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Seed enterprise investment scheme (SEIS) meaning

What does Seed enterprise investment scheme (SEIS) mean?
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) is a UK tax relief used in early‑stage equity fundraisings. It encourages individuals to subscribe for new shares in young trading companies by offering income tax and capital gains tax (CGT) reliefs where statutory conditions are met. The regime is set out in Part 5A Income Tax Act 2007 and related provisions of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992. Key features include: 50% income tax relief on up to £200,000 invested per tax year (with carry‑back); CGT disposal relief on gains on SEIS shares held for at least three years; and 50% CGT reinvestment relief on gains on other assets reinvested into SEIS shares. Companies must meet limits and qualifying trade tests (including the risk‑to‑capital condition): no more than £250,000 total SEIS funds raised; gross assets not exceeding £350,000 pre‑investment; fewer than 25 employees; and trading for under three years. Shares must be newly issued, fully paid in cash, ordinary and non‑preferential; investors must not be connected (subject to director exceptions) and there must be no pre‑arranged exits or linked loans. HMRC advance assurance is available; compliance is via SEIS1/SEIS3. Applies across the UK. Ireland uses the separate Employment and Investment Incentive (EII) scheme.
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View the related News about Seed enterprise investment scheme (SEIS)

NEWS
UKUT upholds EIS ‘disqualifying arrangements’ under ITA 2007 s 178A: PSA counterparty is party; payments satisfy Condition A (Hoopla Animation Ltd v HMRC)

Hoopla Animation Ltd (formerly known as Daisy Boo and Monkey Too Ltd) v HMRC [2025] UKUT 28 (TCC) The taxpayer company was a special purpose vehicle incorporated to commercialise intellectual property in a pre-school animation concept. It formed part of a wider group through which third party investors placed capital into special purpose vehicles. The plan was that those third party injections would qualify for the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and the Enterprise Investments Scheme (EIS), respectively. Investment was made by third party investors into such special purpose vehicles through the group, and the structure was intended to secure those outcomes. As part of the arrangements, the company entered into a production services agreement (PSA) with another group company, under which that company would provide all aspects of production and delivery of episodes of the animation, in return for payment. Although the tribunal allowed the company’s appeals on the EIS trading requirement and the risk-to-capital condition, the FTT concluded there were disqualifying arrangements within ITA 2007, s 178A,...

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View the related Practice Notes about Seed enterprise investment scheme (SEIS)

PRACTICE NOTES
UK CGT reliefs for private client practitioners: PPR, BADR, investors' relief, hold-over, roll-over (incl. joint interests), incorporation, EIS/SEIS, VCT, SITR

CGT reliefs most relevant to Private Client Multiple reliefs exist to lessen or defer capital gains tax (CGT) arising on the disposals of both business and personal interests...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK CGT planning for property and share disposals: PPR, EIS/SEIS, BADR, investors' relief, negligible value, income loss, hold-over, roll-over, incorporation

Principal private residence relief Where an individual holds more than one residence, they may, by formally giving notice to HMRC, nominate which property is to be treated as their main residence for principal private residence (PPR) relief purposes. In these circumstances, any period of actual ownership (by election) of the elected PPR should be regarded as fully exempt from capital gains tax (CGT), provided there has been a previous period of actual occupation. In addition, the last nine months of the period of ownership are always deemed to be a period of occupation. Before 6 April 2014, the exemption covered the final 36 months of ownership; it was reduced to 18 months from 6 April 2014, and halved again to nine months for disposals on or after 6 April 2020. Individuals who are disabled or residing in a care home, and who have no other property on which PPR relief can be claimed, continue to benefit from the 36‑month final period exemption...

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PRACTICE NOTES
SEIS relief: risk-to-capital, disqualifying arrangements, share terms, fundraising and qualifying business activity—conditions and period B under ITA 2007 Part 5A (UK)

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) Mirroring the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), SEIS seeks to boost funding for smaller, higher-risk trading companies by providing a suite of tax reliefs to individuals subscribing for newly issued shares in those businesses. The SEIS rules are tightly defined and require compliance across several areas, including: the overall arrangements, the nature of the shares issued, and the funds raised the individual investors the issuing company This Practice Note concentrates on the conditions governing the general arrangements, the characteristics of the shares, the purpose behind issuing the shares, and the amount and application of the monies raised. These requirements are explained by reference to the income tax relief contained in Part 5A of the Income Tax Act 2007 (ITA 2007). Capital gains tax (CGT) relief—whether via the disposal exemption or re-investment relief—applies only to shares that attract SEIS income tax relief, so the same conditions are equally relevant for CGT purposes. For information...

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