Released on 3 July, HMRC’s employee share scheme statistics for the tax year ending 2025 show a 4.7 percent fall, compared to 2024 figures, in total Income Tax and National Insurance contributions relief across the four tax-advantaged schemes, to an estimated £1.23bn. Share Incentive Plans became the largest contributor to tax relief, accounting for £470m and exceeding both EMI and SAYE. SAYE relief fell by 24 percent but remained high, most likely reflecting higher participation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

SAYE continued to record the highest total value of options granted, at £1.75bn, although this was down 16.3 percent on 2024. Though its average option value per grant was much lower than EMI, the higher total value is driven by its larger participant base. CSOP grant values remained high following the increase in the scheme’s option limit from £30,000 to £60,000.

Overall, 20,650 companies operated employee share schemes in 2025, up 1.4 percent on 2024, with EMI remaining dominant by company count: around 90 percent of companies with schemes operate EMI and most companies run only one tax-advantaged scheme. The number of companies where share options were exercised fell slightly to 3,390, with EMI exercises remaining far below EMI grants.