Guidance

Tax relief for investors using venture capital schemes

Find out about tax reliefs available to individuals who invest in certain companies, social enterprises, or Venture Capital Trusts.

• From: HM Revenue & Customs
• Published: 1 January 2016
• Last updated: 6 October 2023 — See all updates

Venture capital schemes offer tax relief to individuals to encourage them to invest in companies and social enterprises that are not listed on any recognised stock exchange. The schemes are:

• Enterprise Investment Scheme
• Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme
• Social Investment Tax Relief

Social Investment Tax Relief will not be available for new investments made on or after 6 April 2023.

You can invest directly in a qualifying company or enterprise using a venture capital scheme if you meet the conditions for investors. The company or enterprise will also need to meet the conditions for the scheme.

The company must complete:

• an online Compliance Statement form SEIS1 or EIS1 and submit to HMRC

• the section of the form that asks to list all the investors who have asked for SEIS3, EIS3 or EIS5 certificate

This form confirms the company has met all the conditions of the scheme and will continue to do so for the next 3 years.

HMRC will review the compliance statement. If satisfied that the company has met the conditions of the scheme, we will issue the company form SEIS2 or EIS2 which will contain a Unique Investment Reference number for the particular share issue to the company.

This authorises the company to issue specific number of compliance certificates (form SEIS3 or EIS3) only to those investors listed in the compliance statement. 

The SEIS3 or EIS3 is provided in PDF by HMRC along with the SEIS2 or EIS2. The company should enter the details of the investment including the Unique Investment Reference on the compliance statement before issuing SEIS3 or EIS3 to each investor listed on the compliance statement.

It is important to note that when you receive SEIS3 or EIS3  this only indicates that HMRC is satisfied that the company has met the scheme requirements. In order to be eligible for tax relief  you must also meet the investor conditions, see VCM14150.

If you have invested through an ‘EIS knowledge-intensive approved investment fund’ as a nominee, then the fund manager will receive compliance certificates (EIS3s) issued to them by the company or companies concerned. The manager will send you form EIS5 to submit, to make a claim for relief. Form EIS5 can include investment made in several qualifying EIS knowledge-intensive companies.

You can also invest in shares in a Venture Capital Trust. A Venture Capital Trust is a company (like an investment trust) that’s been approved by HMRC and invests in, or lends money to, unlisted companies.

You can invest in a Venture Capital Trust if you’re over 18 years old. The Venture Capital Trust will use your money to invest in qualifying companies.

The company or social enterprise you intend to invest in might have an advance assurance letter from HMRC that shows the company and the share issue meets the conditions for the relevant scheme.

Any advance assurance given to a company is only in respect of certain conditions of the venture capital schemes being met based on the information provided by the company.

It should not be read as a general endorsement by HMRC or an indication of potential investment performance. Investors should always consider conducting their own due diligence before making an investment.

Tax reliefs you can claim

Depending on the scheme, you may be able to claim:

• Income Tax relief against your investment in qualifying companies, enterprises or Venture Capital Trusts
• Income Tax relief against a loan or ‘debt instrument’ to a social enterprise
• Capital Gains Tax relief on any gains you make on your investment
• Capital Gains Tax relief when you reinvest a previous gain in a scheme

Income Tax relief

You can get relief by investing in newly issued shares or by loaning money to a social enterprise (through a debt instrument) for Social Investment Tax Relief for investments made on or before 5 April 2023.

You can invest in different companies through different schemes, as long as you keep within the limits for each scheme in that tax year.

How the schemes compare for Income Tax relief

Scheme	Maximum annual investment you can claim relief on	Percentage of investment on which you can claim	Tax relief on income from dividends
Enterprise Investment Scheme	£1 million £2 million if at least £1 million of that is invested in knowledge-intensive companies	30%	No
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme	£200,000	50%	No
Social Investment Tax Relief	£1 million	30%	No
Venture Capital Trust	£200,000	30%	Yes

Find out about knowledge-intensive companies.

