Employee Ownership Blog

Corey Rosen

New ESOP Valuation Rules Could Come as Early as January 2026

The new regulatory agenda for the Department of Labor (DOL) indicates that new regulations for ESOP valuations could come as soon as January 2026. The regulations were required by Section 346 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. The release notes that “[t]o inform this action, the Department established a pre-rule outreach plan to broaden public participation and community engagement in the regulatory process. This includes meeting with a range of stakeholders (including ESOP sponsors, appraisers, labor organizations and academics) to hear about issues they believe should be addressed in the Department’s guidance. The goal of the outreach plan is to inform this regulatory action through meaningful and equitable opportunities for public input by a range of interested or affected parties, including underserved communities.”

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Timothy Garbinsky

Employee Ownership Plays the Great Game of Business

We at the NCEO have long thought (hoped?) that employee ownership would be a bigger part of being a successful business. Beyond its potential as a succession planning option for business owners (which shouldn't be overlooked), employee ownership has time and again demonstrated that it can serve as a robust employee benefit by itself, providing companies with a meaningful way to reward and engage employees. The impact of this engagement on company resiliency has been shown repeatedly in the last few years.

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Nancy Wiefek

New NCEO Research Analysis Renders Retirement Crisis in Stark Detail

The NCEO research team, looking at available data from the last few years, recently completed a detailed analysis of the breadth and depth of the retirement crisis facing the US workforce. The analysis shows not only what many American workers are lacking in retirement savings but also the potential impact of ESOPs in filling that gap.

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Matthew Licina

SHARE Plan Act Offers 3% Tax Reduction for Giving Stock to Lower-Paid Employees

The new Share Holder Allocation for Rewards to Employees Plan Act, or the SHARE Plan Act, has been introduced in the House. The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Representatives Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Mike Kelly (R-PA). The bill would provide a tax reduction for large companies to share ownership broadly with employees.

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Corey Rosen

Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act Introduced in Senate

Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), along with a bipartisan group of cosponsors, have introduced the Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025 (PDF). This is a companion bill to H.R. 3105, introduced by Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). The bill has four components:

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