ProShare

About SIP & SAYE

Two flagship plans helping millions of UK employees share in company growth

For 40+ years, employees have been able to save and invest through their workplace via tax-advantaged SIP and SAYE plans. Today, 95 of the FTSE 100 offer them — and over 20 million employees have benefited since their inception.

Risk-free savings + share option

Save As You Earn (SAYE)

  • A risk-free monthly savings scheme, run through payroll, with the option to buy shares at a discount (often 20%) at the end of a 3- or 5-year term.
  • If shares are worth less than the offer price, employees simply take their savings back.
  • Over 550,000 employees currently invest in a SAYE — the average new participant saves £114 per month.
  • Average participation is 39% of eligible employees; 81% choose the 3-year term.

Buy, free, matching & dividend shares

Share Incentive Plan (SIP)

  • Employees buy shares monthly from gross salary (limit £1,800/year), which provides a tax discount.
  • Employers can also award up to £3,600 of free shares per tax year.
  • Shares held in the plan for 5+ years are free of Income Tax and National Insurance on disposal.
  • Over 855,000 employees participated in 2025 with an average contribution of £92 per month.

Why share plans matter

  • Promotes good savings habits and improves employee financial resilience.
  • Increases financial literacy and employee wellbeing.
  • Drives productivity and stronger employee engagement.
  • Spreads the benefits of company growth across the whole workforce.
  • Supports levelling up — participants live in every region of the UK.

Policy reforms to drive employee participation

Simple, deliverable changes that would modernise SIP and SAYE — making them more attractive to today’s workforce and more useful to employers.

Reduce the SIP holding period from 5 to 2 years

Simpler to understand, communicate and administer — and proven to lift employee participation without impacting productivity. Backed by 40+ companies including Aviva, easyJet, National Grid and Vodafone.

Optional ‘free’ company contribution to SAYE

Allow firms to auto-enrol staff with a small monthly company contribution (e.g. £10 net), giving every employee an opportunity to participate, build savings habits and benefit from share-price growth.

A ‘whole-workforce’ approach

Open SIP and SAYE to the c. 5 million people on zero-hours and gig-economy contracts. Today’s rules exclude them — reform would extend the financial, productivity and wellbeing benefits to the whole workforce.