Reward and retain your employees – the easiest way to set up and maintain your EMI option scheme

We span legal and accountancy to get EMI options right for you

Who are Simply Equity? We are experienced legal and accounting professionals specialising in EMI option schemes. We’ll guide you in setting up and maintaining your EMI option scheme.

Tak Matsuda is a Solicitor with experience from leading commercial law firms, and Simon Eagles is a Chartered Accountant, who has worked at major financial institutions.

We’ve set out to simplify the process for setting up and maintaining EMI option schemes. Our goal is to get more companies to use EMI option schemes to reward and retain their employees.

We’ll take you through five steps to set up your EMI option scheme. Our pricing is fixed and transparent – see ‘Pricing

You’ll be guided through the key timings – see ‘What are the key timings for EMI option schemes?’ The process takes about five weeks.

We’ll help you maintain your EMI option scheme with all the services you need. You can talk to us via phone, email or video

Employees can access an option valuation calculator and other key information on their EMI options through their personal Dashboard

You could incentivise and reward employees with EMI options, non-qualifying options, shares and/or cash. EMI options have generous tax breaks for employees – see ‘What are the tax advantages of EMI?

The amounts given to employees in the example below have been adjusted between the EMI option, non-qualifying option, shares and cash so as to make the cost broadly similar for the company.

AwardEMI optionNon-qualifying option
Shares (worth £90k at year 4)Cash (£90k at year 4)
Salary£70k£70k£70k£70k
Exercise price£10k£10k
Share value on exercise (assumed 4 years after grant)£100k£100k£90k when issued
Fewer shares given as the employee is not paying the exercise price
£90k cash
Less cash given as the employee is not paying the exercise price
Sale price of shares (assumed 3 years after exercise)£150k£150k£135kN/A
Total tax**£13,700£45,400*£51,799*£43,399*
Net amount received£126,300£94,600£83,201£46,601
Effective tax rate9%30%38%48%
*The company will also have to meet the cost of Employers National Insurance
**Assuming no change in current tax rates; none of the employees’ annual exempt amount has been used; and any additional Employee’s National Insurance is ignored

Why you should use Simply Equity

Through their dashboards, employees will have clear information about the EMI share option scheme, including how much their EMI options would be worth and when their EMI options could be exercised.

Your peace of mind

We’ll help you comply with the EMI option rules, such as filing the EMI annual returns, and answer questions from your employees as regards their EMI options, for instance because they are leaving or reducing their hours.

Easy admin

We’ll do what we can to leave you with only what you have to do. Email or call us if you need help with your EMI share option scheme. We’ll email you if you need to do anything regarding your EMI options.

Find out more

What is an EMI share option?

What is EMI’s key feature?

Can my company use EMI options?

Which employees can get EMI options?

Do employees need to pay for an EMI option?

What is the exercise price?

What does ‘exercise’ an EMI option mean?

What is vesting, and when does vesting occur?

How much is an EMI option worth?

Is there a minimum time that employees need to hold EMI options?

What happens to an EMI option if an employee leaves the company?

What are the costs to set up and maintain an EMI option scheme?


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