Sapphire | Sapphire Capital Partners LLP SEIS Services and Costs

Investors get 50% Income Tax relief on amount subscribed (up to a maximum annual investment of £100,000 for the 2019/2020 tax year. Option to carry back to previous tax year providing the £100,000 limit for that year has not been exceeded, the investment must be held for a minimum of three years to retain this relief);
Investors get 100% Inheritance Tax relief after two years (provided the investment is held at the time of death);
Investors get 50% Capital Gains Tax exemption for chargeable gains reinvested (up to the maximum subscribed);
Investors get 100% Capital Gains Tax relief (provided income tax relief has been given and not withdrawn and disposal takes place after the end of the SEIS three year qualifying period); and
Investors get loss relief (a loss on shares disposed of can be set against an Investor’s income or capital gain to reduce tax).

A foreign company must have a permanent establishment in the UK.

HMRC requires a foreign company to have a permanent establishment in the UK, which means that an element of their work is carried out at a fixed place of business in the UK. The company must operate from the fixed place of business for the entire length of the ‘relevant period’ which is three years from the date trade commences or three years from the issuing of the shares.

A foreign company must have an agent in the UK

A foreign company can qualify for SEIS and/or EIS if they have a qualifying agent established in the UK. An agent must be UK based to qualify and have authority to act on the company’s behalf, such as entering into contracts on a frequent basis.

I was delighted with the service that I received from Boyd and his team at Sapphire. I was anxious to get our EIS Advance Approval as soon as possible so I wanted to make sure the documentation was perfect. Boyd supplied me with all the templates I needed, including a cash-flow forecast template, which was extremely helpful and he was very responsive to all my questions. I felt in very safe hands and this was confirmed when the HMRC approval came through within four weeks of my application.

Sara Madderson

Madderson London

We had been looking into applying for EIS advance assurance and the whole process seemed very daunting. Johnathan from Sapphire Capital explained the whole process to us and took us through it step by step in a very efficient manner. It was extremely seamless and we were delighted to have found them to help.

Ross McDowell

Harty Nutrition Limited

Bondford was time-pressured to secure SEIS/EIS advanced assurance for its prospective investors. Boyd and Jonathan managed to secure that assurance within 2-weeks and at a cost that was 50% less than our auditors. I would recommend their services

Henry Vaughan

Bondford Group

The team at Sapphire really knows their stuff. They helped us through the entire process and the HMRC EIS application was approved with ease. I couldn’t hope for a more competent advisor in terms of SEIS and EIS applications.

Kiattipong Arttachariya

Paragon Partner

Johnathan of Sapphire was excellent in guiding us through the entire process. Although our holding company is based in the Republic of Ireland (in Cork), Johnathan made what is a complex process of applying for EIS advance assurance for a non-UK based company straightforward. I genuinely, could not recommend him enough.

Tony Duggan

Crossflow Payment Solutions Trading Limited (Elite programme member of London Stock Exchange Group)

What are your payment terms?

We ask for 50% upfront and 50% on receipt of the Advance Assurance from HMRC. This way, we only really make money when you are successful. We like to think our interests are therefore aligned.

Do your prices include VAT?

The prices above do not include Value Added Tax ("VAT"). VAT is typically charged at 20% on the prices shown above.

How long does it typically take to get SEIS Advance Assurance from HRMC?

Very hard question as it depends on the complexity of your business and your application. However, if we had to say, it would typically be six weeks. We have had many Advance Assurance applications come back within days - but on the other hand, some applications can take longer than six weeks.

Do only UK based companies qualify for SEIS or EIS advance assurance?

No - overseas-based companies can also qualify to raise money via SEIS and/or EIS if they have a permanent establishment in the UK. We have helped many overseas companies achieve this and it would be a pleasure to help you - just email Bronagh for more details at bronagh@sapphirecapitalpartners.co.uk

Can a company apply for both SEIS and EIS Advance Assurance at the same time and if yes - is there an extra Sapphire fee to make this application?

Yes, you can. We can apply to HMRC for SEIS and EIS Advance Assurance at the same time. There is no extra Sapphire fee for making this joint application i.e., the prices are the same as above for a joint SEIS/EIS application.

I received advanced assurance before the Finance Act 2018/19, which introduced criteria such as the risk to capital. Do you think if I re-submit the application as originally submitted that the company would meet the risk to capital criteria?

Not likely...

There two parts to the risk to capital condition:

Growth and development, and
Significant risk to investors.

For more information on this condition, consider reading EIS: The why and the what of the risk to capital condition.

