If you have some shares that have become worthless, you can make a negligible value claim. This will allow you to set the associated loss against any chargeable gains that you make in the same, or a later, tax year, potentially reducing the amount of capital gains tax that you pay.
Making a claim
A claim can be made either in your self-assessment tax return or by writing to HMRC.
If you are making a claim in respect of unquoted shares, you will need to provide the following information in support of your claim:
- a statement of affairs for the company and any subsidiaries;
- a letter from the liquidator or receiver showing whether any return will be made to the shareholders;
- details of how this decision was reached (for example, a balance sheet where liabilities are significantly greater than assets); and
- evidence that no recovery or rescue is likely (for example, a statement that the company has ceased trading).
If your claim is in respect of shares in a company that is not in liquidation or receivership, comprehensive evidence to support the claim that the shares are of negligible value should be provided.
For quoted shares, HMRC produce a list of shares that they accept being of negligible value.
Talk to us
Talk to us to find out how you can benefit from making a negligible value claim for shares that have become worthless.