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Discount meaning

What does Discount mean?
In receivables finance (factoring and invoice discounting), discount is the funder’s finance charge calculated in a similar way to interest and typically deducted upfront from the purchase price paid for the receivable(s). It compensates the receivables financier for advancing cash before debtor payment and is usually computed for the period from funding to expected or actual collection. This is a market term used in finance documents rather than a statutory definition. Agreements may refer to discount, discount charge or discount rate. It is commonly expressed as an annual percentage over a benchmark rate (for example, Bank of England base rate or SONIA in the UK; EURIBOR/EIR in Ireland) and applied to the funded amount or face value for the relevant discount period. Documentation may include a minimum discount period, tiered pricing, or reconciliations on collection. Discount is distinct from service or administration fees (which cover ledger management and collections). In practice, it is often treated similarly to interest for accounting and VAT purposes, but treatment depends on structure and jurisdiction. Usage and legal effect are broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, though benchmark rates and terminology may vary slightly.
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View the related Checklists about Discount

CHECKLISTS
UK tax checklist for distressed corporate debt: acquisitions of non-performing loans, restructurings and enforcement

This checklist highlights the principal tax considerations when handling distressed corporate debt, addressing in turn: acquisitions of non-performing loans debt restructurings (ie waivers, debt/equity swaps and renegotiations) enforcement of debts For fuller analysis of the points signposted here, see Practice Notes: Tax and distressed debt—acquisitions of non-performing loans Tax and distressed debt—debt restructurings Tax and distressed debt—enforcement actions available to creditors Acquisitions of non-performing loans This part summarises the tax considerations when a buyer takes on existing UK debt at a discount to face value: Where should the purchaser be located? will interest paid by the borrower to the purchaser be subject to withholding tax? if the purchaser is non-UK resident, can relief be obtained under a double tax treaty? to what extent will amounts received from borrowers be chargeable on the purchaser? How will the debt...

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CHECKLISTS
Defence mitigation at sentencing: practitioner checklist, key factors, character and medical evidence, and practical tips (England and Wales)

How a sentence is reached When passing sentence, the court typically weighs the statutory sentencing range, the relevant Sentencing Council (SC) guidance—including any offence‑specific guideline—the overarching guidance, and sentencing authorities from the Court of Appeal. The SC’s offence‑specific or general guideline provides a mandatory step‑by‑step method the court must apply. See Practice Notes: Sentences imposed following conviction and Sentencing Council General Guideline—Overarching Principles. In most cases the court will consider: the appropriate starting point within the Sentencing Guidelines any aggravating features of the offence mitigation and the defendant’s personal circumstances any discount for a guilty plea whether the offender is dangerous and presents a significant risk of harm through further specified offences any suitable ancillary orders the totality of the sentence to ensure proportionality to the offending behaviour Mitigation The SC’s guidelines, together with the general guideline, contain non‑exhaustive examples of mitigating factors that may lead the court to reduce the sentence...

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NEWS
UKUT: CTA 2009 s 327 (loan relationships) disallows Spens compensatory premium; unamortised discount/issue costs referable post-migration; penalty deductible - UK Care No 1 v HMRC

UK Care No 1 Ltd v HMRC [2026] UKUT 90 (TCC) The appellant, UKC1, was a Guernsey-incorporated company. It served as the issuer of loan notes within a securitisation structure for the BUPA group. Those notes were placed at a discount and incurred transaction expenses. UKC1 recognised the obligation on an amortised cost basis. That accounting treatment reflected the discounted issue price and the associated fees borne at issue time. (CTA 2009, s 327 is inapplicable where fair value accounting is adopted.) In 2016—when BUPA intended to dispose of certain care homes included in the collateral package—BUPA acquired UKC1 and it became resident for UK tax. UKC1 subsequently bought back the loan notes. The terms for early repayment were set by a ‘Spens’ (or ‘make whole’) provision, which required payment of whichever was greater: the principal sum, or the present value of future cash flows, discounted by reference to a named gilt...

