Typical comp shape
Prompt engineers usually earn ppus, rsu, or options. Common employers include Anthropic, OpenAI, Scale AI, Cohere. New role category where equity offers vary wildly between AI labs. Verify the instrument type, public vs pre-IPO, and liquidity mechanics before accepting.
What Virginia changes
In Virginia, every RSU vest, NSO exercise, and ESPP purchase carries 5.75% state tax on top of federal. For a senior prompt engineer with $300k+ of equity income, the state layer routinely adds $25-45k to the annual bill.
Planning cadence
For a prompt engineer in 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).