SEIS – Seed Enterprise
Investment Scheme

Get your business off to an amazing start

If your business is looking for investment and you have traded for two years or less then you should be eligible for SEIS provided you meet the relevant criteria.

If you have been trading for longer you could qualify for EIS. These schemes will make you much more attractive to investors and can give you the launch pad needed to take your business to the next level.

If you are looking to raise investment then this is an opportunity not to be missed.

(S)EIS explained

Both SEIS and EIS are tax advantaged schemes designed to encourage private investment into small UK companies across a variety of sectors.

SEIS provides investors with income tax relief of 50% against the size of their investment. For example, if the investor puts in £100,000 they would receive a £50,000 reduction in their income tax bill and would also not pay any capital gains tax when selling their shares.

EIS is very similar is SEIS but is for more established companies that have traded for up to seven years. As EIS companies are typically not startups they are seen as being less risky, so the tax relief is not as generous – investors receive 30% back on their investment, not 50%. However companies can raise up to £12m under EIS.

Recent figures showed SEIS investments totalled £175m across 2,260 businesses, approximately £77k per investment round. For EIS investments this averaged at £518k per round.

Furthermore, tech companies received 38% of all (S)EIS investments and the majority of those companies were based in London.

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Are you and your investors eligible?

In order to qualify for SEIS or EIS ask yourself if these criteria apply:
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Each SEIS or EIS investor does not (or will not) own more than 30% of your company.

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Your company has a headcount of fewer than 25 employees.

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Your company has gross assets of less than £200k (for SEIS) or £15m (for EIS).

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Your company is not controlled by another company.

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You are not undertaking any of the excluded activities listed here.

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You are a UK resident company.

Why choose Barnes & Scott?

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We are one of the UK’s leading advisors in SEIS and EIS and often advise other advisors.
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We can help even if you already have an accountant that manages your day to day finances, we’ll simply work alongside them.
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Once we have all the information we need we can normally submit your application to HMRC within a week.

Want to know more?

Head over to our knowledge base for more information on the schemes including a step-by-step guide on completing the advance assurance form.
Show me tips

“My startup business was urgently in need of an agency who could orchestrate an SEIS investment that I had secured.

Within a tight timescale, Tas and the team at Barnes & Scott were able to get our deal through and in good shape. My business continues to benefit from the support of the team.”

~ Adam Wilding, Director, Wilding Snacks

Our process

Many businesses that we speak to aren’t quite ready for our help just yet. You’ll need to have all your ducks lined up to ensure you receive the maximum value from our service.

Once you complete our diagnostic we will give you a call to discuss your eligibility for the scheme and to go through the next steps.

Have a look at the process below to see which stage you’re currently at.

Take our diagnostic

We have put together a short 5-minute diagnostic to check if your business is eligible for the scheme. Once you’ve completed it we will get in touch to let you know the next steps.

Take the test to see if investment is within your grasp.

Take the diagnostic