The holding period for restricted securities under Rule 144 of the Securities Act depends on whether the company that issued the securities is a reporting company:
Reporting companies: The holding period is six months. Reporting companies are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Non-reporting companies: The holding period is one year.
The holding period begins when the securities are purchased and paid for.
Rule 144 also includes other requirements for selling restricted securities, such as:
Public information
There must be enough public information about the company, including financial statements, information about officers and directors, and a business description.
Selling limits
Affiliates of the company can't sell more than 1% of the company's outstanding shares in any three-month period.
Trading conditions
All normal trading conditions must be met, such as brokers not soliciting buy orders.
Notice
Affiliated sellers must file a notice if the sale is worth more than $50,000 in a three-month period, or if more than 5,000 shares are being sold.
Rule 144 applies to both insiders and non-insiders of a company