When you can claim Income Tax relief

For Enterprise Investment Scheme, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Social Investment Tax Relief, you can either claim relief in the tax year:

• you make the investment
• before you make the investment — if you choose to treat some or all of the investment as being made in a previous year

You can only claim relief against the amount of Income Tax you need to pay in the UK.

You cannot carry forward unused Income Tax relief to future tax years.

If you invest in a Venture Capital Trust, you can only claim tax relief in the tax year you invest. You do not need to pay Income Tax on any dividends from a Venture Capital Trust (both for newly-issued shares and those previously owned).

For Social Investment Tax Relief, claims for Income Tax relief or Capital Gains Tax reliefs will only apply for investments made on or before 5 April 2023.

You cannot claim Income Tax relief if you invest through Enterprise Investment Scheme and receive new shares or debt investment in a company you already hold other shares or debt investments in, unless the shares you already hold:

• were issued to you when the company was formed
• have had a compliance statement submitted for them

Capital Gains Tax relief

You can get Capital Gains Tax relief if you invest through a venture capital scheme.

How the schemes compare for Capital Gains Tax relief

Scheme	Personal Capital Gains Tax relief available on your initial investment	Type of Capital Gains Tax relief on initial investment	Gains exempt from Capital Gains Tax when you sell shares	Relief available for capital losses against income
Enterprise Investment Scheme	Yes on 100% of investment	Deferral	Yes if you received Income Tax relief	Yes
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme	Yes on 50% of investment, capped at £100,000	Exempt from tax	Yes if you received Income Tax relief	Yes
Social Investment Tax Relief	Yes on 100% of investment	Deferral	Yes if you received Income Tax relief	Yes — but not on loans
Venture Capital Trust	Not applicable	Not applicable	Yes	No

Defer when you pay Capital Gains Tax (deferral relief)

You will not have to pay Capital Gains Tax immediately, if you use your gain from the sale of any asset to make any amount of investment in a company that qualifies for Enterprise Investment Scheme, and make a claim for Enterprise Investment Scheme deferral relief. For Social Investment Tax Relief deferral relief, claims are limited to investments made on or before 5 April 2023 and on amounts of up to £1 million.

You must make the investment between one calendar year before and 3 calendar years after you sell the asset.

You’ll need to pay the tax when:

• you dispose of the investment
• the investment is cancelled, redeemed or repaid
• the company stops meeting the scheme conditions
• you become non-resident

For Enterprise Investment Scheme, you can get deferral relief even if Income Tax relief is not available because you’re connected with the company.

Relief when you reinvest a gain in Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme shares (reinvestment relief)

When you sell any asset and use all or part of the gain to invest in shares that qualify for Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, you will not have to pay Capital Gains Tax. You must also get Income Tax relief on the same investment.

You can get Capital Gains Tax relief on 50% of the investment, up to £200,000. So the maximum amount you can get is £100,000 (£50,000 before 6 April 2023).

You do not have to sell an asset before you invest. However if you do, the asset must be sold in the same tax year that you claim Income Tax relief on the investment.

Capital Gains Tax exemption when you sell your investment

If you invest in shares in a company through either Enterprise Investment Scheme, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Social Investment Tax Relief, you will not have to pay any Capital Gains Tax when you sell your shares if both the following apply, you’ve:

• received Income Tax relief on that investment which has not been reduced or withdrawn at a later date
• held the shares for the minimum amount of time for the scheme — which will be at least 3 years

Social Investment Tax Relief only applies to investments that were made on or before 5 April 2023.

If you invest in a Venture Capital Trust, you will not have to pay any Capital Gains Tax on any profits when you sell your shares. This applies for both newly issued or previously owned (second owner) shares.

Loss relief

If you sell your Enterprise Investment Scheme shares at a loss, you can choose to set the loss amount, less any Income Tax relief already given, against your income.

You can do this for the tax year that you sold the shares or the tax year before.

