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Venture Capital Trust (VCT) scheme

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The VCT scheme is a UK tax relief that lets individual investors back unlisted trading companies through approved funds

About Venture Capital Trust (VCT) scheme

Venture Capital Trust (VCT) scheme is a UK tax relief scheme in which HMRC-approved investment companies, called VCTs, raise money from individual investors. They invest in or lend to unlisted qualifying trading companies. Investors receive Income Tax relief on their investment, along with tax-free dividends.

The relief rate is 20%, down from 30% from April 2026. A new cap applies from 6 April 2026: most companies receiving VCT money can raise only up to a set annual and lifetime amount.

What Venture Capital Trust (VCT) scheme offers

  • Income Tax relief: 20% relief for investors, reduced from 30% from April 2026.
  • Tax-free dividends: dividends received by investors are tax-free.
  • Qualifying trades: investments in unlisted companies that carry on qualifying trades.
  • Fund limits: from 6 April 2026, a set annual and lifetime limit on what most companies can raise.

Clients

Individual investors who buy shares in VCTs, and unlisted trading companies that take VCT investment.

Key facts

  • Based in: UK
  • Regulator: HMRC approves the investment companies

Profile written by TrustList from the business's own published information, Oct 2026.

Categories & features

Trust Score

4/ 100
Trust Score: New

An earned signal from verification, reviews, awards, transparency and engagement - the vendor can't buy it.

Verification
0/100 · 20%
Reviews
0/100 · 30%
Awards
0/100 · 15%
Transparency
18/100 · 20%
Engagement
0/100 · 15%
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Updated 9/17/2026

Rankings

As of 2026-10-11. Organic ranks only; sponsored placements are never ranks.

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