A freeview guide to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Investor's Relief. This relief reduces the rate of CGT paid on the disposal of unlisted company shares by persons who invest in shares by subscription.

Subscribers, see Investor's Relief: subscriber guide for your detailed version of this guide.

At a glance

Investors’ Relief (IR) is

• A Capital Gains Tax (CGT) relief.
• Available to individual investors.
• It applies to gains made on the disposal of investments in ordinary shares.
• It only applies to disposals made after 6 April 2019.
• Share investments must have been made on or after 17 March 2016 and held for three years.
• It reduces the rate of tax charged on gains to 10% for higher rate taxpayers (lower rate taxpayers are already taxed at 10%).
• The investee company must be trading or the holding company of a trading group.
• Shares must have been subscribed for in cash.

Although IR has some similarities to Entrepreneurs' Relief (ER), IR is a different relief:

• it is designed for investors who are not actively involved in the business, e.g. investors on the AIM market and business angels.

Like ER:

• Investors Relief is subject to a lifetime cap of £10 million.
  • The £10 million cap for Investors relief is in addition to the £1 million (£10 million to 11 March 2020) lifetime cap for ER.
• Investments must be in unlisted shares.
• The company must be a trading company throughout.

 Unlike ER:

• There is no minimum % shareholding requirement.
• Investors (or persons connected to them) must not be officers or employees of the company on subscription.
  • Business angel investors may later become unpaid directors or qualifying 'relevant employees' 
• Investors must not receive value in respect of their shareholdings. Dividends are allowed.
• Investments must be made on or after 17 March 2016, and held for at least three years starting from 6 April 2016.
• If a shareholder disposes of a shareholding consisting of qualifying and non-qualifying shares, only a proportion of the gain will qualify for Investors' Relief.

Detailed CGT relief guides for subscribers

Entrepreneurs' Relief Index
Entrepreneurs' Relief: overview	How the relief works
	Tracker: What's new?
	Planning points
Different forms of ER:	Applies to:
Disposal of a business or part of a business	Sole traders or partners: S169I(2)(a) TCGA 1992
Disposal of the assets of a business following its cessation	Sole traders or partnerships: s.169I(2)(b)
Disposal of shares or securities in a company	Officer or employee shareholders
Disposal of a joint venture interest	Joint venture officer or employee shareholders
Disposal of trust business assets	Trustees
Disposal associated with a material disposal	Shareholders or partners
Alternative reliefs
Disposal of shares or securities in a company (Investors' Relief)	Investor shareholders (not officers or employers, on subscription)