EIS and SEIS Combined Relief Calculator, 2026/27

How this is calculated

SEIS is aimed at the earliest stage companies and gives income tax relief of 50.0% on investment up to £200,000 a year. EIS is aimed at slightly more established qualifying trading companies and gives relief of 30.0% on investment up to £1,000,000 a year, doubled for knowledge-intensive companies.

This calculator applies each scheme's own rate and limit to the amount you enter for that scheme, so an investment that exceeds a scheme's annual limit still only gets relief on the capped amount, with any excess invested without income tax relief on that portion (though it may still qualify for gains-related reliefs).

The combined relief across both schemes is added together, and subtracted from the total amount invested to show the net cost of the whole SEIS and EIS portfolio for the year, both a proportion and a total figure.

Why investors often use both

SEIS and EIS are frequently used together because they target different stages of company growth: SEIS suits a very early seed round with higher relative risk, reflected in its higher 50% relief rate, while EIS suits a later funding round in the same or a different company, at a lower 30% rate reflecting typically somewhat lower risk.

Because the schemes have separate annual limits, an investor with sufficient funds and income tax liability can potentially claim relief on £200,000 of SEIS investment and £1,000,000 of EIS investment in the same tax year, subject to meeting each scheme's conditions independently.

Points that catch investors out

Relief is only useful to the extent you have income tax liability to set it against in the relevant year (or the prior year if carried back); an investor with a low income tax bill cannot generate a refund beyond what they have actually paid.

The two schemes have different qualifying rules for the company, including size and trading history limits, so a company being SEIS-eligible does not guarantee later EIS rounds automatically qualify, and advance assurance from HMRC is generally sought before either type of round to reduce uncertainty for investors.

Can I invest in SEIS and EIS in the same company?

Yes, many companies raise a SEIS round first while very early stage, then a later EIS round once slightly more established, provided at the time of the EIS investment the company still meets EIS's own size and trading history conditions.

What is the maximum combined relief I could claim in a year?

In principle up to 50% of £200,000 of SEIS investment plus 30% of £1,000,000 of EIS investment, subject to having enough income tax liability across the relevant years to use the relief, and both investments meeting all qualifying conditions.

Do I lose relief if the company later fails?

No, income tax relief already given is not automatically withdrawn just because the company later fails, and in that situation loss relief against income tax often becomes available on the net cost of the investment.

Is SEIS relief always better than EIS relief?

The relief rate is higher, but SEIS companies are typically at an earlier, higher-risk stage, so the higher relief broadly reflects that additional risk rather than making SEIS a straightforwardly 'better' investment.