Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)

The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) is a government tax-relief scheme that incentivises private individuals to invest in very early-stage (i.e. seed) businesses. This scheme allows any individual to invest up to £200,000 every tax year and receive a 50% tax break. Any business can raise a maximum of £250,000 in SEIS funding in its lifetime. 

SEIS is the younger sibling of the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). Launched by the government in 2012, it encourages investors to finance very early-stage (i.e. seed) businesses by providing even more generous tax breaks than EIS, to compensate for the higher risks.

Your business might be eligible for a SEIS investment if:

• you will use the money for a ‘qualifying trade’
• you have no more than £200,000 in gross assets
• you have no more than 25 employees
• you have a place of business in the UK
• you have traded for less than three years

For more, see Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). You can also find more information on the HMRC website under SITR.

To find out how Irish businesses can qualify for the SEIS scheme, read our guide or get in touch.