The latest issue of HMRC’s Employment-Related Securities Bulletin acknowledges the problems that some companies have been having with online notification and reporting, as mentioned in our earlier post.

The bulletin sets out what companies should do about two particular issues:

  •  not being able to file notifications of grants of EMI options online by the 92-day deadline; and
  •  having problems with online registration of schemes (particularly through an agent).

If you have missed notifying the grant of EMI options solely because of online problems, you can obtain a “reasonable excuse reference number” that will allow you to notify late by writing to:

Employee Shares & Securities Unit
1st Floor, Fitzroy House
Castle Meadow Road
Nottingham
NG2 1BD

providing the names of the company, the scheme and any agent and the unique reference number of the scheme, plus details of the problem and any reference numbers you may have been given by the HMRC online helpdesk.

In addition, HMRC would welcome feedback (to shareschemes@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk) about whether users would find it useful to be able to key information directly into online returns, as an alternative to uploading an attachment.

Finally, HMRC promises some more FAQs about the online registration of share schemes.  Let’s hope that these measures do the trick!