Autumn Budget 2025: Delivering her second budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves has announced that eligibility limits in enterprise management incentive (EMI) schemes are to be expanded.
Scale-up businesses will now be allowed to join start-ups in offering tax-advantaged shares in order to attract the talent and investment they need to grow their businesses. Scale-ups will be able to access the scheme from April 2026.
The expansion is part of a package of tax changes detailed in the Autumn Budget to support young, innovative firms that have previously not had access to schemes such as EMIs in the critical scale-up phase.
Michael Carter, partner at Osborne Clarke, said: “Some very good news today is the expansion of EMI schemes, which remains one of the most effective tools for attracting and keeping talent. Up until now, [organisations] that had more than 250 employees and/or gross assets of over £30 million were excluded from benefiting from EMI. With effect from 6 April 2026, these limits will be increased to 500 employees and £120 million respectively, significantly increasing the number of growing [organisations] that can benefit from this vital incentive.
