Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Employee Benefit Plans

v3.20.2
Employee Benefit Plans
12 Months Ended
Sep. 27, 2020
Employee Benefit and Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]  
Employee Benefit Plans Employee Benefit Plans
Employee Savings and Retirement Plan. We have a 401(k) plan that allows eligible employees to contribute up to 85% of their eligible compensation, subject to annual limits. We match a portion of the employee contributions and may, at our discretion, make additional contributions based upon earnings. Our contribution expense was $69 million, $64 million and $78 million in fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Equity Compensation Plans. On March 10, 2020, our stockholders approved the amended and restated Qualcomm Incorporated 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the 2016 Plan), including an increase in the share reserve by 75 million shares. The 2016 Plan provides for the grant of incentive and nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, unrestricted stock, restricted stock units, performance units, performance shares, deferred compensation awards and other stock-based awards. The Board of Directors may amend or terminate the 2016 Plan at any time. Certain amendments, including an increase in the share reserve, require stockholder approval. At September 27, 2020, approximately 92 million shares were available for future grant under the 2016 Plan.
RSUs are share awards that entitle the holder to receive shares of our common stock upon vesting. The RSUs generally include dividend-equivalent rights and vest over three years from the date of grant. A summary of RSU transactions that contain only service requirements to vest for all equity compensation plans follows:
Number of Shares Weighted-Average
Grant Date Fair
Value
Aggregate Intrinsic
Value
(In millions) (In billions)
RSUs outstanding at September 29, 2019 27  $ 62.57   
RSUs granted 20  82.57   
RSUs canceled/forfeited (1) 72.04   
RSUs vested (14) 62.58   
RSUs outstanding at September 27, 2020 32  $ 74.99  $ 3.6 
The weighted-average estimated fair values of employee RSUs that contain only service requirements to vest granted during fiscal 2019 and 2018 were $63.10 and $62.61 per share, respectively. Upon vesting, we issue new shares of common stock. For the majority of RSUs, shares are issued on the vesting dates net of the amount of shares needed to satisfy statutory tax withholding requirements to be paid by us on behalf of the employees. As a result, the actual number of shares issued will be fewer than the number of RSUs outstanding. The annual pre-vest forfeiture rate for RSUs was estimated to be approximately 7%, 7% and 6% in fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
At September 27, 2020, total unrecognized compensation expense related to such non-vested RSUs granted prior to that date was $1.5 billion, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.8 years. The total vest-date fair value of such RSUs that vested during fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $1.3 billion, $977 million and $940 million, respectively. The total shares withheld to satisfy statutory tax withholding requirements related to all share-based awards were approximately 4 million in fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, and were based on the value of the awards on their vesting dates as determined by our closing stock price.
The total tax benefits realized, including the excess tax benefits, related to share-based awards during fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018 were $273 million, $237 million and $254 million, respectively.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan. We have an employee stock purchase plan for eligible employees to purchase shares of common stock at 85% of the lower of the fair market value on the first or the last day of each offering period, which is generally six months. Employees may authorize us to withhold up to 15% of their compensation during any offering period, subject to certain limitations. The employee stock purchase plan includes a non-423(b) plan. On March 23, 2018, our stockholders approved an amendment to the Amended and Restated QUALCOMM Incorporated 2001 Employee Stock Purchase Plan to increase the share reserve by 30 million shares. The shares authorized under the plan were approximately 102 million at September 27, 2020. The shares reserved for future issuance were approximately 28 million at September 27, 2020. During fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, approximately 5 million, 6 million and 6 million shares, respectively, were issued under the plan at an average price of $66.53, $42.13 and $49.41 per share, respectively. At September 27, 2020, total unrecognized compensation expense related to non-vested purchase rights granted prior to that date was $35 million. We recorded cash received from the exercise of purchase rights of $306 million, $257 million and $286 million during fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.