EMI Options Calculator
The agreed strike price you pay your employer per share to exercise.
The estimated share valuation at exit / IPO / company acquisition.
Date options were formally granted in your agreement (starts the 2-year BADR timer).
Determines Capital Gains Tax rate if not BADR-eligible, and unapproved options comparison.
Important HMRC Rule: The BADR 2-year clock starts at the GRANT date, not when options are exercised. Once held 24+ months from grant, your capital gains qualify for the preferential 18% BADR CGT rate regardless of income bracket.
EMI vs Unapproved Options: Side-by-Side Tax Comparison
Unapproved share options (NSOs) are taxed as employment income with zero CGT exemption and standard National Insurance.
If you leave the company, exercise more than 90 days after leaving, or your company exceeds the EMI size limits, Income Tax may apply at exercise instead of CGT. Always check your option agreement for specific terms.
What Is an EMI Options Calculator?
An EMI options calculator helps UK employees and founders model the after-tax value of enterprise management incentive options. If you are exploring the broader range of UK employee share schemes, our share incentives plan calculator (SIP) can help you model the potential tax outcomes across different plans.
Enter your grant price, current share value, number of options, and holding period to see your total gain, Capital Gains Tax liability, and net proceeds, including whether Business Asset Disposal Relief applies.
If your employer has granted you EMI share options, you're probably wondering what they're actually worth and what HMRC will take when you eventually sell.
That's exactly what an EMI options calculator is designed to answer. Unlike most other equity tools you'll find online, EMI options have a specific tax treatment that dramatically reduces what you owe but only if you understand the rules.
How EMI Options Work
Grant, Exercise, and Sale: Understanding Each Stage
EMI options give you the right to buy shares in your company at a fixed price set on the day the options are granted. The full process has three stages:
Grant: Your employer grants you options over shares worth up to £250,000 at the grant date. The exercise price is agreed with HMRC and is typically set at current market value.
Exercise: At a future date often when the company is sold or hits a milestone, you use your options to buy the shares at the original exercise price.
Sale: You sell the shares. Your gain is the difference between the sale price and the exercise price, and this is where tax applies.
The key advantage: there is no Income Tax and no National Insurance at the exercise stage, regardless of how large your gain is. Tax only arrives when you sell the shares, and even then, it is capital gains tax, not income tax.
2026 EMI Rule Changes: Who Qualifies Now
Updated EMI Qualifying Conditions From April 2026
From 6 April 2026, HMRC significantly expanded EMI eligibility. Many companies that previously couldn't use the scheme now can:
| Condition | Before April 2026 | From April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Employee headcount | Under 250 | Under 500 |
| Gross assets | Under £30 million | Under £120 million |
| Company option pool | £3 million | £6 million |
| Option lifespan | 10 years | 15 years |
| Per-employee limit | £250,000 | £250,000 (unchanged) |
How to Calculate Your EMI Option Gain
To use an EMI options calculator, you need four figures:
- Number of options: how many options you hold
- Exercise price: the fixed price you pay to buy each share
- Current or projected share value: the price per share at the point of sale
- BADR eligibility: whether you qualify for the reduced 18% CGT rate (see below)
Example — 10,000 options:
- Exercise price: £0.50 per share
- Sale price: £3.00 per share
- Gain per share: £2.50
- Total gain: £25,000
- Less CGT annual exemption: £3,000
- Taxable gain: £22,000
- CGT at BADR rate (18%): £3,960 owed
- Net proceeds: £21,040
Compare this to the same gain under an unapproved option scheme, where income tax at 40% and National Insurance would cost roughly £10,000–£15,000 on the same £25,000 and the difference becomes clear.
The BADR Advantage: EMI's Most Powerful Tax Benefit
Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) reduces your CGT rate to 18% on the first £1 million of qualifying lifetime gains. For most assets, you need to hold shares for two years from the date you acquire them.
EMI is different. The two-year BADR clock starts on the date your options were granted, not when you exercise them.
This means you can be granted options today, exercise them in three years, sell the shares one week later, and still qualify for BADR at 18%.
No other share scheme or investment type gives you this advantage. Standard CGT without BADR is 24% for higher-rate taxpayers.
EMI vs Unapproved Options: The Full Tax Comparison
| Tax Point | EMI Options | Unapproved Options |
|---|---|---|
| At grant | No tax | No tax |
| At exercise | No Income Tax, No NIC | Income Tax up to 45% + NIC |
| At sale | CGT 18% (BADR) or 24% | CGT 18% or 24% |
| Effective rate on gain | 18% (with BADR) | Up to 62% combined |
The 62% figure on unapproved options comes from 45% income tax + 15% employer NIC + 2% employee NIC on the exercise gain. EMI removes all of that.
If your employer offers a Save As You Earn scheme alongside EMI, use our SAYE calculator to compare both options.
FAQs - EMI Options Calculator
What is the CGT rate on EMI options in 2026?
The standard CGT rates for 2026/27 are 18% for basic-rate taxpayers and 24% for higher and additional-rate taxpayers. If you qualify for business asset disposal Relief which requires a two-year holding period measured from the grant date the rate drops to 18% regardless of your income level, on up to £1 million of lifetime gains.
Do I pay National Insurance on EMI options?
No. One of EMI's core tax advantages is that neither Income Tax nor National Insurance Contributions are charged when you exercise your options, provided the options were granted at market value and no disqualifying event has occurred. Tax only applies when you sell the shares, and only as Capital Gains Tax.
What happens to my EMI options if I leave my company?
Leaving the company is a disqualifying event. You have 90 days from your leaving date to exercise your options and preserve their income tax protection. If you exercise within 90 days, only CGT applies to the gain from the exercise price to the sale price. After 90 days, income tax applies to the gain accrued up to the date of the disqualifying event.
Can my company now qualify for EMI after the 2026 rule changes?
Possibly. From 6 April 2026, the gross assets limit increased from £30 million to £120 million, and the employee headcount limit doubled from 250 to 500. If your company previously failed either of these tests, it may now qualify. The per-employee option limit remains at £250,000, and the company must still carry on a qualifying trade with a UK permanent establishment.
How is an EMI options calculator different from a standard share calculator?
A standard share calculator applies income tax to gains, because most share options outside approved schemes are taxed as employment income at exercise. An EMI options calculator applies CGT rules only at either 18% (BADR) or 24% on the gain at disposal, which produces a significantly lower tax figure for the same gross gain.