Our website uses cookies to enhance the visitor experience (what's a cookieCookies are small text files that are stored on your computer when you visit a website. They are mainly used as a way of improving the website functionalities or to provide more advanced statistical data.). Are you happy for us to use cookies during your visits?
Please note: continuing without making a choice equates to giving us your consent, which you can withdraw at any time via our cookies policy page.

 

Giving Shares to Employees


Newsletter Issue - September 2009

Dividends do not carry a NI charge for the paying company or for the recipient. Paying a dividend can thus be more tax efficient than paying a salary, but this can only happen if the employee is also a shareholder in the company. However, it is not that easy to transfer shares into an employee's name without incurring a tax charge.

Where an employee or director receives shares in the company they work for, the value of those shares and any dividends paid on those shares will normally be taxed as part of their salary, unless a number of very strict conditions are met. One exception is where the employee receives shares as part of a family or domestic arrangement, such as a gift between father and son, or between spouses.

This is a very complex piece of law and it has not been fully tested in court. However, the bottom line is HMRC do have the power to tax dividends as salary where tax avoidance has been involved.

If you would like your employees to own a slice of your company, even a very small slice, the best way to award shares in the company is through an approved share scheme, or an approved share option scheme. There are a number of types of approved share schemes, but some are quite complex to set up and administer.

The Enterprise Management Incentive share option scheme is designed for small companies with a balance sheet value of less than £30 million. This scheme allows the company to grant employees options to acquire shares at a particular value, within a set time period. It does not need prior approval from the Tax Office, but you do need to agree a value for the share options. Once the options are granted to the employees the company must tell the Tax Office within 92 days.

If you want to give shares to your employees please discuss this with us first.

 

 

Request a callback from Mapperson Price

Our philosophy is to provide a professional friendly service to local people, including employed, self-employed and small to medium sized businesses. Fill in our callback form and we'll contact at a suitable time for you.

The partners are supported by staff with a range of experience in accounts, taxation, payroll, and company secretarial work to support the various services the firm offers.

REQUEST CALLBACK

We always aim to get it right first time, every time, we'll respond to you as soon as possible after your form has been received by us.

 


Newsletter Icon

Newsletter Sign up

Handy tax tips delivered directly to your email inbox