SIP—tax treatment

SIP—tax treatment

A share incentive plan (SIP) gives employees the opportunity to acquire shares in their employer or a parent company of the employer on a tax-efficient basis.

As SIPs are designed to be offered to all employees (rather than on a selective basis), they tend to be operated by larger listed companies.

If the statutory provisions are met and the SIP is correctly notified to HMRC, favourable tax treatment can result.

This subtopic comprises of notes detailing:

•
the income tax, National Insurance contributions (NICs) and apprenticeship levy treatment of SIP awards, and
•
the capital gains tax (CGT) treatment of SIP awards and the availability of a corporation tax deduction for the employer

Law governing SIPs

A SIP gives employees the opportunity to acquire shares in their employer or a parent company of the employer on a tax-efficient basis. The legislative framework governing the SIP is mostly contained in:

•
Schedule 2 to the Income tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (ITEPA 2003), which sets out how the SIP can be operated and the main conditions that have to be satisfied for the SIP to

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Share Incentives News

Share Incentives weekly highlights—19 December 2024

This week's edition of Share Incentives weekly highlights includes (1) the announcement by ISS Governance of its new 2025 benchmark policy updates, (2) the FCA’s publication of its consultation paper on the proposed regulatory framework for the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES), (3) the Lexis+® UK Practical Guidance and Market Standards Trend Report reflecting on the voting patterns displayed during the 2024 AGM season, (4) HMRC’s publication of minutes of a subgroup meeting on changes to taxation of non-domiciled individuals, and (5) a new Q&A in respect of employee ownership trusts with a corporate trustee.

Share Incentives weekly highlights—12 December 2024

This week's edition of Share Incentives weekly highlights includes (1) in relation to employee benefit trusts, the cases of JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd v Garnett and also MR Currell Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners, (2) the Welsh Government publishing its Budget for 2025–26, and (3) a consultation published by the Financial Conduct Authority which includes proposals for updating the FCA’s Handbook to align with the new edition of the UK Corporate Governance Code that was published in January 2024.

Share Incentives weekly highlights—5 December 2024

This week's edition of Share Incentives weekly highlights includes (1) an update on the progress of Finance Bill 2025 and the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill in the House of Commons, (2) the 2025/26 Scottish Budget and (3) the case of Simrajsar Ltd and another v Revenue and Customs Commissioners, in which the First-tier Tax Tribunal concluded that termination payments constituted taxable earnings.

Share Incentives weekly highlights—28 November 2024

This week's edition of Share Incentives weekly highlights includes (1) the CIOT’s response to the employee ownership trust provisions of the draft Finance Bill 2025, (2) proposals by the PRA and FCA of significant reforms to dual-regulated firms' remuneration regime, (3) the FRC’s annual review of corporate governance reporting, and (4) HMRC’s Employment Related Securities Bulletin 58.

View Share Incentives by content type :

News