Typical comp shape
Embedded engineers usually earn rsu, psus at tesla-style employers. Common employers include Apple, Tesla, SpaceX, Nvidia. Tesla and SpaceX embedded roles carry long-vesting PSUs tied to milestones, which delays and lumps tax recognition.
What West Virginia changes
In West Virginia, every RSU vest, NSO exercise, and ESPP purchase carries 4.82% state tax on top of federal. For a senior embedded engineer with $300k+ of equity income, the state layer routinely adds $25-45k to the annual bill.
Planning cadence
For a embedded engineer in West Virginia, the three planning windows are: after each RSU vest (withholding check and sell-vs-hold), before any ISO exercise (AMT model at federal only), and in Q4 (estimated tax top-up to clear the safe harbor).