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Option Schemes 3 min read
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How much does an EMI option scheme cost?

Published: 
Mar 7, 2019
Updated: Nov 29, 2022
Kirsty Macsween
Kirsty MacSween

In the old days before SeedLegals, you could be looking at spending up to £10,000 on EMI option scheme set-up. Now,  you can create unlimited EMI option schemes and get unlimited HMRC EMI valuations as part of our Share Options Subscription for £2,490 (+VAT) per year.

It used to be complex, expensive and time-consuming to design and implement an EMI option scheme, with months spent creating the paperwork with lawyers and accountants.

Technology and automation have changed that for good. Now, in just a few clicks, anyone can generate the option scheme paperwork and issue equity to their team.

In this post, we run you through a breakdown of the costs involved in setting up your EMI scheme on SeedLegals.

The Enterprise Management Incentive option scheme (EMI for short) is an HMRC initiative that allows UK businesses to give share options to their employees. Issuing share options under the EMI scheme comes with significant tax benefits - both for your employee and the company.

Read more about the benefits and rules of the scheme in our complete guide to EMI option schemes.

How to set up an EMI option scheme online

There are two parts to setting up an option scheme:

  1. Get an HMRC approved EMI valuation
  2. Build the EMI option scheme paperwork, including the scheme rules and options agreements

You can get started on both parts in parallel to save time. After you’ve sent off your EMI valuation to HMRC and are waiting for a reply, you can get your scheme rules drafted and ready to go.

When you set up your EMI option scheme through SeedLegals, it’s easy to work through the steps in our guided workflow.

Emi Option Scheme Seedlegals Platform
The SeedLegals EMI option scheme workflow makes it easy to set up your EMI option scheme. And if you get stuck, just hit the chat button at the bottom of the screen - we’re happy to help!

To get started with your option scheme, sign up for a Share Options Subscription on SeedLegals, create your company and select the EMI Option Scheme from your company dashboard. You can see how it works by signing up for a 7-day free trial.

Follow our step-by-step wizard to generate all the paperwork you need, or if you’d like to see the SeedLegals platform in action, book a demo with one of our EMI experts.

To make the process easier and faster, we’ve added the EMI valuation into our workflow. This is an important step, because it helps guarantee the best-possible share prices for your employees.

You can choose to use our market leading valuation builder tool to generate a comprehensive report for you, or build your EMI scheme without it. You can also just use the EMI Valuation service by itself, without the full EMI scheme.

EMI option scheme: pricing breakdown

At SeedLegals, EMI schemes are included in our Share Options Subscription, which renews annually. For just £2,490 per year, you get:

  • Unlimited EMI share option schemes for UK-based, PAYE employees
  • Unlimited EMI valuations to get the best possible price for your team
  • Unlimited Unapproved option schemes for advisers, contractors and anyone based outside the UK
  • All the legal documents you need to ratify your scheme (including board and shareholder resolutions, option agreements and SH01s)
  • Option holder dashboard for your team to view and manage their options
  • Unlimited support from our experts via live chat, email or video call

Here’s what’s included in our EMI scheme service:

✔ Add up to 250 employees (the EMI scheme limit)
✔ Customise scheme rules
✔ Get unlimited support from our team
✔ Add and remove employees at any time
✔ Manage your scheme online
✔ Your team get their own account so they can track and manage their holdings
✔ All documents included, including board resolution and option agreements

Here’s what’s included in our EMI valuation service:

✔ Build a comprehensive valuation report for the best-possible valuation discount
✔ Access all the documentation needed for valuation approval, supported by the SeedLegals team
✔ We answer any questions from HMRC to agree your valuation

Talk to the options experts

Any questions about EMI option schemes? Need to check any part of the process? Find a time to chat with a SeedLegals equity specialist.


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