When you will not get tax relief on your investments

You cannot claim Income Tax relief if you and your associates are connected with the company. This applies where you or your associates:

• are employed by the company or any subsidiary — except as a director in some cases
• hold a total of more than 30% of the company’s:
  • shares
  • rights to assets if the company is wound-up
  • voting rights
  • loan capital for Social Investment Tax Relief

Your associates are:

• parents, grandparents and great-grandparents
• children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren
• spouses and civil partners
• business partners
• trustees of settlements where you are the settlor or beneficiary

For investments using Social Investment Tax Relief, you cannot be a partner or trustee of the social enterprise.

These conditions apply for:

• Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme — from the dates the company was set up
• Social Investment Tax Relief — for the 12 month period before the investment
• Enterprise Investment Scheme — for 2 years before the investment and for the minimum qualifying period for the investment (at least 3 years)

Tax relief for directors connected to the company

For Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, you can get tax relief if you’re a director of the company.

For Social Investment Tax Relief, you cannot claim tax relief if you’re a paid director of the social enterprise. Unpaid directors can claim tax relief.

For Enterprise Investment Scheme, you cannot claim tax relief if, at the time the shares are issued, you’re a paid director of the company, unless your payment is a ‘permitted payment’. A permitted payment is any:

• reimbursement of work related expenses
• reasonable interest on loans to the company
• dividend which does not exceed a normal return on the amount invested
• payment for supplying goods at their market value
• payment of reasonable commercial rent
• reasonable payment for services provided within their trade or profession, other than secretarial, managerial or similar services to the company — these must be included in their accounts for tax purposes

You may be able to claim tax relief if, at the time the shares are issued, you:

• are an unpaid director of the company (and are not entitled to any payment)
• have not previously been involved in the same trade that the company is seeking investment for

If you become a paid director, you can keep any Income Tax relief you previously received. You can also claim tax relief under Enterprise Investment Scheme after becoming a paid director if you were issued either:

• shares before you became a paid director, and any new shares are issued within either 3 years of the original share issue or the date the company started trading
• Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme shares while you were a paid director of the company, and the new Enterprise Investment Scheme share issue is within 3 years of the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme share issue

Shares that qualify for tax relief

Social Investment Tax Relief is only available for shares issued on or before 5 April 2023.

For all schemes, your shares must be newly issued and paid for in full (in cash) to be eligible for Income Tax relief.

You’ll only get relief if the company has a way to accept payment before shares are issued.

You must purchase full risk ordinary shares which are not redeemable and carry no special rights to a company’s assets if it closes down.

For Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Enterprise Investment Scheme, shares you issue can have limited preferential rights to dividends. However, the rights to receive dividends cannot be allowed to accumulate or allow the dividend to be varied.

For Social Investment Tax Relief the shares must not have the right to a dividend of a fixed amount or more than a reasonable commercial rate.

You cannot use a loan to buy the shares if it was only approved (or the terms were only approved) for the purchase of the shares.

For Enterprise Investment Scheme, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Social Investment Tax Relief, there cannot be an arrangement when the shares are issued:

• to protect your investment
• to sell the shares at end of, or during the relevant period
• to structure the company’s activities to let you benefit in a way that’s not intended by the scheme
• for a reciprocal agreement where the company’s owner invests back in your company to also gain tax relief

For Enterprise Investment Scheme, you will not be able to claim Income Tax relief if you received the new shares and you already hold other shares in the company that were not either shares:

• issued to you when the company was formed
• for which you’ve received a compliance certificate (form EIS3)

Loans that qualify for tax relief using Social Investment Tax Relief

Social Investment Tax Relief is only available for investments made on or before 5 April 2023.

You can get tax relief using the Social Investment Tax Relief scheme if you loan money to a social enterprise.

The loan or debt must not be secured on any assets and, if interest is charged, this must be at a reasonable commercial rate. There must not be an arrangement for any part of the loan to be repaid within 3 years of the investment.

