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Unclaimed
Discovery tool, not advice. Every figure is the published rule, not a decision on your case.
Tax credits

Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)

Status

Open continuously

No deadline — apply whenever you are ready.

Always open
Amount
£24,000,000

Most companies can raise up to £10 million in any 12-month period from venture capital schemes, and up to £24 million over the company's lifetime (£5 million / £12 million for 'specified companies'). Knowledge-intensive companies have higher limits. NOTE: like SEIS this is an INVESTOR relief — HMRC gives income tax and CGT reliefs to individuals subscribing for shares; the figures are caps on qualifying investment the company may take in, not a grant to the company.

Funder

HM Revenue & Customs

public · national

Deadline: Open all year — No deadline; advance assurance available at any time, compliance statement (EIS1) filed after shares are issued.

Your odds
Not published

This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.

Effort
major

Major bid — written case, budget, possibly partners.

Who can apply

Shares must normally be issued within 7 years of the company's first commercial sale. Gross assets must be less than £30 million before the share issue and not more than £35 million immediately afterwards (£15m/£16m for specified companies). Fewer than 250 full-time equivalent employees. Knowledge-intensive companies have extended age, headcount and funding limits — exact KIC thresholds were not re-confirmed on the page read, so treat them as unverified.

How to apply

  1. Optionally apply to HMRC for advance assurance.
  2. Issue shares to investors.
  3. Submit compliance statement form EIS1 to HMRC.
  4. Issue EIS3 certificates to investors once HMRC authorises them.

What you will need

Related reading: How grant deadlines actually work · The EU SME definition (Recommendation 2003/361)

Apply on the funder's site

Source. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-for-the-enterprise-investment-scheme

"Most companies can raise up to £10 million in total in any 12 month period ... up to £24 million from these sources in your company's lifetime."

Verified on 14 August 2026

Source: www.gov.uk

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Paid, separate from Unclaimed

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