Pricing and bolt-ons

Monthly subscriptions and one off fees

Start off with our monthly subscription…

The amount is based on the number of employees included in your EMI plan.

This includes everything a pre-investment, pre-trading startup needs to create and manage a simple EMI plan: board approvals, plan rules, option deeds for each employee in the plan and HMRC filings.

* Excluding VAT. Subscriptions are for a minimum of 12 months. This assumes each employee receives one option agreement. If an employee is given more than one option agreement (for example where different options have different exercise prices or terms), each option agreement counts as a separate employee.

Add bolt-ons…

Bolt-ons are for one-off or bespoke work on your plan. You only need to pay the fee once for each occassion you need the bolt on.

Not sure what you need? When you create an account, a specialist will be assigned to you. That specialist can help you decide about any bolt-ons. The details of any bolt-ons must be agreed and payment must be received before we begin work relating to a bolt-on.

Preparation for granting options…

Round of new options

Want to add a second or further rounds of employees to your plan?

You will need option agreements for each employee, guidance on whether you may need a new valuation, and to register the options with HMRC.

£195 excl. VAT

Share split

Does your company still have less than 100 shares in total?

You are not allowed to create fractional shares in UK companies. This can make it difficult if you want to issue options over less than 1% of your company. A share split (typically to create around 10,000 shares) is the solution. This includes shareholder approvals and companies house filings.

£450 excl. VAT

Advanced assurance

We write to HMRC, requesting assurance that your company qualifies to grant EMI options.

For example, your company may be involved in financial services (which is on the list of excluded trades) but we think there are good reasons why your company should still qualify.

£750 excl. VAT

Review of articles / shareholders' agreement

Has your company adopted a shareholders’ agreement or a bespoke set of articles?

If so, we need to check that your these documents don’t disqualify your company for an EMI plan.

It’s also typical for investors to have set out special requirements for giving equity to employees. In order to make sure your EMI plan works as intended, we will need to check the agreement for issues such as compliance with the EMI legislation, the process for granting options, and the rights attaching to shares.

£750 excl. VAT

Tax Valuation

Is your company trading or received external investment?

If not, it’s likely you can justify a nominal valuation of your company.

Otherwise, we recommend this bolt-on: a formal valuation of your company and its shares according to the relevant tax rules, and agreeing that valuation with HMRC.

£1,900 excl. VAT

Design and strategy consultation

We will gather detailed information about your business, and work with you to design a long term incentive strategy. A face to face to face consultation is available within Greater London.

Typical issues covered: different approaches to time and performance vesting, individual allocations, long term shareholder dilution, different approaches to valuation.

£1,900 excl. VAT

 

Tailoring options to your business…

Bespoke performance vesting

If an option ‘vests’, that means the employee has the right to receive the shares under their option.

Under a simple EMI scheme, vesting occurs only on a sale of the business or similar event.

With this bolt-on, we will discuss with you how vesting can be linked to simple performance targets, the difference approaches you can take, market practice, and make changes to the template option agreement.

£750 excl. VAT

Bespoke time vesting

If an option ‘vests’, that means the employee has the right to receive the shares under their option.

Under a simple EMI scheme, vesting occurs only on a sale of the business or similar event.

With this bolt-on, we will discuss with you how vesting can be linked to time, the different approaches you can take, market practice, and make changes to the template option agreement.

£450 excl. VAT

Summarising restrictions

A review of your shareholders’ agreement or articles of association may reveal that the shares you want to give to employees are restricted.

The EMI legislation requires that these restrictions are explained in the option agreements. This bolt-on covers the work to include these explanations in the template agreement for each option.

£750 excl. VAT

Presentation to employees

An employee equity expert will visit your business, to explain your EMI option plan to your employees and answer any questions. Subject to agreement depending on location.

£750 excl. VAT

Non-EMI options

EMI options are the best way to give equity to employees who qualify.

You may still want to give equity to people who don’t qualify, and the simplest way is to use an ‘unapproved share option’. The fee below is per option agreement.

£750 excl. VAT