Share incentive schemes are a method by which employers can pass on the proceeds of growth to their employees. As well as having a motivational effect on a company's workforce, there are also beneficial tax opportunities to be explored.
There are two fundamental types of employee share incentive plan: those that are approved by HMRC and those that are not. The non-approved schemes may be considered when HMRC stipulations cannot be met. They offer a greater diversity of choice, but they don't have the same tax advantages as the schemes that are approved by HMRC.
Securing the most favourable outcome from an employee share incentive scheme requires legal advice from specialists with a detailed understanding of how each plan will operate within your particular circumstances.
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Which scheme is right for you?
We offer guidance on the wide range of share scheme options and provide tailor-made advice to help you implement the best solution for your business.
Benefits can include:
- Cutting employment costs through income tax, national insurance and corporation tax reductions
- Incentivising employees to accomplish strategic business objectives
- Reducing financial outlay by using shares to supplement salaries
- Retaining and motivating talented staff, and increasing awareness of common goals
We help you choose the share incentive scheme that will get the best results for your organisation, now and in the years ahead.
The types of share schemes covered includes:
- Enterprise management incentive (EMI) share options
- Employee shareholder status shares
- Growth shares
- Alphabet shares
- Company share option plans
- Employee benefit trusts and employee share ownership trusts (EBTs and ESOTs)
Want to reap the maximum rewards?
With expertise in the full range of employee share incentives, we know what factors you should consider before adopting one of the schemes. We will work with you to assess what the plan is intended to achieve. We will look ahead, tailoring the scheme to suit your plans for the future. And we will be rigorous in our implementation of the scheme, so it will be underpinned with unshakable legal foundations.
Key Contact
Stuart Scott-Goldstone
Partner | Head of Corporate & Commercial
Stuart is the Head of the firm's Corporate & Commercial team and has experience in all aspects of corporate and commercial law. His specialist areas are corporate finance transactions and corporate reorganisations and restructuring.
