Stakeholder records in Pulley store the contact information, relationship data, and tax details associated with each person or entity on your cap table. Keeping these records accurate is important before inviting stakeholders to their portal and before generating tax forms.
Before you start, confirm you have admin access. Only admins can edit stakeholder records. Stakeholders cannot edit their own records except for their email address and name after they've accepted their invitation. Not sure about the difference between admin and stakeholder access? See Admin access vs. stakeholder access.
Referenced in: This article is a prerequisite step in Invite stakeholders to their portal. Complete your stakeholder record review before sending invitations.
Common scenarios for reviewing stakeholder records:
Before sending portal invitations, to ensure email addresses are current
Before generating tax forms, to verify addresses and SSNs are on file
After a data migration or bulk import, to catch formatting errors or duplicates
When a stakeholder's contact information changes
Adjusting tax rates for stakeholders
How stakeholder records work in Pulley
Stakeholders and securities are separate records in Pulley. A stakeholder is the person or entity. A security is what they hold (a stock option, share, SAFE, or other instrument). Each security must be linked to exactly one stakeholder, but a single stakeholder can hold multiple securities.
Some stakeholder information is visible from the security record (such as name and email), but to edit any stakeholder fields you need to go to the Stakeholders page directly.
Navigate to a stakeholder record
Go to Stakeholders in the left navigation (below Cap Table)
Use the search bar to locate the stakeholder by name
Click their name to expand their details page
Tip: You can also search stakeholder names directly in the top search bar in Pulley to navigate straight to a stakeholder record without going through the Stakeholders page.
Edit an individual stakeholder record
From the stakeholder details page, click Actions and select Edit Stakeholder
Update any of the following fields:
Name
Email address (see the email limitation note below before editing)
Relationship (multiple relationships can be assigned to a single stakeholder. If the relationship you need isn't listed, type it directly in the box to create a new one)
Address
Tax information (SSN, tax withholding status, and tax rates)
Other profile fields
Click Save Changes at the bottom of the form
Email addresses lock after a stakeholder accepts their invitation. Once a stakeholder has accepted their Pulley invitation and set up an account, their email address can no longer be edited by a company Administrator. The field will appear grayed out. Only the stakeholder can update it from their own portfolio settings. If they need help, contact support to check for a recovery email address or assistance with updating the email address.
Edit multiple stakeholder records in bulk
Use bulk edit mode when you need to update information across many records at once, such as correcting data migration errors or adding missing fields before sending invitations.
Go to Stakeholders in the left navigation
Click the green Actions button in the top right and select Edit Stakeholders
This opens spreadsheet mode. Add or edit stakeholder information directly in the spreadsheet. Scroll right to access tax information fields
Click Save Stakeholders in the top right when done
Field-specific editing guidance
Update email addresses
For individual records, use the Edit Stakeholder flow above. For multiple records, use bulk edit mode via Actions → Edit Stakeholders. Note the email lock limitation above before attempting to edit addresses for stakeholders who have already accepted their invitations.
Update relationships
Go to the stakeholder record, click Actions → Edit Stakeholder, and update the Relationship field. Multiple relationships can be assigned. If you need a relationship that isn't in the dropdown, type it directly and hit enter to create a new one.
Update tax information
For individual records, go to the stakeholder record, click Actions > Edit Stakeholder, and scroll down to the tax information fields. You can also adjust the tax rate per stakeholder from this screen, which is useful when a stakeholder's withholding situation differs from your company default. For bulk updates, use spreadsheet mode and scroll right to find the tax fields.
For Form 3921 specifically, both address and SSN are required for each stakeholder. If either is missing you'll see a warning. You can update these fields directly on the Form 3921 page by clicking Edit next to the relevant stakeholder.
Update a stakeholder's name after securities are accepted
Go to the stakeholder record, click Actions → Edit Stakeholder, update the name, and save. This will update the name across all securities linked to that stakeholder.
Important: If the name change reflects an actual ownership change (for example, from an individual to a fund entity) rather than a simple correction, use a transfer instead to preserve the audit trail. See the "When to merge vs. when to transfer" section below.
Merge duplicate stakeholder records
Use the merge function when two records in Pulley represent the same person or entity. Merging combines both records into one and moves all securities under the record you choose to keep.
Merging is permanent. The record you don't keep will be deleted. All of its securities will move to the record you keep, but the deleted record's profile data will not be recovered. Before merging, confirm which record has the most complete information and keep that one.
When to merge vs. when to transfer
Scenario | Use |
Two records represent the same person (duplicate) | Merge |
Holdings need to move from one person to another (ownership change) | Transfer |
Using a transfer for a duplicate, or a merge for an ownership change, will either create cap table noise or lose audit trail information. Use the right tool for the right scenario.
To transfer holdings between stakeholders: Go to Cap Table, locate the security, click into the security record, then click Actions > Transfer, select or add the recipient stakeholder, and complete the transfer.
Two important caveats before using a transfer:
If the stakeholder hasn't accepted the security yet, you can avoid a transfer entirely. Go to the security, click Actions > Edit, and change the owner directly.
Transfers are not recommended for correcting admin errors where an invitation has already been sent to the wrong stakeholder. In that case, the recommended path is to delete the security and reissue it to the correct person. Transfers can appear as secondary sales to other admins and may create unintended cap table history.
Steps to merge
Go to Stakeholders in the left navigation and use the search bar to locate the duplicate records
Click on the name of one of the duplicates to expand their details page (it doesn't matter which one you start with)
Click Actions and select Merge
Specify which stakeholder this record is being merged with, and select which of the two records should remain. Keep the record with the most complete information in Pulley
Click Review, then Confirm
The record not chosen to keep will be permanently deleted. All of its securities will move to the remaining record.
Troubleshooting
A stakeholder's email address field is grayed out
The stakeholder has already accepted their Pulley invitation and set up an account. Email addresses can only be changed by the stakeholder from their own portfolio settings. If they need help, contact support.
The relationship dropdown isn't populating correctly
Try refreshing the page or switching to bulk edit mode. You can also type a new relationship directly into the field if the one you need isn't listed.
Duplicate stakeholders keep reappearing after merging
This is a known issue with HRIS sync. If stakeholder names match but email addresses differ, the sync may recreate duplicates after you've manually merged them. The Pulley team is actively working on improving this. In the meantime, you may need to manage duplicates manually after each sync. Contact support if this is happening frequently.
Yellow highlighted rows during bulk import
Yellow rows indicate new stakeholders being added to Pulley. Verify that the name is spelled correctly, the email address is accurate, and that this isn't an accidental duplicate of an existing stakeholder.
Red cell errors during bulk import
Red cells indicate formatting errors. Common causes include incorrect date formats, numbers with commas or currency symbols, missing required fields, invalid values, or duplicate entries. Note which cells are highlighted, correct the errors, and re-upload.
A stakeholder is missing information required for tax forms
Form 3921 requires an address and SSN for each stakeholder. You'll see a warning if either is missing. Update the fields directly on the Form 3921 page by clicking Edit, or go to the stakeholder record and use the Edit Stakeholder flow.