Article · 12 min read
How to Read Your ESOP Grant Letter: What Every Indian Startup Employee Must Know
Hissa Team · Hissa Free Intermediate India
Before you resign, you have one week to understand exactly what you are walking away from, and this guide zeroes in on the single clause that decides it: the post-termination exercise window. It explains that most Indian plans give you only 30 to 90 days after leaving to pay the strike price plus perquisite tax in cash, flags a 30-day window as a red flag, and shows how to read the cliff, vesting schedule, and exercise price so you can do the math before you hand in your notice, not after the window closes.
- Vested options do not follow you out the door; a 30 to 90 day clock starts the day you leave, and missing it forfeits everything you earned
- Exercising costs real cash upfront (strike price plus perquisite tax) with no guaranteed way to sell, so budget for it or negotiate the window before resigning
- Confirm your exercise window, cliff, and strike price in writing the same week you decide to leave, while you still have leverage as an insider