If you make a single payment, the investment begins when the company issues you with a confirmation of the debt (known as a debt instrument, like a debenture). If the company does not issue a debt instrument the investment begins when the investment agreement takes effect.

If the investment involves several payments then each investment begins when you pay each amount to the social enterprise.

When you can sell your investment and get tax relief

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, Enterprise Investment Scheme and Social Investment Tax Relief

You need to keep your whole investment in a company that qualifies for Enterprise Investment Scheme, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Social Investment Tax Relief for at least 3 years to claim the full tax reliefs available. You will lose tax relief if during this time:

• you sell some or all of the shares
• the company fails to meet the conditions for the scheme
• you develop a connection with the company
• you receive money or other assets from the company or unusually high interest on a loan from them

You’ll also lose tax relief if the company pays back money invested in shares to investors who have not received tax relief. For Enterprise Investment Scheme this applies for 12 months before the share issue. For Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Social Investment Tax Relief this applies from the date the company or enterprise was started.

You need to tell HMRC within 60 days of any of these occurring.

Venture Capital Trust

You must keep your whole investment in a Venture Capital Trust for 5 years. If any of the shares stop qualifying in this time, you’ll lose the Income Tax relief on those shares.

You’ll keep the Income Tax relief if you gain a connection with the Venture Capital Trust or a company it’s invested in.

When to claim your relief

If you invest with Enterprise Investment Scheme, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme or Social Investment Tax Relief, you can claim relief up to 5 years after the 31 January following the tax year in which you made the investment.

For Venture Capital Trusts, you can claim relief up to 4 years after the end of tax year of assessment in which you made the investment.

How to claim relief

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Enterprise Investment Scheme

The company will send you a compliance certificate EIS3 (or the fund manager will issue form EIS5, if the investment is made through an Approved Investment Fund) with an Unique Investment Reference number that shows they’ve met the conditions of the scheme and will continue to do so for the next 3 years. The certificate will also let you know how long you will need to hold the shares for.

You must have received this certificate before you can claim tax relief. HMRC does not issue SEIS3, EIS3 or EIS5 certificates to you.

If you want to claim in the current tax year you can request:

• a change to your PAYE tax code, see guidance on Enterprise Investment Scheme tax coding process, PAYE10045 and PAYE10047 for Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme
• an adjustment to any Self Assessment on account that’s due

If you want to claim for the previous tax year, make your claim on your Self Assessment tax return. For more information see the helpsheets for:

• Enterprise Investment Scheme Income Tax relief
  
• Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme Income Tax relief
  
• Capital Gains Tax relief

If the shares were issued in a different tax year, or you are claiming for capital gains deferral relief, you need to complete the claim part of the certificate.

Venture Capital Trust

You should claim Income Tax relief in your Self Assessment tax return for the tax year in which the shares were issued.

You do not have to wait until you send in your tax return to get the benefit of the relief. You can do this by asking HMRC to make an adjustment to your tax code or requesting a tax refund.

Published 1 January 2016
Last updated 6 October 2023 + show all updates

1. 6 October 2023

   The guidance has been updated to make it clear that SEIS3 and EIS3 are issued by the companies and not HMRC.

2. 25 May 2023

   The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) figures have been updated.

3. 6 April 2023

   The Social Investment Tax Relief scheme can now only be used for investments made on or before 5 April 2023.

4. 7 July 2021

   The information has been updated as you can claim relief for Venture Capital Trusts up to 4 years after the end of tax year of assessment in which you made the investment.

5. 25 January 2019

   You cannot claim Income Tax relief if you invest through SITR and receive new shares or debt investment in a company you already hold other shares or debt investments in, unless they were issued to you when the company was formed, or have had a compliance statement submitted for them.

6. 3 October 2018

   Investors can now invest up to £2 million under the Enterprise Investment Scheme, as long as over £1 million of that is invested in knowledge-intensive companies.

7. 13 April 2018

   This guide has been updated to include more information about investing in venture capital schemes.

8. 1 January 2016

   First published.