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NEWS
PI and Clinical Negligence weekly update: clinical negligence appeal dismissed, RTA fraud contempt, PIDR minutes, Zubaydah choice of law, post-PACCAR funding, Automated Vehicles Bill call, PHSO report, litigation privilege

PI & Clinical Negligence weekly highlights—7 March 2024 In this issue: Clinical negligence Fraud and fundamental dishonesty Damages Case management Costs Key PI & Clinical Negligence developments LexTalk®PI & Clinical Negligence: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts Clinical negligence Administrative Court dismisses appeal in clinical negligence claim The King’s Bench Division Administrative Court (Birmingham), in Chilton v Payne [2024] EWHC 451 (Admin), rejected the appellant’s appeal against an order dismissing her claim for damages against the respondent surgeon for negligence. The case concerned an alleged omission by the respondent to provide, or ensure, sufficient abdominoplasty follow-up and/or aftercare. She maintained, among other grounds, that the judge had erred in fact and in law: (i) in concluding there was no breach of the post-operative duty of care; and (ii) in his treatment of factual causation. On appeal, the court affirmed that the judge was right to find no duty on the respondent to...

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NEWS
CMA secures High Court–endorsed undertakings from Emma Sleep over misleading urgency claims and discounts, with compliance monitoring; legality of ‘was/now’ pricing to be determined in June 2026

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced it had obtained a High Court–approved settlement from Emma Sleep after the firm admitted to breaching consumer law. According to the CMA, Emma Sleep also used misleading countdown clocks, false claims of high demand, and deceptive discount promotions...

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View the related Practice Notes about Discount

PRACTICE NOTES
UK tax treatment of earn-outs on share disposals: deferred consideration, Marren v Ingles, reorganisations, QCB vs non-QCB, BADR, SSE, anti-avoidance and HMRC clearance

The way consideration payable for buying shares is arranged is rarely simple or linear, and can vary considerably. In many situations payment is postponed, deferred, or made conditional on a particular contingency being satisfied. Selling shareholders will look to maximise the overall price for their shares while also seeking to limit, so far as possible, any tax on disposal by: making full and efficient use of available reliefs to cut or remove any charge, and/or delaying the point in time at which any such tax becomes due However, where the consideration is deferred, the seller can become liable to tax immediately on an amount not yet received (a ‘dry’ tax charge). In calculating chargeable gains, no discount is usually allowed in respect of any consideration that is ascertainable at the date of disposal, even where it is: deferred subject to a contingency, or at risk of not being received for any reason Where any deferred...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence July 2025: discount rate, costs/QOCS, RTA reforms, CPR updates and leading cases (England and Wales) [Archived]

PI & Clinical negligence horizon scanner—July 2025 [Archived] ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is not maintained. It summarises the principal legal developments relevant to personal injury and clinical negligence practitioners as at July 2025. For developments predating this horizon scanner, see PI and Clinical Negligence horizon scanning and key cases—overview. Key PI and clinical negligence developments The personal injury discount rate—a review In late 2024, the Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood MP, revealed the outcome of her five‑month review of the discount rate, initiated in July 2024. One month after the new +0.5% discount rate took effect, Thea Wilson (barrister at 12 King’s Bench Walk) assesses its impact on cases, the responses from claimant and defendant representatives, and the consequences of the change for legal practitioners. See News Analysis: The personal injury discount rate—a review. MoJ announces reduction in CFO’s interest rates The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced lower interest rates for the Courts Funds Office’s (CFO) special and basic accounts...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Law Firm Valuation: Discounted Economic Income Model with EBITDA, Risk-Adjusted Discount and Capitalisation Rates, Terminal Value and Worked Example

This Practice Note examines methods for valuing law firms and sets out the elements most prone to shape that assessment. Although several conventional approaches exist, it offers a worked illustration of an earnings-led valuation (discounted economic income). Investors commonly adopt this approach when pricing a company and, therefore, it is a vital computation to undertake before starting any talks. The outcome might be below your expectations, yet it provides a window into the sum an investor or acquirer could be prepared to offer. The discounted economic value model In brief, this model projects a firm’s future net cash profits and discounts them to today’s value. By applying an appropriate discount rate, it seeks to reflect the spectrum of risks the business encounters in generating that earnings flow over time. The exercise, therefore, converts anticipated cash returns across multiple years into a single current figure that recognises uncertainty, timing, and sustainability in the delivery of the net income stream...