Before resubmitting your application, consider adding a section addressing both parts of the risk to capital condition. We also recommend reviewing the entire application for anything that could be risk-reducing such as joint ventures, partnerships, etc.

This condition is very interpretation and has lead to many previous successful applications no longer qualifying. Most applications tend to already demonstrate that the company intends to use the money they raise for scaling up their business, but many businesses may no longer qualify due to being low-risk investments.

If the company resubmits the application without addressing this condition, prepare to receive many questions from HMRC on how the company meets the condition. We recommend addressing the issue, as any questions HMRC has will delay the process of receiving your advance assurance, assuming you meet the risk to capital condition.

A practical guide to SEIS

Download our SEIS guide to find out more about SEIS and all its many tax benefits.

EBOOK

A practical guide to EIS

Download our EIS guide to find out more about EIS and all its many tax benefits.

EBOOK

SEIS & EIS for foreign companies

Download our guide for foreign companies wanting to raise money via SEIS and EIS.

EBOOK

	Standard	Plus	Overseas
Our Plans	£950	£1,500	£2,000
	Our most popular package for UK companies seeking SEIS Advance Assurance.	Our Plus Package for UK companies includes SEIS Advance Assurance as well as help issuing the shares and completion of the HMRC SEIS 1 forms.	Our Overseas Package is for non-UK companies that want to attract UK investors who can claim SEIS relief. Package also includes help in setting up a branch office in the UK.
	Contact Us	Contact Us	Contact Us
	We assist you in obtaining the SEIS Advance Assurance. See below	We go further - SEIS Advance Assurance plus help with HMRC SEIS 1 forms and compliance. See below	We assist you in obtaining SEIS Advance Assurance and meeting the Permanent Establishment condition. See below
Free guidance eBook on SEIS.
Summary checklist of SEIS requirements by HMRC.
One-to-one guidance on SEIS Advance Assurance requirements.
Dedicated Sapphire expert support.
HMRC excluded trades reviewed and explained.
Your business plan reviewed for potential HMRC issues.
HMRC draft financial projections template provided.
Draft directors resolutions prepared.
HMRC covering letter prepared.
HMRC application prepared and submitted by a Sapphire expert.
Ongoing liason with HMRC and any HMRC follow-up questions answered promtly.
Assist foreign companies in meeting the permanent establishment condition
Complete and review the company's OS IN01 form
Submit the OS IN01 form to Companies House and pay the fee
Obtain the Company Reference Number (CRN)
Apply for and obtain the company's Unique Tax Reference (UTR)
*AFTER CARE SUPPORT:* Assistance with share structure & issue.
*AFTER CARE SUPPORT:* Companies House submission guidance & support.
*AFTER CARE SUPPORT:* SEIS Form 1 completion, submission & HMRC follow up if required.
*AFTER CARE SUPPORT:* Ongoing SEIS compliance guidance.
	Contact Us	Contact Us	Contact Us

Apply for SEIS Advance Assurance

With a 99% success rate over ten years - you can rely on us to get you quickly approved.

We make applying for SEIS and EIS fast & simple.

Expert support team

Award winning service

A simple process

Seven reasons why you should use us.

1

Expert support team

2

Simple process

3

We are fast

4

99% success rate

5

Peace of mind

6

Pay us only on success

7

Get funding

Why SEIS? - five good reasons why it makes sense.

Can a foreign (non-UK) company obtain SEIS and EIS monies?

We have helped hundreds of startups.

Sara Madderson

Ross McDowell

Henry Vaughan

Kiattipong Arttachariya

Tony Duggan

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

We are more than just a SEIS or EIS consultancy service.

Transparent & fixed low pricing

Everything you need to obtain your SEIS Advance Assurance, issue shares and complete the HMRC compliance forms.

Free

Standard

Plus

Standard

Plus

Overseas

Our Plans

£950

£1,500

£2,000

Frequently Asked Questions

What are your payment terms?

Do your prices include VAT?

How long does it typically take to get SEIS Advance Assurance from HRMC?

Do only UK based companies qualify for SEIS or EIS advance assurance?

Can a company apply for both SEIS and EIS Advance Assurance at the same time and if yes - is there an extra Sapphire fee to make this application?

I received advanced assurance before the Finance Act 2018/19, which introduced criteria such as the risk to capital. Do you think if I re-submit the application as originally submitted that the company would meet the risk to capital criteria?

Not likely...

Need more information on SEIS and EIS?

Download our free eBook guides.

A practical guide to SEIS

A practical guide to EIS

SEIS & EIS for foreign companies

Contact Us

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Locations

London Office

Belfast Office

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Sapphire Capital Partners LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.