.

Step 3a — ACATS out

StockPlan Connect → Account → Transfer Shares → External account. You need the receiving broker's DTC number and your destination account number. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney processes the request internally; ACATS settlement typically 5–7 business days. Cost basis and acquisition dates carry over.

Step 3b — Sell and wire

On the trade ticket, set Cost Basis Method to “Specific Identification” from the dropdown — Morgan Stanley defaults to FIFO if you don't. Identify which lots you want sold. After settlement (T+2 typically), Account → Funds Transfer → Wire to your Indian bank. Wire fee: $35.

3. Costs at Morgan Stanley

4. The Morgan Stanley-specific issues

Issue 1 — The cost basis report timing. StockPlan Connect's gains/losses report updates in batch overnight. If you sell in the morning and pull the report at 2 PM, your sale isn't reflected. Wait for the next-day refresh before downloading.

Issue 2 — The customer support time difference. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is US-time. Confirmations on wire status, ACATS issues, or lot disputes are slow when you're on a 9.5-hour offset.

Issue 3 — The default FIFO trap on Shareworks. The legacy Shareworks portal does not always surface the “Specific Identification” choice prominently on the trade ticket — it's under a secondary menu. If you don't change it, you sell oldest-first regardless of tax intent.

Issue 4 — Linked vs unlinked Wealth account. If your StockPlan Connect is not linked to a Morgan Stanley brokerage, certain wire instructions require additional verification each time. Linking once at the start removes friction for subsequent remits.

5. What Rovia does

• Direct StockPlan Connect statement ingestion. Both Shareworks and StockPlan Connect formats. Lot-by-lot vest date, share count, USD cost basis extracted.
• RBI TT rate applied per vest day. INR cost basis computed at the actual reference rate on each vest day, lot by lot.
• 0-markup FX channel for repatriation — bypassing the ~100 bps Morgan Stanley spread.
• Schedule FA auto-generation with calendar-year accounting period and peak-value per lot.
• 24-month LTCG countdown per lot with month-23 alerts to avoid the STCG cliff.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed June 5, 2026. Morgan Stanley brands and procedures change — verify on stockplanconnect.com or your employer portal before initiating. Informational only, not personalised tax or financial advice.