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PRECEDENTS
Fatal Accidents: Schedule of Loss and Dependency Precedent (England and Wales) - LR(MP)A 1934 and FAA 1976, services and financial dependency, interest, Ogden tables at 0.5%

Schedule of loss & dependency in a fatal accident claim [ IN THE COUNTY COURT AT [ INSERT ] OR IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE ] [ [ Specify division ] ] [ [ Insert location ] DISTRICT REGISTRY ] Claim No: Between AB, Claimant (the Widow and Executrix of the estate of A, deceased) and C Limited, Defendant Note On 2 December 2024 the Lord Chancellor confirmed that the discount rate would move to a positive 0.5%. That positive 0.5% rate takes effect from 11 January 2025. Under Schedule A1 to the Damages Act 1996, later reviews must occur within five years of the end of the previous review, meaning the next review must begin on or before 2 December 2029. The Claimant retains the right to revise, modify or supplement this schedule at any time up to and including trial...

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PRECEDENTS
Precedent and worked example: personal injury schedule of loss (multi-track), including Ogden multipliers, pension loss and 0.5% discount rate—England and Wales

[ AT THE COUNTY COURT AT [ INSERT ] OR IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE ] [ [ SPECIFY DIVISION ] ] [ DISTRICT REGISTRY AT [ INSERT LOCATION ] ] Claim No: Between [ Insert name ] Claimant and [ Insert name ] Defendant ________________________________________________ SCHEDULE OF LOSS CALCULATED TO [ INSERT DATE OR INSERT THE DATE OF TRIAL ] ________________________________________________ Note On 2 December 2024, the Lord Chancellor declared that the discount rate would move to positive 0.5%. This positive 0.5% rate comes into effect on 11 January 2025. Schedule A1 to the Damages Act 1996 stipulates that later reviews are to occur within five years of the end of the preceding review, which means the next review must start on or before 2 December 2029. The Claimant reserves the ability to revise, amend, or supplement this schedule at any point up to and including trial. A....

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PRECEDENTS
UK share plans: template letter to option holders after a rights issue, adjusting option share numbers and exercise price, performance conditions, replacement certificates, FAQs, and HMRC tax treatment

[ insert name of option holder ][ insert address ][ insert postcode ][ insert date ] Dear [ insert name of option holder ], [ insert name of option plan ]: effect of recent rights issue on your option[s] 1 Introduction On [ insert date ], [ insert name of company ] (the Company) invited all shareholders to take up additional shares in the Company. Eligible shareholders could apply for [ insert number ] new shares for every [ insert number ] already held. The subscription price was [ insert currency and amount ] per new share, representing an approximate discount of [ insert currency and amount ] to the share price on [ insert date ]. [ Further information about the rights issue can be found in the enclosed copy of the document sent to shareholders. ] 2 Effect of the rights issue on your option We are contacting you as you currently hold option(s) under the [ insert name of option plan...

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View the related Q&As about Discount

Q&As
SDLT on discounted price: original or discount; transfer wording?

Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) applies to the chargeable consideration given for a land transaction. A land transaction arises where a chargeable interest is acquired. For SDLT purposes, chargeable consideration has a specific meaning and is set out in section 50 of the Finance Act 2003 (FA 2003) and in FA 2003, Sch 4. It covers not just cash or money’s worth, but also other forms by which value is provided, whether directly or indirectly, to the land’s transferor...

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Q&As
Discounted CFA with LEI: usual rate on success, LEI rate if not?

What is a DCFA? Most practitioners know the ‘pure’ CFA, commonly referred to as a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement. Working under a pure CFA, the lawyer or legal representative is remunerated only upon a win, as the CFA expressly defines it. If that outcome is not achieved, no fee is payable for the professional work undertaken on the matter. For additional detail, see the subtopic: CFAs and DBAs for further information. A DCFA is often described as a ‘no win, lower fee’ arrangement in contrast to the pure CFA. Under a DCFA, the client agrees to meet the lawyer’s fees in full on success; if the case fails, a reduced fee is payable to the representative. The role of success fees Success fees exist to ensure a solicitor’s portfolio of CFA-backed litigation can operate at nil net loss overall. Put differently, the success uplifts on winning matters are designed to meet the base costs that cannot be recovered on losing matters within that portfolio...

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