Share incentive plans ― an overview

Produced by Tolley in association with

Employment Tax

Guidance

Introduction

Share incentive plans (SIPs) were originally known as ‘All Employee Share Ownership Plans’ and were first introduced over 20 years ago. They are one of four tax-advantaged employee share schemes currently available in the UK. Under a SIP, employees can buy shares in their employing company from their gross salary whilst the employer can also provide them with matching shares at no extra cost to the employee. The shares are held in a separate SIP trust whilst they reside in the SIP plan. The legislation governing SIPs is found in ITEPA 2003 Schedule 2, and HMRC often refer to this type of plan as a Schedule 2 SIP.

When all relevant conditions are satisfied, no liabilities to income tax or national insurance contributions (NIC) arise on shares being awarded to employees or withdrawn from the SIP. Qualifying Schedule 2 SIPs must be open to all eligible employees. See Simon’s Taxes E4.528.

Employers must self-certify that all the SIP legislation is met by the plan following the end of the tax

Continue reading the full document

To gain access to additional expert tax guidance, workflow tools, and tax research, register for a free trial of Tolley+™

TAKE A FREE TRIAL NOW

Helen Wood

Founder, HLN WD TX , Employment Tax

Helen Wood is the founder of HLN WD TX, a share schemes and employee incentives advisory business.She qualified as a CA with ICAS in 2009 and has worked as a specialist reward and incentives advisor for 17 years, spending 13 of those at KPMG followed by 3 ½ years as an Associate Director at RSM. Helen has worked with businesses ranging from start-ups to fully listed companies, spanning owner-managed businesses, private equity portfolio companies, and AIM listed businesses.She advises on a wide range of employee share schemes and employment related securities matters including the design and implementation of effective management and employee incentives; tax valuation of employment related securities, buy and sell side transaction support, HMRC compliance, tax due diligence and employee ownership trust transactions.

Popular Articles

Trusts and Inheritance Tax

Settlor-interested trusts

Settlor-interested trustsWhat is a settlor-interested trust?A settlor-interested trust is one where the person who created the trust, the settlor, has kept for himself some or all of the benefits attaching to the property which he has given away. A straightforward example is where a settlor

14 Jul 2020 13:38 | Produced by Tolley Read more

Owner-Managed Businesses

Definition of a close company

Definition of a close companyThe detailed definition of a close company is set out below, but in summary the rules are targeted at those companies where the owners can manipulate the activities of the company to influence their own tax position. Therefore, broadly speaking, in most cases an

14 Jul 2020 11:24 | Produced by Tolley Read more

Corporation Tax

Overseas property businesses for companies

Overseas property businesses for companiesOverviewReal estate income is generally taxed where the property is located; the UK tax treaties generally allow the jurisdiction where the land is located to tax income from the land.Therefore, a UK company with overseas property may be subject to tax in

14 Jul 2020 12:22 | Produced by Tolley in association with Rob Durrant-Walker of Crane Dale Tax, part of AMS Group Read more

��Ƶ